the unseen world and other essays-第61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！


historian　Livy；　which　was　crowned　in　1855。　Suffering　then　from　overwork；　he　was　obliged　to　make　a　short　journey　to　the　Pyrenees；　which　he　has　since　described　in　a　charming　little　volume；　illustrated　by　Dore。

His　subsequent　works　are　a　treatise　on　the　French　philosophers　of　the　present　century；　in　which　the　vapid　charlatanism　of　M。　Cousin　is　satisfactorily　dealt　with；　a　history　of　English　literature　in　five　volumes；　a　humorous　book　on　Paris；　three　volumes　upon　the　general　theory　of　art；　and　two　volumes　of　travels　in　Italy；　besides　a　considerable　collection　of　historical　and　critical　essays。　We　think　that　several　of　these　works　would　be　interesting　to　the　American　public；　and　might　profitably　be　translated。

Some　three　or　four　years　ago；　M。　Taine　was　appointed　Professor　in　the　ecole　des　Beaux　Arts；　and　we　suppose　his　journey　to　Italy　must　have　been　undertaken　partly　with　a　view　to　qualify　himself　for　his　new　position。　He　visited　the　four　cities　which　may　be　considered　the　artistic　centres　of　Italy；Rome；　Naples；　Florence；　and　Venice；and　a　large　part　of　his　account　of　his　journey　is　taken　up　with　descriptions　and　criticisms　of　pictures；　statues；　and　buildings。

This　is　a　department　of　criticism　which；　we　may　as　well　frankly　acknowledge；　is　far　better　appreciated　on　the　continent　of　Europe　than　in　England　or　America。　Over　the　English　race　there　passed；　about　two　centuries　ago；　a　deluge　of　Puritanism；　which　for　a　time　almost　drowned　out　its　artistic　tastes　and　propensities。　The　Puritan　movement；　in　proportion　to　its　success；　was　nearly　as　destructive　to　art　in　the　West；　as　Mohammedanism　had　long　before　been　in　the　East。　In　its　intense　and　one…sided　regard　for　morality；　Puritanism　not　only　relegated　the　love　for　beauty　to　an　inferior　place；　but　contemned　and　spat　upon　it；　as　something　sinful　and　degrading。　Hence；　the　utter　architectural　impotence　which　characterizes　the　Americans　and　the　modern　English；　and　hence　the　bewildered　ignorant　way　in　which　we　ordinarily　contemplate　pictures　and　statues。　For　two　centuries　we　have　been　removed　from　an　artistic　environment；　and　consequently　can　with　difficulty　enter　into　the　feelings　of　those　who　have　all　this　time　been　nurtured　in　love　for　art；　and　belief　in　art　for　its　own　sake。　These　peculiarities；　as　Mr。　Mill　has　ably　pointed　out；　have　entered　deep　into　our　ethnic　character。　Even　in　pure　morals　there　is　a　radical　difference　between　the　Englishman　and　the　inhabitant　of　the　continent　of　Europe。　The　Englishman　follows　virtue　from　a　sense　of　duty；　the　Frenchman　from　an　emotional　aspiration　toward　the　beautiful　The　one　admires　a　noble　action　because　it　is　right；　the　other　because　it　is　attractive。　And　this　difference　underlies　the　moral　judgments　upon　men　and　events　which　are　to　be　found　respectively　in　English　and　in　continental　literature。　By　keeping　it　constantly　in　view；　we　shall　be　enabled　to　understand　many　things　which　might　otherwise　surprise　us　in　the　writings　of　French　authors。

We　are　now　slowly　outgrowing　the　extravagances　of　Puritanism。　It　has　given　us　an　earnestness　and　sobriety　of　character；　to　which　much　of　our　real　greatness　is　owing；　both　here　and　in　the　mother　country。　It　has　made　us　stronger　and　steadier；　but　it　has　at　the　same　time　narrowed　us　in　many　respects；　and　rendered　our　lives　incomplete。　This　incompleteness；　entailed　by　Puritanism；　we　are　gradually　getting　rid　of；　and　we　are　learning　to　admire　and　respect　many　things　upon　which　Puritanism　set　its　mark　of　contempt。　We　are　beginning；　for　instance；　to　recognize　the　transcendent　merits　of　that　great　civilizing　agency；　the　drama；　we　no　longer　think　it　necessary　that　our　temples　for　worshipping　God　should　be　constructed　like　hideous　barracks；　we　are　gradually　permitting　our　choirs　to　discard　the　droning　and　sentimental　modern　〃psalm…tune〃　for　the　inspiring　harmonies　of　Beethoven　and　Mozart；　and　we　admit　the　classical　picture　and　the　undraped　statue　to　a　high　place　in　our　esteem。　Yet　with　all　this　it　will　probably　be　some　time　before　genuine　art　ceases　to　be　an　exotic　among　us；　and　becomes　a　plant　of　unhindered　native　growth。　It　will　be　some　time　before　we　cease　to　regard　pictures　and　statues　as　a　higher　species　of　upholstery；　and　place　them　in　the　same　category　with　poems　and　dramas；　duly　reverencing　them　as　authentic　revelations　of　the　beauty　which　is　to　be　found　in　nature。　It　will　be　some　time　before　we　realize　that　art　is　a　thing　to　be　studied；　as　well　as　literature；　and　before　we　can　be　quite　reconciled　to　the　familiar　way　in　which　a　Frenchman　quotes　a　picture　as　we　would　quote　a　poem　or　novel。

