New-York tribune., 1873-02-07
Art AND ITS RESULTS.
A LECTURE BY PARKE GOODWIN.

A LECTURE BY PARhE GODWlNs
The third lecture in the course on Art be-
fore the Academy of Design delivered last evening
by Parke Goodwin to assemblage of students and
friends Of the Academy The speaker began by con-
rasting the aims and results of Science and Art He
said among other things:
As the aim Of Science is knowledge, the business Of
the man of science with everything he meets to learn
what in itself and what 1t is in its relations to other
things Give him lump Of gold, for example, and he at
once invesg gates its prOpertes 1t is hard, he says us
trous Dense yellow in COLOR fusible at certain heat
extremely ducte, ndecOmpOsabe, an elementary metal,
found only u certain geological positions With these
and similar facts his interest, as scientist, ends Or
again. he drops from his hand, which is simple
fact; but he inquiries Why does it dropf He observes
that other unsupported obectsa bit of irOn apple
an arrow shot into the arfall to the earth Out of
these facts he arrives gradually at the law Of universal
gTavitation.
But how ls Art to realize its ends Not by the logical
faculties nor the logical methods of the scientist; but
by faculties and methods Of its own faculties which are
logical no doubt, but great deal mOre-whch are im
tatiye inventive, assimilative, sympathetic in word
creative The processes Of Science are easy to under
stand aud highest theOrems of Newton are not be-
yOnd the grasp OF tyr0 with competent mathematical
knowledge But who knows that chemistry which taught
the Venetian to steal the secrets OF the sun, and
pour Its rch beams upon their canvassei Who knows
the patient geometry by which the dome OF st. Peters
built itself up the mind Of Michael Angelo, before
he flung 1t like another sky across the zenithf Or VINO
will tell by what marvellous trick was that Shake
speare learned the secret of all hearts, and red every
cave Of It's gems and every fairy Of its spells, and even
hell of its demons and the clouds OF their thunders
Science is easy because only finds what s reduces
the by logical processes 70 the known but Art
is difficult because it creates, produces out OF the
known, the unknown.
Sometimes Art simply reproduces the expressive Oh
jects OF cOors figures, by what is called
imitation Sometimes she reproduces them in all their
reality but purified of yitianng ingredients or imper-
tnent accessories and lifted into higher plane of per-
fecton by the process OF idealizatOn. Sometimes by
the sympathetic imagination, II infuses human feelings
into the feess objects and Of nature thus en-
downg them with life and personality not their own,
and often quite foreign to their native properties Again,
art by the spontaneous play OF fantasy, dscens the
most subtle remote recOndte and unsuspeced analoges
between things which have nothing In common not even
existence and out OF them evokes gorgeous corusca
ton that, like an aurora, fills the whole sky with
splendor but. unlike the aurora once kndled Will
never fade. What the Of science accounts bird
have described but here is what the poet makes of
skylark-who will indeed hardly admit that 1t is bird
Mr. Goodwin here read passages from Shelley's "Sky-
lark and Keats's Nightngale.l But, whatever the
process the result OF art is always concrete repre-
senaton which produces pleasure; not any and every
kind Of pleasure but a peculiar pleasure, marked by
three inseparable characteristics.
First that It is pure, or unnxed with pain, or mixed
with it only, in so far as the painful element Is mere
contrast FOIL and rather hghtens and enhances the
pleasure In real life, strictly speaking, there
pure pleasures pure palms. because animal exist
ence being conditioned the equilibrium or balanced
opposition OF the two the one without the other would
be fatal OF want, of satisfaction, OF uneas
ness runs through happisst experiences. The one
is ever the warp the others wOO On the other hand
the deepest grefs the keenest disappointments, the
other the energy with which they fought or the
patience with which they bOrne-which are to an
extent sOlaces. But t is TO be remarked, that while
pain In itself repulsive, while we fly from 1t and can
not bear It, expression Of it, the giving Of it utter
ance is an aeyistion and relief Sorrows which hnda
gushing outlet in tears relieved not assuagod Pas
sions which pent up torment which and weary
and tear the nervous system to tatters smoothly of
when they find by proper natural channel SO
passons that may be expressed in some form OF repre-
sentatIon are discharged Of their destructive cleo
tricity.
Secondly the pleasure which Art produces is dsiner
ested-that s has reference 70 the qualification OF
any selfish tastes appees or TO OF the mere ne
cessties Of our existence even to the utilities which
minister 20 the conservation development Of our in
diydua weli.being Again. the aesthetic pleasure is dis
interested in that cannot be appropriated but is free TO
all Once as was musing in that wonderful room, the
Tribune at Florence wherein is collected the Madonna
Cardolina the Venus d Medici, the Apolino, the st.
John, the Ecoe Homo the FOrnarns. andigitians I'M
mortal goddess. thought how for hundreds OF years.
men and women OF all nations had enjoyed the rapture
which then felt and how for hundreds OF years yet to
come millions Of others would gaze and be filled and
still leave the glorious fountains "a nexhausted as they
were Oh the day they were created
Thirdly. the pleasure which Art aims at il a complex
and integral pleasure. addressed the whole mind to
its seDsca 10 sentimens Us intellect aud the moral