seven discourses on art-第17章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rt　a　rival　to　that　style　which　we　have　fixed　as　the　highest。

Thus　I　have　given　a　sketch　of　the　characters　of　Rubens　and　Salvator　Rosa；　as　they　appear　to　me　to　have　the　greatest　uniformity　of　mind　throughout　their　whole　work。　　But　we　may　add　to　these；　all　these　artists　who　are　at　the　head　of　the　class；　and　have　had　a　school　of　imitators　from　Michael　Angelo　down　to　Watteau。　　Upon　the　whole　it　appears　that　setting　aside　the　ornamental　style；　there　are　two　different　paths；　either　of　which　a　student　may　take　without　degrading　the　dignity　of　his　art。　　The　first　is　to　combine　the　higher　excellences　and　embellish　them　to　the　greatest　advantage。　The　other　is　to　carry　one　of　these　excellences　to　the　highest　degree。　　But　those　who　possess　neither　must　be　classed　with　them；　who；　as　Shakespeare　says；　are　men　of　no　mark　or　likelihood。

I　inculcate　as　frequently　as　I　can　your　forming　yourselves　upon　great　principles　and　great　models。　　Your　time　will　be　much　misspent　in　every　other　pursuit。　　Small　excellences　should　be　viewed；　not　studied；　they　ought　to　be　viewed；　because　nothing　ought　to　escape　a　painter's　observation；　but　for　no　other　reason。

There　is　another　caution　which　I　wish　to　give　you。　　Be　as　select　in　those　whom　you　endeavour　to　please；　as　in　those　whom　you　endeavour　to　imitate。　　Without　the　love　of　fame　you　can　never　do　anything　excellent；　but　by　an　excessive　and　undistinguishing　thirst　after　it；　you　will　come　to　have　vulgar　views；　you　will　degrade　your　style；　and　your　taste　will　be　entirely　corrupted。　　It　is　certain　that　the　lowest　style　will　be　the　most　popular；　as　it　falls　within　the　compass　of　ignorance　itself；　and　the　vulgar　will　always　be　pleased　with　what　is　natural　in　the　confined　and　misunderstood　sense　of　the　word。

One　would　wish　that　such　depravation　of　taste　should　be　counteracted；　with　such　manly　pride　as　Euripides　expressed　to　the　Athenians；　who　criticised　his　works；　〃I　do　not　compose；〃　says　he；　〃my　works　in　order　to　be　corrected　by　you；　but　to　instruct　you。〃　It　is　true；　to　have　a　right　to　speak　thus；　a　man　must　be　a　Euripides。　　However；　thus　much　may　be　allowed；　that　when　an　artist　is　sure　that　he　is　upon　firm　ground；　supported　by　the　authority　and　practice　of　his　predecessors　of　the　greatest　reputation；　he　may　then　assume　the　boldness　and　intrepidity　of　genius；　at　any　rate；　he　must　not　be　tempted　out　of　the　right　path　by　any　tide　of　popularity　that　always　accompanies　the　lower　styles　of　painting。

I　mention　this；　because　our　exhibitions；　that　produce　such　admirable　effects　by　nourishing　emulation；　and　calling　out　genius；　have　also　a　mischievous　tendency　by　seducing　the　painter　to　an　ambition　of　pleasing　indiscriminately　the　mixed　multitude　of　people　who　resort　to　them。



A　DISCOURSE



Delivered　to　the　Students　of　the　Royal　Academy　on　the　Distribution　of　the　Prizes；　December　10；　1774；　by　the　President。

Gentlemen；When　I　have　taken　the　liberty　of　addressing　you　on　the　course　and　order　of　your　studies；　I　never　proposed　to　enter　into　a　minute　detail　of　the　art。　　This　I　have　always　left　to　the　several　professors；　who　pursue　the　end　of　our　institution　with　the　highest　honour　to　themselves；　and　with　the　greatest　advantage　to　the　students。

My　purpose　in　the　discourses　I　have　held　in　the　Academy　is　to　lay　down　certain　general　ideas；　which　seem　to　me　proper　for　the　formation　of　a　sound　taste；　principles　necessary　to　guard　the　pupils　against　those　errors　into　which　the　sanguine　temper　common　at　their　time　of　life；　has　a　tendency　to　lead　them；　and　which　have　rendered　abortive　the　hopes　of　so　many　successions　of　promising　young　men　in　all　parts　of　Europe。

I　wish；　also；　to　intercept　and　suppress　those　prejudices　which　particularly　prevail　when　the　mechanism　of　painting　is　come　to　its　perfection；　and　which　when　they　do　prevail　are　certain　to　prevail　to　the　utter　destruction　of　the　higher　and　more　valuable　parts　of　this　literate　and　liberal　profession。

These　two　have　been　my　principal　purposes；　they　are　still　as　much　my　concern　as　ever；　and　if　I　repeat　my　own　ideas　on　the　subject；　you　who　know　how　fast　mistake　and　prejudice；　when　neglected；　gain　ground　upon　truth　and　reason；　will　easily　excuse　me。　　I　only　attempt　to　set　the　same　thing　in　the　greatest　variety　of　lights。

