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

tate. it. Nsture is the work of God
man is then the rival of God. The al
swer is very simple. No, genius is
the riUaI of God, but it is the dnterFrt
tor of Him. Nature expresses Him i
It's way-human genius expresses Him i
Its own way. Let.us stop moment a
.he question SO much discussed-whethe
Art is anything else than the limitation
Of Nature ? Doubtless, in one sense
Art is an imitation; for absolute c-ea
tion belongs only to God. Where cal
genius find the elements upon which il
works except In nature, of which it forms
part But does it limit itself to thu
reproduction of them as nature furnishe
them to it, without adding any thing tt
them which belongs to itself? Is it only
COPPER of reality? Its sole merit
then, is that of the fidelity Of the copy
And what labor is more sterile than thai
of copying works essentially inimitable
on account of the life with which they arc
III "
ent image of them? If Art is a servile
pupil, it is condemned never to be any
thing but an impotent pupil. The true
Artist feels, and profoundly admires,
Nature-but every thing in Nature is
not equally admirable. As we'have just
said, it has something by which it inf
nitely surpasses Art-ihs life. Besides
that, Art can, in it's turn, surpass Ma
| ture, on the condition of not wishing to
initiate it too c.osely.
Every natural object, however beauti-
full, is defective on some side. Every
thing that is real, is imperfect. There,
the horrible and the hideous are united
to the sublime; here, elegance and
grace are separated from grandeur and
force. The traits of beauty are scatter
ed and diverse To unite them arbitra-
rily-to borrow from such face mouth,
eyes from such another, without any
rule that governs this choice, and directs
these borrowings, is to compose mons
ters; to admit rule, is already to ad-
| nit an ideal, different from all individu-
ais. It is this ideal that the true artist
forms to himself in studying Nature
Without nature he never would have
conceived this ideal, but with this ideal
he judges Nature herself, rectifes her,
and dares undertake to measure himself
with her. The ideal.is the Artists OBJ
ject of passionate contemplation. Assid;
uously and silently meditated, unceasiDg
ly purified by reflection and vivifed By
sentiment, it warns genius and inspires
it with the irresistible need of seeing it
realized and living. For this end, gent
US takes in nature all the materials that
can serve it, aud applying to them its
powerful hand, as ANGELO impressed his
chissel upon the docile marble, makes of
them works that have no model in Ma
ture-that initiate nothing else than the
ideal dreams of or conceived--that are;
in some sort, second creation inferior
to the first in individuality and life, but
much superior to it, we do not fear to
say, on account of the intellectual and
moral beauty with which it is impressed.
Moral beauty is the foundation of all
true beauty This foundation is cover
ed and veilcd in Nature. Art Olsen
cages it, and gives to it forms more
transparent. On this account Art, when
it knows well its power and its resources.
Institutes with Nature contest in which
it may have advantage. e..
Let us establish well the end of Art
it is precisely W ere its power lies
The eud of Art is the expression Of NOR
al beauty, by the aid of physical beauty.
Tue lat.er is only symbol of the form
er. IL Nature, this symbol is often OBJ
scure; Art, in bringing it to light, t
,aius effects that Nature does rot always
ptodueo.. Nature may please more, for
one. more, 1t possesses in an Ineompara-
degree, what makes the great charm
o. inlagi 4atIou aud sight---LIFE Art
touches more, because in expressing,
above all, moral beauty. it addresses
itself more directly to the source ofpro-
found emotions Art can be more pa
thetic than Nature, and the pathetic is
the sign and measure of great beauty.
Two extremes are equally dangerous
q lifeLesS ideal, or tie absence of the
iEeak Either we copy the model and
are wanting in true beauty, or We work
de tete and fall into an ideality without
character. Genius is ready and sure
perception of the right proportion in
which the IDEAL and the natural, form
aad thought, ought to be united. This
union is the perfection of Art--chJs
.dauvre are produced by observing it.
1t is important, in my opinion, to fol-
low this rule in, teaching Art. It is
asked whether pupils should begin with
the study of the ideal or the real? Ma
ture herself never offers the general
without the individual, nor the indiyid-
ual without the general. Every figure
is composed of individual traits which
distinguish it from all others, and make
its own books and, at the same time, it