the soul of the far east-第22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！


able　inference。　　The　Far　Oriental　artist　understands　the　power　of　suggestion　well；　for　imagination　always　fills　in　the　picture　better　than　the　brush；　however　perfect　be　its　skill。

Even　the　neglect　of　certain　general　principles　which　we　consider　vital　to　effect；　such　as　the　absence　of　shadows　and　the　lack　of　perspective；　proves　not　to　be　of　the　importance　we　imagine。　We　discover　in　these　paintings　how　immaterial；　artistically；　was　Peter　Schlimmel's　sad　loss；　and　how　perfectly　possible　it　is　to　make　bits　of　discontinuous　distance　take　the　place　effectively　of　continuous　space。

Far　Eastern　pictures　are　epigrams　rather　than　descriptions。　They　present　a　bit　of　nature　with　the　terseness　of　a　maxim　of　La　Rochefoucault；　and　they　delight　as　aphorisms　do　by　their　insight　and　the　happy　conciseness　of　its　expression。　　Few　aphorisms　are　absolutely　true；　but　then　boldness　more　than　makes　up　for　what　they　lack　in　verity。　　So　complex　a　subject　is　life　that　to　state　a　truth　with　all　its　accompanying　limitations　is　to　weaken　it　at　once。　Exceptions；　while　demonstrating　the　rule；　do　not　tend　to　emphasize　it。　And　though　the　whole　truth　is　essential　to　science；　such　exhaustiveness　is　by　no　means　a　canon　of　art。

Parallels　are　not　wanting　at　home。　　What　they　do　with　space　in　their　paintings　do　we　not　with　time　in　the　case　of　our　comedies；　those　acted　pictures　of　life？　　Should　we　not　refuse　to　tolerate　a　play　that　insisted　on　furnishing　us　with　a　full　perspective　of　its　characters'　past？　　And　yet　of　the　two；　it　is　far　perferable；　artistically；　to　be　given　too　much　in　sequence　than　too　much　at　once。　The　Chinese；　who　put　much　less　into　a　painting　than　what　we　deem　indispensable；　delight　in　dramas　that　last　six　weeks。

To　give　a　concluding　touch　of　life　to　my　necessarily　skeleton…like　generalities；　memory　pictures　me　a　certain　painting　of　Okio's　which　I　fell　in　love　with　at　first　sight。　　It　is　of　a　sunrise　on　the　coast　of　Japan。　　A　long　line　of　surf　is　seen　tumbling　in　to　you　from　out　a　bank　of　mist；　just　piercing　which　shows　the　blood…red　disk　of　the　rising　sun；　while　over　the　narrow　strip　of　breaking　rollers　three　cranes　are　slowly　sailing　north。　　And　that　is　all　you　see。　　You　do　not　see　the　shore；　you　do　not　see　the　main；　you　are　looking　but　at　the　border…land　of　that　great　unknown；　the　heaving　ocean　still　slumbering　beneath　its　chilly　coverlid　of　mist；　out　of　which　come　the　breakers；　and　the　sun；　and　the　cranes。

So　much　for　the　more　serious　side　of　Japanese　fancy；　a　look　at　the　lighter　leads　to　the　same　conclusion。

Hand　in　hand　with　his　keen　poetic　sensibility　goes　a　vivid　sense　of　humor；two　traits　that　commonly；　indeed；　are　found　Maying　together　over　the　meadows　of　imagination。　　For；　as　it　might　be　put；

　　〃The　heart　that　is　soonest　awake　to　the　flowers　　　　Is　also　the　first　to　be　touched　by　the　fun。〃

The　Far　Oriental　well　exemplifies　this　fact。　　His　art；　wherever　fun　is　possible；　fairly　bubbles　over　with　laughter。　　From　the　oldest　masters　down　to　Hokusai；　it　is　constantly　welling　up　in　the　drollest　conceits。　　It　is　of　all　descriptions；　too。　　Now　it　lurks　in　merry　ambush；　like　the　faint　suggestion　of　a　smile　on　an　otherwise　serious　face；　so　subtile　that　the　observer　is　left　wondering　whether　the　artist　could　have　meant　what　seems　more　like　one's　own　ingenious　discovery；　now　it　breaks　out　into　the　broadest　of　grins；　absurd　juxtapositions　of　singularly　happy　incongruities。　　For　Hokusai's　caricatures　and　Hendschel's　sketches　might　be　twins。　　If　there　is　a　difference；　it　lies　not　so　much　in　the　artist's　work　as　in　the　greater　generality　of　its　appreciation。　　Humor　flits　easily　there　at　the　sea…level　of　the　multitude。　　For　the　Japanese　temperament　is　ever　on　the　verge　of　a　smile　which　breaks　out　with　catching　naivete　at　the　first　provocation。　　The　language　abounds　in　puns　which　are　not　suffered　to　lie　idle；　and　even　poetry　often　hinges　on　certain　consecrated　plays　on　words。　　From　the　very　constitution　of　the　people　there　is　of　course　nothing　selfish　in　the　national　enjoyment。　　A　man　is　quite　as　ready　to　laugh　at　his　own　expense　as　at　his　neighbor's；　a　courtesy　which　his　neighbor　cordially　returns。

