essays and lectures-第31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！



that　the　villagers　could　not　pass　from　one　to　the　other　without

many　miles　of　a　round。　　And　when　we　came　back　in　winter　he　asked　us

to　help　him　to　make　a　road　across　this　morass　for　these　village

people　to　use。　　So　out　we　went；　day　after　day；　and　learned　how　to

lay　levels　and　to　break　stones；　and　to　wheel　barrows　along　a　plank

…　a　very　difficult　thing　to　do。　　And　Ruskin　worked　with　us　in　the

mist　and　rain　and　mud　of　an　Oxford　winter；　and　our　friends　and　our

enemies　came　out　and　mocked　us　from　the　bank。　　We　did　not　mind　it

much　then；　and　we　did　not　mind　it　afterwards　at　all；　but　worked

away　for　two　months　at　our　road。　　And　what　became　of　the　road？

Well；　like　a　bad　lecture　it　ended　abruptly　…　in　the　middle　of　the

swamp。　　Ruskin　going　away　to　Venice；　when　we　came　back　for　the　next

term　there　was　no　leader；　and　the　'diggers；'　as　they　called　us；

fell　asunder。　　And　I　felt　that　if　there　was　enough　spirit　amongst

the　young　men　to　go　out　to　such　work　as　road…making　for　the　sake　of

a　noble　ideal　of　life；　I　could　from　them　create　an　artistic

movement　that　might　change；　as　it　has　changed；　the　face　of　England。

So　I　sought　them　out　…　leader　they　would　call　me　…　but　there　was　no

leader：　　we　were　all　searchers　only　and　we　were　bound　to　each　other

by　noble　friendship　and　by　noble　art。　　There　was　none　of　us　idle：

poets　most　of　us；　so　ambitious　were　we：　　painters　some　of　us；　or

workers　in　metal　or　modellers；　determined　that　we　would　try　and

create　for　ourselves　beautiful　work：　　for　the　handicraftsman

beautiful　work；　for　those　who　love　us　poems　and　pictures；　for　those

who　love　us　not　epigrams　and　paradoxes　and　scorn。



Well；　we　have　done　something　in　England　and　we　will　do　something

more。　　Now；　I　do　not　want　you；　believe　me；　to　ask　your　brilliant

young　men；　your　beautiful　young　girls；　to　go　out　and　make　a　road　on

a　swamp　for　any　village　in　America；　but　I　think　you　might　each　of

you　have　some　art　to　practise。





We　must　have；　as　Emerson　said；　a　mechanical　craft　for　our　culture；

a　basis　for　our　higher　accomplishments　in　the　work　of　our　hands　…

the　uselessness　of　most　people's　hands　seems　to　me　one　of　the　most

unpractical　things。　　'No　separation　from　labour　can　be　without　some

loss　of　power　or　truth　to　the　seer；'　says　Emerson　again。　　The

heroism　which　would　make　on　us　the　impression　of　Epaminondas　must

be　that　of　a　domestic　conqueror。　　The　hero　of　the　future　is　he　who

shall　bravely　and　gracefully　subdue　this　Gorgon　of　fashion　and　of

convention。



When　you　have　chosen　your　own　part；　abide　by　it；　and　do　not　weakly

try　and　reconcile　yourself　with　the　world。　　The　heroic　cannot　be

the　common　nor　the　common　the　heroic。　　Congratulate　yourself　if　you

have　done　something　strange　and　extravagant　and　broken　the　monotony

of　a　decorous　age。



And　lastly；　let　us　remember　that　art　is　the　one　thing　which　Death

cannot　harm。　　The　little　house　at　Concord　may　be　desolate；　but　the

wisdom　of　New　England's　Plato　is　not　silenced　nor　the　brilliancy　of

that　Attic　genius　dimmed：　　the　lips　of　Longfellow　are　still　musical

for　us　though　his　dust　be　turning　into　the　flowers　which　he　loved：

and　as　it　is　with　the　greater　artists；　poet　and　philosopher　and

song…bird；　so　let　it　be　with　you。









LECTURE　TO　ART　STUDENTS









IN　the　lecture　which　it　is　my　privilege　to　deliver　before　you　to…

night　I　do　not　desire　to　give　you　any　abstract　definition　of　beauty

at　all。　　For　we　who　are　working　in　art　cannot　accept　any　theory　of

beauty　in　exchange　for　beauty　itself；　and；　so　far　from　desiring　to

isolate　it　in　a　formula　appealing　to　the　intellect；　we；　on　the

contrary；　seek　to　materialise　it　in　a　form　that　gives　joy　to　the

soul　through　the　senses。　　We　want　to　create　it；　not　to　define　it。

The　definition　should　follow　the　work：　　the　work　should　not　adapt

itself　to　the　definition。



Nothing；　indeed；　is　more　dangerous　to　the　young　artist　than　any

conception　of　ideal　beauty：　　he　is　constantly　led　by　it　either　into

