Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-02
O. 0 M M unieate6.

who is, 1t present, engaged in giving instruc-
! tions in drawing in the city of Washington.
1t was called forth by, and is in answer to an
article which recently appeared in the editorial
table of "Harper's Magazine" Mr.. l. Huilier
treats the subject which he discusses not only
as connoisseur, but as an amateur of the
noble art to which he has devoted no incon-
siderable portion Of his time, and attention.
With a view to the encouragement of every
thing tending to the development and perfec-
liability of American art we cheerfully insert
his well conceived and beautifully expressed
ideas upon the subject, and commend them to
the attentive perusal of our readers:
To Tie Editor Of Haypers Magazine.
Mr.. EDITOR: / have been for several years
a subscriber to your Magazine and constant
reader Of your Editorial Table, and this makes
me think that / am in some way entitled to
address to you few remarks on subject
on which you had not, believe, fully reflected
when you wrote. Be assured, Mr.. Editor that
| no presumptious motive, no wish of improving
another mans opinions, induce me to write to
| you; on almost any other subject would con-
| slider your opinions as more weighty than mine,
|
| friends such arguments as are to be found on
the other side of the question. But this SUBJ
ject has been the study of my life and, con-
fess, that never feel perfectly at ease when
hear the slightest objection made to my way Of
considering it.
The passage to which / allude had reference
to the difficulty Of obtaining good copies of
works of art, but the reason you assign for this
is not, believe, that which would be given by
a man who had paid particular attention to the
philosophy of fine arts. Painting, you say,
cannot be copied on account of the difficulty
OF reproducing the coloring; but, Mr.. Editor,
have you never seen any of those old and worn
out pictures which, at first sight, present the
appearance Of brown and sooty surface? The
eye can, with difficulty, follow the outline of
the figures until sponge carefully applied has
removed the dust from the canvass; then the
work appears, it may be one by Rembrant or by
Reubens; you admire the purity of lines, the
beauty and purity of expressions, the original
ity of the scene, the effects of light and shade.
To the true artist this admiration is not as
sumed for the occasion, it is not an ecstasy mis-
understood and unfelt; whatever may be the
affectation of the mere pretender, the emotions
of the true artist at the sight of work of ge-
MUS is a genuine and unaffected one.
"Lhypocrice est un homageque lie vice rend la
verlu"
Let us now suppose that this old painting
has been entirely restored to its primitive
! splendor, a'student attempts to copy the work
his coloring is far better than that of our old
| painting, and yet his work leaves us cold and
unmoved. 1 have known, in Europe, artists
whose only occupation was that of making
copies of original works Of great masters.
Some OF them had reached such high degree
OF perfection that no Impractical eve could
have told the two paintings apart. YET to the
connoisseur, to the artist, one of them was
cold and formal, whilst the other was warm
and lfe-like. The one was Desdsmona dead,
the other Desdemona, but asleep; child
would not discover the difference between the
two states-the features are the same, the ewes
are closed and without any expression, the
blood still mantles in the rosy cheek and vet
one of them will never again awake to life and
| happiness, the heart can beat no more, it is
dead.
think that color is no more the reason that
prevents the reproduction Of works of art than
any OF the other elements that enter into the
composition OF paintings the reason must be
looked for elsewhere, and that which / would
give for it can be as well applied to painting
as to sculpture, poetry, and music. What you
say OF sculpture is true to some extent. There
is point at which sculpture and architecture
are united. Architecture borrows the aid of
sculpture in the same manner that beautiful
woman adorns her hair with flowers The
Parthenon would not appear less majestic with.
out Its bds retiefs and its carvings. These
belong to its architecture and are the creation
of sculpture. They are the creation of an
artist, but may be executed by workman
But sculpture, sculpture which creates and
animates marble, personi6es modesty chastity.
and beauty, seized with fear under the form
of nymph who, while bathing, becomes
conscious that the eye of satyr has pene-
trated her retreat. This cannot be repro
duced by the most skilful workman. The
Venus de Medicis, and the Apollo, to be ap-
preciated, must be seen such as they came
out of the hands Of their Creator, and have
never been copied with any advantage. These
are facts acknowledged by every artist able to
feel, understand, and judge rightly. To ex-
plain them, we must form right idea Of what |
constitutes the difference between work of
art and piece of mechanism, between por-
trait taker with the pencil and daguereotype |
between the rough sketch Of guide and the |
most finished work of the most accomplished |
Chinese workman. The difference is easily |
explained. Mechanism can never reproduce |
anything but nature, whilst the artist must re- |
produce the soul and poetry of nature. If the |
perfect reproduction of nature was the highest
point at which the artist ought to aim, daguer-
eotype carried to its highest degree of perfec.
ton would answer better than any intelligent
hand the wants Of our sense of beauty; but,
whatever may be the perfection of daguereo-
type, no one has yet been found who could
think it anything but tolerable reproduction
OF heartless and soulless features. The duty
of the artist is to study nature, because nature
is the soul of all poetry and truth, and because
those qualities are indispensable to the exist
ence Of work Of art without them painting
is but a piece of oil cloth or tapestry, and a
statue a block Of carved marble. The toughest
sketch in which those qualities exist is worth
more than the most elaborate piece of work.
manship, and when you see an artist appreciate
highly sketch which seems at first sight an
indifferent production, be sure that If you re.
gard it attentively you will discover in its lines
poetry and truth, that other philosophers stone.