Now　the　ludicrous　is　essentially　human　in　its　application。　The　principle　of　the　synthesis　of　contradictories；　popularly　known　by　the　name　of　humor；　is　necessarily　limited　in　its　field　to　man。　　For　whether　it　have　to　do　wholly　with　actions；　or　partly　with　the　words　that　express　them；　whether　it　be　presented　in　the　shape　of　a　pun　or　a　pleasantry；　it　is　in　incongruous　contrasts　that　its　virtue　lies。　It　is　the　unexpected　that　provokes　the　smile。　　Now　no　such　incongruity　exists　in　nature；　man　enjoys　a　monopoly　of　the　power　of　making　himself　ridiculous。　　So　pleasant　is　pleasantry　that　we　do　indeed　cultivate　it　beyond　its　proper　pale。　　But　it　is　only　by　personifying　Nature；　and　gratuitously　attributing　to　her　errors　of　which　she　is　incapable；　that　we　can　make　fun　of　her；　as；　for　instance；　when　we　hold　the　weather　up　to　ridicule　by　way　of　impotent　revenge。　　But　satires　upon　the　clown…like　character　of　our　climate；　which；　after　the　lamest　sort　of　a　spring；　somehow　manages　a　capital　fall；　would　in　the　Far　East　be　as　out　of　keeping　with　fancy　as　with　fact。　　To　a　Japanese；　who　never　personifies　anything；　such　innocent　irony　is　unmeaning。　　Besides；　it　would　be　also　untrue。　　For　his　May　carries　no　suggestion　of　unfulfilment　in　its　name。

Those　Far　Eastern　paintings　which　have　to　do　with　man　fall　for　the　most　part　under　one　of　two　heads；　the　facetious　and　the　historical。　The　latter　implies　no　particularly　intimate　concern　for　man　in　himself；　for　the　past　has　very　little　personality　for　the　present。　As　for　the　former；　its　attention　is；　if　anything；　derogatory　to　him；　for　we　are　always　shy　of　making　fun　of　what　we　feel　to　be　too　closely　a　part　of　ourselves。　　But　impersonality　has　prevented　the　Far　Oriental　from　having　much　amour　propre。　　He　has　no　particular　aversion　to　caricaturing　himself。　　Few　Europeans；　perhaps；　would　have　cared　to　perpetrate　a　self…portrait　like　one　painted　by　the　potter　Kinsei；　which　was　sold　me　one　day　as　an　amusing　tour　de　force　by　a　facetious　picture…dealer。　　It　is　a　composite　picture　of　a　new　kind；　a　Japanese　variety　of　type　face。　　The　great　potter；　who　was　also　apparently　no　mean　painter；　has　combined　three　aspects　of　himself　in　a　single　representation。　　At　first　sight　the　portrait　appears　to　be　simply　a　full　front　view　of　a　somewhat　moon…faced　citizen；　but　as　you　continue　to　gaze；　it　suddenly　dawns　on　you　that　there　are　two　other　individuals；　one　on　either　side；　hob…nobbing　in　profile　with　the　first；　the　lines　of　the　features　being　ingeniously　made　to　do　double　duty；　and　when　this　aspect　of　the　thing　has　once　struck　you；　you　cannot　look　at　the　picture　without　seeing　all　three　citizens　simultaneously。　　The　result　is　doubtless　more　effective　as　a　composition　than　flattering　as　a　likeness。

Far　Eastern　sculpture；　by　its　secondary　importance　among　Far　Eastern　arts；　witnesses　again　to　the　secondary　importance　assigned　to　man　at　our　mental　antipodes。　　In　this　art；　owing　to　its　necessary　limitations；　the　representation　of　nature　in　its　broader　sense　is　impossible。　　For　in　the　first　place；　whatever　the　subject；　it　must　be　such　as　it　is　possible　to　present　in　one　continuous　piece；　disconnected　adjuncts；　as；　for　instance；　a　flock　of　birds　flying；　which　might　be　introduced　with　great　effect　in　painting；　being　here　practically　beyond　the　artist's　reach。　　Secondly；　the　material　being　of　uniform　appearance；　as　a　rule；　color；　or　even　shading；　vital　points　in　landscape　portrayal；　is　out　of　the　question；　unless　the　piece　were　subsequently　painted；　as　in　Grecian　sculptures；　a　custom　which　is　not　practised　in　China　or　Japan。　　Lastly；　another　fact　fatal　to　the　representation　of　landscape　is　the　size。　　The　reduced　scale　of　the　reproduction　suggests　falsity　at　once；　a　falsity　whose　belittlement　the　mind　can　neither　forget　nor　forgive。　　Plain　sculpture　is　therefore　practically　limited　to　statuary；　either　of　men　or　animals。　　The　result　is　that　in　their　art；　where　landscape　counts　for　so　much；　sculpture　plays　a　very　minor　part。　　In　what　little　there　is；　Nature's　place　is　taken　by　Buddha。　　For　there　are　two　classes　of　statues；　divided　the　one　from　the　oth