New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-12-14
THE THEORY OF ART.

| NEW-HAyEN Dec 13-The second lecture of the
course to be delivered before the Yale School of the
| Fine Arts was given this evening by Dir. farKe
| Goodwin of your city 1t was an elaborate discus
sion of the characteristics of art similar to an ad
dress once presented TO the Academy of Design, but
enlarged and improved, with many incidental Illus
| trations that added to its general interest.
Mr.. Goodwin began by description OF the con-
trasts between science and art to their aims their
| MEANS and their efforts; and then continued
Tho end of art most general and therefore most
simple statement Expression. But the statement mere
is too general to be definite. All that we utter anu
nearly all that do may be regarded ms an exprcssoh
When We laugh express joy; when we weep we GA
press grlef and very gait as slow ana languu Va
quick and nervous expresses tho prevailing moou Vi
our minds But neither laugh cry, or walk can DC
called art The expression referred to that OF the Tree
personality or genius Of the individual artist Oh hs
dominant passion pastne, which makes MS essoh'
character, which is instructive ana fundamch'ai WIN
him. which mods his tastes and apttudes when prop
his imagination which controls his intellect ana gives
color to his prevailing Wow Of life and its various
moods and issues. Genius, the name We give COM
monty to the artistic nature, Is the nature "ncn
not only feels intensely and thrilinEp
than others the impressions and sentiments 'na'
make up human nature but when Is aVio
TO awaken them in Others. ltndOWed WIN ssiiar
exquisite that they trembe like tho strings OF a ,t
harp in the mere atmosphere OF Deau o n in the
mcTc show OF things with love sympathetic and
universal that nothing in life Is alien to H. genius nS
The further faculty OF unfolding all these In eonsenta
whole The sights, Inc sounus, wy rid,ccs IN
the characters which m 1t with delight II 10 M thai
shapes that rekindle that delight Thereioe u s t ,
all The deepest feelings all the LARGEST % eteSt
affections the most terrible RACES ana agones VI nmn
human nature is capable come 70 lne r. Of The
orc or other the forms Of art. These spchu9Is VI
sunshine are reflected there with suDuueu az" ~
ehasemsd sp and lbs contrasts in It's grandeur
and its motives: and there tne hol Id..s NJ
hm1pan character are exhibited wildly and perfectly
that the types OF art acquire more olstnGl Aiu perrin
In the second place, what the methods by which
art is enabled 10 achieve thee Luhphs OF M",g
In what faculties does she Work her WOhdeIsi nuH
does she proceed to give this enduring body 70 er I,
1eetlng thonghsi Alas nhe Ds NM ibcre We're no
snakes in Iceland am compelled 10 sS 81 n,rno,
that II has no method, but tlat II Is methOd Canho'
or,Iar The proccsses OF Science easy To under
stand science seeks SIMPLY what Is anu 500 ~ ~
an Obvious logical procedure, IN which step follows Sep
Ike The rounds OF ladder. Even the proTounde. theo
rcms Of Newton not beyond the reagh OF yroSI
competent mathematical lnstr1I ION but Nno M
The chemistry which taught the venetian masters 70 MA
the sunbeams on their s Mo SS mn e
dome of St Peters his mind before he hnns u aDroaa
ike second skyi or who VIII tell us ny what marvel
Gus vtalism II was that Shakespeare AFTER nns chug
Kingdom of nature of its elements, the caves OF tneT
gems the flowers Of their beauties, the clouds OF e
lightning and tenpests, ana NE oi woys
not leaving the invisible realms nnygo' orGcr
All those products OF human effort therefore, when are
an end in themselves. or IL We may borrow inc mneh
the object Is within the subject are works 81 art Inc
does not act because ne rs eohtlOrSa ny h ny
l. controlled by sense OF duty To his fellow men, Mnle
IL equally imperative but because OF tue intense anu
mpfIc@d pleasure that he feels In giving representa-
tive expression 10 his purely ideal thoughts anu
AWE OF NATURE
Mr. Goodwin then illustrated the play Of the imaginative
or tuslpx faculties by the quotation OF some exquisite
extracts from Shelley and Keats and then proceededo
speak of that universal symbolism of nature which he
regarded as the ultimate secret Of the artistic process
lie said:
remember once in crossing the Atlantic, to have
gone p scs cd enyeoped the siy and the great deep
was roaring mady under the hshes OF u'hOhac "ihua,
surrender FOR the Immortal soul but Of utter dcsoaton
ana loncness-a little spark OF ne shut III ny Ieh.n
dons darkness. Again. remember TO have climbed Tue
slopes of Of the swiss Alps up ITg p"'n W.
