New-York tribune., 1873-01-22
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
LECTURE BY WILLIAM PAGE.


given last evening, by William Page, upon she subject
Imitation OF Nature" This win esyer about all
the prominent topics in the Artworld, and different art
lists will contribute to IT, report OF ,he most strk-
ing portions of the lecture will he found below
THE LECTURE.
The great Italian poet DANTE when ne declared arr 10
be Gods grandchid expressed true relation OF art 10
man, and Of man 10 his Maker. When would conceive
Of ART in tho highest plane of contemplation picture TO
my thought the Great Architect OF the Universe the one
true Artist God the Universal Maker, as in His studio
of the universe forming and adjusting all things, as 1t
xere nv tbe very use Of His hands TO order and To
beauty 10 harmony and TO use. Well may we
exclairn, with the poet, :" What piece OF work ~
MANI when we see him attain the proportions OF
Phdias OF Titan and Of Shakespeare and wen may we
expeet from them the OF new series OF
works fitted 10 their powers, as the original creation
as 6ted in its elements those OF the Creator Him.
self He created man after His own image; in His own
likeness created He him." II this necessity, this I'M
pulse 70 cure Himself dwelt in the Divine mind, we
NAV well suppose that 1t must descend legitl'
mately 10 His creature man, made IN HIS own
image.
We as an Academy are dealing wlthtwoof 1.-THE three
Initiative Arts viz Sculpture and Painting, ana In
each Of these there are twoprncples OF imagng which
together make the imitation as understand 1t. One
images the idea and order in the artists mind and the
other the external appearance to tho eye OF that nature
which s the particular subject OF the picture 10 be rem
dered or the sculpture be wrought. Important as
this latter is and its Importance cannot be well over
stated It is yet secondary the former This latter is
the body 10 which the former is the life, and yet the
health OF this body essential TO the welbeng OF the
life that life itself will depart so soon as its house
becomes too dlapdated for its dwelling-pace'
And in like manner, when In art the image
OF that nature by which IL should speak lost sight OF
or falsely rendered, then art IS dumb And when w9
consider the little pictures as IL were IN Va
Messonnier the expanding Sybis OF Michael Angelo
and the Last Judgment IN tne ols.Ihe ohaIei,
equally endeavor TO embOdy those phases OF nature
which belong 10 each purpose or ldea, ana room anu
verge enoug NAV be found in either field for exercising
all the power that the Infinite has youchsaied 10 te use
Of His h9e i%SSe nan OF art from oth tSe hand
of the Creator, bearing Ike relation 70 IIs
anthor as the highest work Of artist his best picture
or statue bears TO himself AND have little patience
with the petty spirit OF Jealous peeVlslness WnlcH
b r fhat department of art as if every branch were
not wide enough in itself for the development OF Tue ot
andscape or the Figure whether it be in marble or IN
that dramatic form oi words lh "hicn 0h"Ao'l''
wrought. , ,,un,
In the pictures painted "a scale much below the SIZE
of nature the general appearances OF things only may
be given and not the partcuars yet here ID enough Oh
order and OF beauty TO tax to the utmost that iteu
power which is called finite, and to leave some possible
excellence yet unattaned AS in scientific investigation
in the naIrowest or most ercumscrbed depaIsinGnS I
there will always be found some uneXploreu TeglOn'
some miuminated corner, over wnch DrOOus Tue un-
known and where petty chaos reigns Ihs, OF souse
belongs TO all human thngs-n0t 10 art more Jn,l
life There is none good but One that IS God Therel is
no perect artist save Him. Pictures of any scope OF en-
deayor may represent the powers OF their auhor very
small pictures representing extended subjects haVc
tain adyantages they enable the artist 10 grasp te
work as a whole and it most fehctously a. such
or its harrnonies either OF light, lines,
or color; and with the less IaDor 10 10
greatly to be recommended TO the OF the student iOr
Sketches and hints for the conduct Of picture tAGuGn ga
re6nired of course we shall find that natures trunk has
been packed slfully full 20 admit OF any urtner
demand is for anequal space in which to fully repre-
sent nature you have only to magnify the most perfectly
wrought miniature TO the natural size To see IL cOase
by revealing that absence OF parts for which there was
not room, and which, could they have been theie ust
have been lost by Of the inability OF the human
eye 10 at once both pictoriaB ana crOScopVaig'
Natures dimensions and the nature OF vision are ahe
greatly expanded contracted without loss But II an
that required in particular case can DC contained IN
for demands more, and is weakness unless 'his
ORIGIN OF PoRTRAITURE.
All this equally true. whether applied to sculpture
or painting Then, II we would so study our subject as
TO represent all parts most fully may not be amss
but rather great advantage and help, to draw ana
work an attempt 10 depict human face Two Greek
lovers are about 10 separate for weary period from
each other The low, fallen sun sends his level rays
over the plain casts the sharp shadow OF the pure
profile upon the blank, smooth surface OF the
wall and She seeing the darling iraage, draws
around il with loving hand tho line which, when the
sun had wholly fallen and her dear one hadhitted left
her q help 10 hold him when he was gone, and nope
until The returned, though OF this am NOT Informed
But here was the first portrait done nearest Adams
time and oflfe also What marvel that this branch
of the art Of painting-besun by affection and mainly
continued since by that same desire to see our friend
when he is awey, aud sometimes nearer than IN the
minds eyeshond have caused it to be cultivated by
which has caused no less critic than Hazhtt 10 de,
clare Il would more Willingly lose an the pictures Oh
the socalled great painters uah pafV Win tnen rev
portraits" And why ask Indeed, because not only
that know most famiiarly the human face but that
i'm portraiturehe bestthere is attempt 10 do aught
but 10 make picture the ruest image attainable of
the original within and without chosen from the loving
pont OF view wherefrOm to feel and TO express the
beauty" which lis truth" and which in that form Is
only then to be found Perhaps we may do without inc
qualifying phrase. Never since the first man grew was
there another human vlsdge the true shape OF Wnch
face; and, as L nave salu on former occasions,
the praise that has been bestowed the characters
OF the Apostles gwen in the famous cartoons of
Raphael is that they look Ike the most uniuching and
genuine portraits OF the very men. The yltazing the
image, whether in stone or on the canvas is simply
giving to 1t the highest quality tal belongs to lmauon
that expressing the appearance OF tue most essential
and quality OF the thing represented SO that
the image of the shall only ve, but To
love those who look the picture and that
Question ns That Inc landscape Of Spring shall breathe
It's fragrance in ITS blossoms and its green and tender
leaves the merry bride shall To delight III the
buoyant atmosphere and the sweet blue of heaven shall
fathomless TO the ever peerng penetrating eye that
unweariedly dwes upon It's charns that the Autumn
shall only burn In its fiery foliage. but the hazy anos
phere shall seem to creep and gather It's dewy moisture
akin 10 that which takes in the almost saddening
hour OF early twilight, when the heaven is clothed In
purple and gold attending the solemn pageant of the
tireInent TO nightly rest OF the weary God Of Day
that the marble eye with its strong solid bones SO dis
posed as to the frame work around which the
derully nodded muscles cling forming themselves into
groups beauty such scarcely another subject
furnish relaxed hbers sink OF their own weight
into themselves, or hang suspended from the proper
bones in eyer-graceful forms yet this is not ALL but
within this wOndr0us frame there must 10 reside
every faculty Of life, with every power Of selfwied
notion as in the God made original.
THE DEPUTY-CHAMBERLAIN DISPUTE.
Judge Barbour granted yesterday the in