Artistic　genius；　as　M。　Taine　has　shown；　is　something　which　will　develop　itself　only　under　peculiar　social　circumstances；　and；　therefore；　if　we　have　not　art；　we　can　perhaps　only　wait　for　it；　trusting　that　when　the　time　comes　it　will　arise　among　us。　But　without　originating；　we　may　at　least　intelligently　appreciate。　The　nature　of　a　work　of　art；　and　the　mode　in　which　it　is　produced；　are　subjects　well　worthy　of　careful　study。　Architecture　and　music；　poetry；　painting　and　sculpture；　have　in　times　past　constituted　a　vast　portion　of　human　activity；　and　without　knowing　something　of　the　philosophy　of　art；　we　need　not　hope　to　understand　thoroughly　the　philosophy　of　history。

In　entering　upon　the　study　of　art　in　general；　one　may　find　many　suggestive　hints　in　the　little　books　of　M。　Taine；　reprinted　from　the　lectures　which　he　has　been　delivering　at　the　ecole　des　Beaux　Arts。　The　first；　on　the　Philosophy　of　Art；　designated　at　the　head　of　this　paper；　is　already　accessible　to　the　American　reader；　and　translations　of　the　others　are　probably　soon　to　follow。　We　shall　for　the　present　give　a　mere　synopsis　of　M。　Taine's　general　views。

And　first　it　must　be　determined　what　a　work　of　art　is。　Leaving　for　a　while　music　and　architecture　out　of　consideration；　it　will　be　admitted　that　poetry；　painting；　and　sculpture　have　one　obvious　character　in　common：　they　are　arts　of　IMITATION。　This；　says　Taine；　appears　at　first　sight　to　be　their　essential　character。　It　would　appear　that　their　great　object　is　to　IMITATE　as　closely　as　possible。　It　is　obvious　that　a　statue　is　intended　to　imitate　a　living　man；　that　a　picture　is　designed　to　represent　real　persons　in　real　attitudes；　or　the　interior　of　a　house；　or　a　landscape；　such　as　it　exists　in　nature。　And　it　is　no　less　clear　that　a　novel　or　drama　endeavours　to　represent　with　accuracy　real　characters；　actions；　and　words；　giving　as　precise　and　faithful　an　image　of　them　as　possible。　And　when　the　imitation　is　incomplete；　we　say　to　the　painter；　〃Your　people　are　too　largely　proportioned；　and　the　colour　of　your　trees　is　false〃；　we　tell　the　sculptor　that　his　leg　or　arm　is　incorrectly　modelled；　and　we　say　to　the　dramatist；　〃Never　has　a　man　felt　or　thought　as　your　hero　is　supposed　to　have　felt　and　thought。〃

This　truth；　moreover；　is　seen。　both　in　the　careers　of　individual　artists；　and　in　the　general　history　of　art。　According　to　Taine；　the　life　of　an　artist　may　generally　be　divided　into　two　parts。　In　the　first　period；　that　of　natural　growth；　he　studies　nature　anxiously　and　minutely；　he　keeps　the　objects　themselves　before　his　eyes；　and　strives　to　represent　them　with　scrupulous　fidelity。　But　when　the　time　for　mental　growth　ends；　as　it　does　with　every　man；　and　the　crystallization　of　ideas　and　impressions　commences；　then　the　mind　of　the　artist　is　no　longer　so　susceptible　to　new　impressions　from　without。　He　begins　to　nourish　himself　from　his　own　substance。　He　abandons　the　living　model；　and　with　recipes　which　he　has　gathered　in　the　course　of　his　experience；　he　proceeds　to　construct　a　drama　or　novel；　a　picture　or　statue。　Now；　the　first　period；　says　Taine；　is　that　of　genuine　art；　the　second　is　that　of　mannerism。　Our　author　cites　the　case　of　Michael　Angelo；　a　man　who　was　one　of　the　most　colossal　embodiments　of　physical　and　mental　energy　that　the　world　has　ever　seen。　In　Michael　Angelo's　case；　the　period　of　growth；　of　genuine　art；　may　be　said　to　have　lasted　until　after　his　sixtieth　year。　But　look；　says　Taine；　at　the　works　which　he　executed　in　his　old　age；　consider　the　Conversion　of　St。　Paul；　and　the　Last　Judgment；　painted　when　he　was　nearly　seventy。　Even　those　who　are　not　connoisseurs　can　see　that　these　frescos　are　painted　by　rule；　that