weak　prettiness　or　lifeless　abstraction：　　whereas　to　touch　the

ideal　at　all　you　must　not　strip　it　of　vitality。　　You　must　find　it

in　life　and　re…create　it　in　art。



While；　then；　on　the　one　hand　I　do　not　desire　to　give　you　any

philosophy　of　beauty　…　for；　what　I　want　to…night　is　to　investigate

how　we　can　create　art；　not　how　we　can　talk　of　it　…　on　the　other

hand；　I　do　not　wish　to　deal　with　anything　like　a　history　of　English

art。



To　begin　with；　such　an　expression　as　English　art　is　a　meaningless

expression。　　One　might　just　as　well　talk　of　English　mathematics。

Art　is　the　science　of　beauty；　and　Mathematics　the　science　of　truth：

there　is　no　national　school　of　either。　　Indeed；　a　national　school

is　a　provincial　school；　merely。　　Nor　is　there　any　such　thing　as　a

school　of　art　even。　　There　are　merely　artists；　that　is　all。



And　as　regards　histories　of　art；　they　are　quite　valueless　to　you

unless　you　are　seeking　the　ostentatious　oblivion　of　an　art

professorship。　　It　is　of　no　use　to　you　to　know　the　date　of　Perugino

or　the　birthplace　of　Salvator　Rosa：　　all　that　you　should　learn

about　art　is　to　know　a　good　picture　when　you　see　it；　and　a　bad

picture　when　you　see　it。　　As　regards　the　date　of　the　artist；　all

good　work　looks　perfectly　modern：　　a　piece　of　Greek　sculpture；　a

portrait　of　Velasquez　　…　they　are　always　modern；　always　of　our

time。　　And　as　regards　the　nationality　of　the　artist；　art　is　not

national　but　universal。　　As　regards　archaeology；　then；　avoid　it

altogether：　　archaeology　is　merely　the　science　of　making　excuses

for　bad　art；　it　is　the　rock　on　which　many　a　young　artist　founders

and　shipwrecks；　it　is　the　abyss　from　which　no　artist；　old　or　young；

ever　returns。　　Or；　if　he　does　return；　he　is　so　covered　with　the

dust　of　ages　and　the　mildew　of　time；　that　he　is　quite

unrecognisable　as　an　artist；　and　has　to　conceal　himself　for　the

rest　of　his　days　under　the　cap　of　a　professor；　or　as　a　mere

illustrator　of　ancient　history。　　How　worthless　archaeology　is　in

art　you　can　estimate　by　the　fact　of　its　being　so　popular。

Popularity　is　the　crown　of　laurel　which　the　world　puts　on　bad　art。

Whatever　is　popular　is　wrong。



As　I　am　not　going　to　talk　to　you；　then；　about　the　philosophy　of　the

beautiful；　or　the　history　of　art；　you　will　ask　me　what　I　am　going

to　talk　about。　　The　subject　of　my　lecture　to…night　is　what　makes　an

artist　and　what　does　the　artist　make；　what　are　the　relations　of　the

artist　to　his　surroundings；　what　is　the　education　the　artist　should

get；　and　what　is　the　quality　of　a　good　work　of　art。



Now；　as　regards　the　relations　of　the　artist　to　his　surroundings；　by

which　I　mean　the　age　and　country　in　which　he　is　born。　　All　good

art；　as　I　said　before；　has　nothing　to　do　with　any　particular

century；　but　this　universality　is　the　quality　of　the　work　of　art；

the　conditions　that　produce　that　quality　are　different。　　And　what；

I　think；　you　should　do　is　to　realise　completely　your　age　in　order

completely　to　abstract　yourself　from　it；　remembering　that　if　you

are　an　artist　at　all；　you　will　be　not　the　mouthpiece　of　a　century；

but　the　master　of　eternity；　that　all　art　rests　on　a　principle；　and

that　mere　temporal　considerations　are　no　principle　at　all；　and　that

those　who　advise　you　to　make　your　art　representative　of　the

nineteenth　century　are　advising　you　to　produce　an　art　which　your

children；　when　you　have　them；　will　think　old…fashioned。　　But　you

will　tell　me　this　is　an　inartistic　age；　and　we　are　an　inartistic

people；　and　the　artist　suffers　much　in　this　nineteenth　century　of

ours。



Of　course　he　does。　　I；　of　all　men；　am　not　going　to　deny　that。　　But

remember　that　there　never　has　been　an　artistic　age；　or　an　artistic

people；　since　the　beginning　of　the　world。　　The　artist　has　always

been；　and　will　always　be；　an　exquisite　exception。　　There　is　no

golden　age　of　art；　only　artists　who　have　produced　what　is　more

golden　than　gold。



WHAT；　you　will　say　to　me；　the　Greeks？　were　not　they　an　artistic

people？



Well；　the　Greeks