The　subject　of　this　discourse　will　be　imitation；　as　far　as　a　painter　is　concerned　in　it。　　By　imitation　I　do　not　mean　imitation　in　its　largest　sense；　but　simply　the　following　of　other　masters；　and　the　advantage　to　be　drawn　from　the　study　of　their　works。

Those　who　have　undertaken　to　write　on　our　art；　and　have　represented　it　as　a　kind　of　inspiration；　as　a　gift　bestowed　upon　peculiar　favourites　at　their　birth；　seem　to　ensure　a　much　more　favourable　disposition　from　their　readers；　and　have　a　much　more　captivating　and　liberal　air；　than　he　who　goes　about　to　examine；　coldly；　whether　there　are　any　means　by　which　this　art　may　be　acquired；　how　our　mind　may　be　strengthened　and　expanded；　and　what　guides　will　show　the　way　to　eminence。

It　is　very　natural　for　those　who　are　unacquainted　with　the　cause　of　anything　extraordinary　to　be　astonished　at　the　effect；　and　to　consider　it　as　a　kind　of　magic。　　They；　who　have　never　observed　the　gradation　by　which　art　is　acquired；　who　see　only　what　is　the　full　result　of　long　labour　and　application　of　an　infinite　number；　and　infinite　variety　of　acts；　are　apt　to　conclude　from　their　entire　inability　to　do　the　same　at　once；　that　it　is　not　only　inaccessible　to　themselves；　but　can　be　done　by　those　only　who　have　some　gift　of　the　nature　of　inspiration　bestowed　upon　them。

The　travellers　into　the　East　tell　us　that　when　the　ignorant　inhabitants　of　these　countries　are　asked　concerning　the　ruins　of　stately　edifices　yet　remaining　amongst　them；　the　melancholy　monuments　of　their　former　grandeur　and　long…lost　science；　they　always　answer　that　they　were　built　by　magicians。　　The　untaught　mind　finds　a　vast　gulf　between　its　own　powers　and　these　works　of　complicated　art　which　it　is　utterly　unable　to　fathom。　　And　it　supposes　that　such　a　void　can　be　passed　only　by　supernatural　powers。

And；　as　for　artists　themselves；　it　is　by　no　means　their　interest　to　undeceive　such　judges；　however　conscious　they　may　be　of　the　very　natural　means　by　which　the　extraordinary　powers　were　acquired；　our　art　being　intrinsically　imitative；　rejects　this　idea　of　inspiration　more；　perhaps；　than　any　other。

It　is　to　avoid　this　plain　confession　of　truth；　as　it　should　seem；　that　this　imitation　of　mastersindeed；　almost　all　imitation　which　implies　a　more　regular　and　progressive　method　of　attaining　the　ends　of　paintinghas　ever　been　particularly　inveighed　against　with　great　keenness；　both　by　ancient　and　modern　writers。

To　derive　all　from　native　power；　to　owe　nothing　to　another；　is　the　praise　which　men；　who　do　not　much　think　what　they　are　saying；　bestow　sometimes　upon　others；　and　sometimes　on　themselves；　and　their　imaginary　dignity　is　naturally　heightened　by　a　supercilious　censure　of　the　low；　the　barren；　the　grovelling；　the　servile　imitator。　　It　would　be　no　wonder　if　a　student；　frightened　by　these　terrors　and　disgraceful　epithets；　with　which　the　poor　imitators　are　so　often　loaded；　should　let　fall　his　pencil　in　mere　despair；　conscious　how　much　he　has　been　indebted　to　the　labours　of　others；　how　little；　how　very　little　of　his　art　was　born　with　him；　and；　considering　it　as　hopeless；　to　set　about　acquiring　by　the　imitation　of　any　human　master　what　he　is　taught　to　suppose　is　matter　of　inspiration　from　heaven。

Some　allowance　must　be　made　for　what　is　said　in　the　gaiety　or　ambition　of　rhetoric。　　We　cannot　suppose　that　any　one　can　really　mean　to　exclude　all　imitation　of　others。　　A　position　so　wild　would　scarce　deserve　a　serious　answer；　for　it　is　apparent；　if　we　were　forbid　to　make　use　of　the　advantages　which　our　predecessors　afford　us；　the　art　would　be　always　to　begin；　and　consequently　remain　always　in　its　infant　state；　and　it　is　a　common　observation　that　no　art　was　ever　invented　and　carried　to　perfection　at　the　same　time。

But　to　bring　us　entirely　to　reason　and　sobriety；　let　it　be　observed；　that　a　painter　must　not　only　be　of　necessity　an　imitator　of　the　works　of　nature；　which　alone　is　sufficient　to　dispel　this　phantom　of　inspiration；　but　he　must　be　as　necessarily　an　im