New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-06-09
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
Fortiesh Annual Exhibition.
Fourth Article.l
.n,pornAcK MOUNTAINS, No. 566-HoMER d.


A stndied effort has been made to elevate this
,Gcture to the rank Of lofty work OF the magma
non II Is difficult for an unpreJudiced person.
sanding before 1t and comparing II point by point
-,.h that be knows Of nature-and he need not
know much to guage it righty-to oeheVe tna' thoso
-ho have 40 spoken Of it, mean what they say But
MN. r.asction will chow him that they easily may
ia trouble ia not that they nsDcere, but
.Asre widespread msapprchension as TO the rea
meaning Of the word imagination. judged oy tneir
ssn;,,on ~ that word Mr. Martins picture might per
Aans be admitted to be- in Sort imaginative; judged
Sy the correct definition, 1t very lar Honi oes w.
What is that correct definition
This IA no place for metaphysical discussion and
...v.,s Those who would like to read the best state
ert Of the nature functions and limitations OF the
IMAGINATIVE faculty that has yet been written in the
English language are respectfully and no doubt quite
,,nscesssrly referred to the second volume OF Mod
arm Painters" and TO chapter In the third volume
s.I,sd The Use Of Pictures" We shall not hold our
eaythipe candle up to light anybody on the way for
whom that sun shines; want for our present purpose
Ma essential definition Of the word imagination which
We think is pretty nearly hit by its eymology
Imagination 10 the power by which We present TO the
Nearer or spectator an image Of thing not present to
hs sight The poet does this with his words the artist
With his pencil colors. This power may deal merely
With externals and may present them without alteration
q modification. This is the simplest exercise OF the
faculty; IL hardly deserves the name, and is indeed
called sometimes by another name-conception-the
aame imagination being reserved for nobler power
Nat BY which image Of the thing described Is given,
10 longer merely external but an image ofthe essential
nature the spirit the very being Of IT, This is what
Ruskin calls Imagination Penetrative because 1t does
Denetrate the hnsks and shells Of things Ia stayed by
10 DISCUSSES, hindcred by walls, but. filed with
searching knowledge and Of its ai perces to the
lunermost heart and touches the springs Of the life Of
Nat which ii would mako reveal itself to man.
Raskn speaks of other forms of the faculy-of Imag
nation Associative; by which is meant the power Of
aocating In the image for its greater clearness and
purity all the elements that necessary for harmony
Or unity of statement; and he makes 1t plain how
shs differs from what is generally understood by com.
Oosition. the one being spiritual in It's a instructive
n Its action; the other material and mechanical mere
b; and again he tells Of the Imagination Contempla
tive by which meant the power Of separating in the
mental recalling of the object all that is extraneous sn'
Dsruous harmful to the perfect pesentInent OF the
essential nature Of the image.
But for purpose. may lay these last two forms
aside consider them the bands to speak Of the
Preventative Imagination by which she gathers together
What she needs casts away what she does not need
the material surroundings Of the idea whose image
che IL creating for the bodily mental eye Of man.
We shall then have and they will be sufficient for ouI
Illustration two forms Of the imaginative faculty First,
Che simple presentnent Of the absent Object to the eye
- ear; Tennysons Dora" Charles MOore's MAN
Arakes," Homers Light and Shade" excellent all OF
them. but things which talent and industry could be
taught to produce. Secondly the presentrnent Of more
shan untaught eyes could have SEEN than the
thinking nature could have comprehended; Of truth
which is revealed it were to the understanding in
6ash Of inspiration; knowledge 1t may DO Of nature II
may be Of human character laid up perhaps by the slow
thought and observation Of the busy hours years but
suddeEy brought TO bear In concentrated Hight some
passage Of landscape. or some human stsryj apower
which no talent could ever reach TO- industry could
sver compass which is q divine gift to the few. the
psecious dover Of the chosen sons Of God 1t is a
power az unlimited In Its field Of action in its
0ise 1t may belong to the historian who by its aid
the inner meaning Of era, the drift Of all its
events the result Of ell its movement, to other men
mere blind cropping in the dark: 1t may be shown in
science; exclamation seeing the deers skull
ln the field, 1T is vertebra," in which exclamation
there was revealed TO his mind the whole beautiful
theory Of the homologies Of the skeleton. for which
study and infinite labor could do nothing bit supply
demonstration to uncreatve minds. was pure stroke
Il the Penetrative Imagination this power Of the
higher imagination the secret Of the great poets
Dremacy-the power Of seeing quite through the shows
~ things the divine right Of those kings whose spirits
rule N from their urns-Homer and Dante Chaucer and
Shakespeare.
Admitting that the frstnamed form Of the imsgina.
I've faculty is the less important Of the two. is moro
commonly met with and effects result little differing
fsom mere description IN writing or copyism In art.
must, nevertheless be taken for granted that its value
snch a. it m dependent entirely its truths that
when 1t gives a false image, in proportion as that
Image Is clouded indstinct 1t is Of less WORTH 1t Is
nothing IL not true. Ard for the other FORM the
highest It's very Is its TRUTH II is ts seeing OF
more truth that makes 1t higher; its aim, its quest its
FOOD truth; by that quality it draws up by that
quality 1t Ia allied to God and Is indeed called, without
profanity. divine.
Now the popular notion Of imagination is the very
reverse Of this To critics who call Mr.. Martins pic
tare imaginative moi, clear seeing, but couded
oseing; seeing much but seeing little not speaking
clearly and to the point but suffering and wandering
TO those writer's 1t does not necessarily include truth
seeing nor telling at ALI truth s Of the least i'm
ortanoe; the fewer facts the better and Mr. Martin
has taken them at their word and not given them
single onei
Truth-seeingi Truth.telling These are the Adj.
sondscks 1t would be cruel to Judge this picture by
sAe standard of the higher Imagination. Only few
loy spirits work constantly by its light lesser men
have only occasional inspirations But let us judge 1t
hy the lower standard the presentment OF simple
conception the image Of mere external truths II we
show that 1t cannot bear this analysis surely we