where vegetation ceases aud the snh,ea '.ioI d o
lnnrcr against tire unceing basis Around me
law huge confusion ~ rocks, out OIL Whch lhe Hsano
icpeaks shot up into ne measni.c's oc % Tue NH
solitude And yet, aud yet there Is soitune "hicn
each and every one Of MS has always carried WIN NM
,noc iunccrs,bc than icecO!d mountains, mOrr pro-
found than the midnight sca-thc 80 lnuo " ne 5'i
Oug inner being which W. call O'cf tYuGh oi
man angel has ever pierced IL u mu.o hl9 g!
nan the caves Of the Enone the sScrru Any ,u VI tr
oracle the hidden chamber oI eIeusnil III? sc'y oi
20 II only Onni5Cl"hcc - pc mllt'u 10 ent.I NH
Spirit cannot with spirit nor soul grasp soul
bridges Of signs and symbols ana shows save a. thgy
sind forth their winged mess,igea The word which
Ike the angels OF Jacobs ladder, descend and ascend
from the heaven Oi the mind to the cariL OF mater hha
/
II Ia now the accepted doctrine Of philODgsts believe
TIA: Thought impossible, beyond the most documentary
Inits without the intervention OF signs. Not Only are
these necessary communication WIN our fellows uto
knowledge OF any sort They are me scaod ny whch We
climb from notion to nOun I'LL the whole intellectuai
hDilc Is nu udcveonusnt of It's symbols For every
conception however subtle or profound, Tor every emf
ton however delicate fugitive, there must be the sup
T"riinS word; il Is but gbost until 1t Is born into
word which is first It's partrient c.ade, ana then lis
lasting house aud home In the word II hyes ana moves
and has its bcine-n the eyerready, obcdcni dociie
word woven OF air plant that u bends To cach ca
price OF wum, and yet or form 50 urn hhu nnA,d III
the heart Of things that IL outlass inc his anu 'o s'
YHE FORM OF ART.
Now art Is a language, sign, that Is, thing eN'
nressine Thought or a material form with spiritual
content The spoken word instance, is on its mate
rial side, a vibrating aura but on It's spiritual SIDE
meaning. So a cathedral on its material side, IL heap
NJ stones Int on ts spiritual side an aspiration Of
nations heart toward he God note OF the organ on
its material side, Is pulsa0n OF ar produeeu Dy qnh
cring reeds. but On ITS spiritual side sgb, WALL
moan or throb Of divine JOY or of cOnquerlnS e&uit
sIn there ia n broad difference between ordinary
speech and arthough speech itself often called an
art Our common tongue Ia conventional arDitriH; We
hicular Beyond the narrow bounds al what MAX Muller
names the Bow-wow, initiative words, and the room,
pooh interccOnal words, there Is none but IOrhRi
or connection the sound and It's
The relation is Ouiwardy imposed. mechanical But
between the form Of art and the idea OF art The relation
il nwardly begotcn or essential and vital IL IL essen
ai like that Of the tear to sorrow, OF the snilo toJoy or
the feature to our emotion Every sound every eo1r
every figure which inpresses the senses speaks also the
mind All oval aud square haNodlneFtnt moral chhl
ters note Is not only high or low IL Is gentle or snon
ing or plantiye, eXultaut Blue has spiritual depth
that is not in scarlet or yellow Every different "ha, III
fact whispers different music 10 every different Tree
But again, this relationship Is VIAL IN that me t ,
form crows OF the artistic Thought, natural iOfs
are an outgrowth OF the plastic soul III nature gernS
dropped into the earth ana nnlous ny organic IosoSs
hero into violet lily, and there into IN OAK OF htih
nfds by similar organic process here into sybii OF
al Cecn, and there into a LaocOOn Lear or Slras
burg minister Man Is thus able to employ me Oolecsu
natre for his own limited artistic purposes ~ God EN-
ploys them in his larger sphere Deesuse n.uaG i.s i,