The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-04-23


/, eral traits are the constitutive linea
t ments, and this figure is the type that
given to the pupil that is given in tn
art of design to trace. 1t would also b
good, l believe, in order to preserve hin
from the dry and abstract, toexercise hin
early in copying some natural object
especially living figure. This would b
putting pupils to the true school of Ma
ture. They would thus become accus
toned never to sacrifice either of the
two essential elements of the beautiful
either of the two imperitive conditions
of Art. But in uniting these two ele
ments-thcse two conditions-it is ne
cessary to distinguish them, and know
how to put them in their place. There
is no true ideal without determinate
form--thero is no unity without variety
no genius without individuals; but, in
fne, the foundation Of the beautiful is
tho adea;. what makes Art is before all
he realization of the idea, and not the
imitation of such or such particular
form. ...s... 49,.
1t is impossible to demonstrate more
decidedly, by the entire history of Greek
Sculpture, and by authentic texts from
the greatest critiques of antiquity,
that the process of Art among the
Greeks was not the imitation of Nature,
either bS particular model, or by
several, the most beautiful model being
always imperfect, and several models not
being able to compose a single beauty.
The true process of the Greek Art, was
the representation of an ideal beauty
which Nature scarcely possessed more in
Greece than among US, which it could
not then offer to the Artist. This ex-
preston of ideal beauty, Gf it had been
known by the Greeks would have meant
visible beauty, because ideal comes from
idos which signifies ouly form seen by
the eye. PLATO would have been much
surprised at this exclusive interpret ta-
ton of the word. PLATO marks with pre-
cision in what the true Artist is superb
or to the ordinary Artist, and CICERO
explains, at the commencement the Or
ator, the manner in which great Artists
work, in referring to the manner of Phi
DIAs-that is to say, the most perfect
master of the most perfect eEoca of At
The Artist, who, with eye fixed upon
the immutable being, and using such
model, roproduces its idea and its excel
lence, can not fail to produce acAole
whose beauty is complete; whilst he who
fixes his eye upon what is transitory,
with this perishable model will make
nothing beautiful. PuID1As, that great
Artist, when he made the form of Jupi-
ter or 1zinerco did not contemplate
model--a resemblance of which he would
express, but in the depth of his soul re-
sided a perfect type of beauty, upon
which he fixed his look, which guided
his hand and his Art Is not this pro-
cess of PnlD1As precisely that which
RAPHAEL describes in the famous letter
to CAsTIGLIoNE; in which he declares that
he followed himself for the Galatea ?
As he says :-"I am destitute Of beadti--
full models-I use a certain ideal which
l form for myself" There is another
theory which comes back by a.circdit, to
imitation is that which makes illusion
the eud of Art If this theory be true,
the ideal beauty of painting is some
thing that deceives the eye, and its mas
ter piece the grapes of zencio, that the
birds came out and pecked at.
The height of Art in theatrical
piece would be, to persuade you that
you are in the presence of reality
What is true in this opinion is, that
work of Art is beautiful only on the con-
dition of being hfe-like; and, for exam
pie, the law of Dramatic Art is, not to
put on the stage pale phantoms of the
past, but personages borrowed from i'm
agination or history as you like, but an
III ated, endowed with passion, speaking
aud acting like men and not like shades.
1t is human nature that is to be repre-
seuted to itself, under maeio light that
d PES not disfgure it but ennoblcs it.
This magic is the very ge9ius of Art
1t lifts us above the miseries that besiege
as, and transports us to regions where
We still find ourselves. For we never
wish to loose sight of ourselves, but
when we find ourselves transformed to
our advantage-where all the imperfee-
tions of reality have given place to cer-'
tain perfection--where persons are more
beautiful-where the ugly is not admit
ted-aud all this while duly respecting
history, especially without ever going be-
yond the imperative conditions of human
nature. Has Art forgotten human ma
ture? 1t has passed beyond is end--it
has not attained tit has brought forth
nothing but chimeras, without interest
for the soul. Has it been too human,
too real, too rude a? 1t has fallen short
of its end--it has then attained no bet
ter. 1sz ~ B.. ae- sal-
Illusion is SO little the end of Art,
that it may be complete and have no
charm. Thus, in the interest of illusion,
theoretic men have taken great pains, IN
these latter times, to secure historical
accuracy Of costume, This q all very