The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05

has spoken whole sentence Of English,
or that the German Emperor when asked his
opinion Of something mas said. Il don't
know" We like toibe astonished; there Il
no use trying 10 dcny that.
But the feas enumerated in the first
paragraph are legitimate performances,
whose chief if not only, intent ia to astonish
The occurrences mentioned in the second
paragraph are Of the wholly unpremeii-
tatcd kind, and may be classed as acct
dents. Certainly no one will hold for an
instant that cither class belongs TO the do
main of high art, though in the feat OF the
iugRler or the acrobat there is certainly
an element of art
1t can never legitimately be the aim of
the fine arts to astonish, Every one re-
members that old yarn about the Greek
painter who painted bunch of grapes so
exactly that the birds came and tried to
eat them. He showed his picture to a
brother artist, who at once set out to do
something still more astonishing. One
day No. 2 invited No. to come and see
the completed painting, and when he had
arrived led him up to frame before which
hung a curtain.
well" said the visitor, after standing
expectantly for a few moments, why
don't you draw the curtain and let me see
the picture"
"The curtain" answered the other tri-
umphantly, "s the picture"
Now there are many thousands of highly
estimable and tolcrably well-informad per-
sons who would deem either of those paint
ers far greater artist than Michael Angelo
or Leonardo de Vinci. Yet the art of those
two men had no other purpose than to
astonsh. There was in il nothing what
ever to appeal t2-the higher faculties of
the mind or to touch the heart.
The ultimate aim of art il beauty. 1t
seeks to express the Unsuitable appetite
of humanity for the ideal The painter
who is q great artist does not photograph
landscape in colors; he puts upon canvas
the soul of nature in one of her beautiful
moods The sculptor does not merely
chisel perfect form; he makes it express
a thought Of his race or time, or dream
of mankind The great composer does not
try simply to write pretty tune; he aims
10 develop from a thematic germ a tonal
ccifce, which shall have all the diversity
Ill NIlIlf VI a prNS' VI hi''i''''u'''
which shall furthermore present a toer-
ably definite communication of moods.
Therefore the performer Of music, like
the reader OF poetry must do something
more than amaze us by the perfection of
his technical achievement. We have no
business to 60 to hear reading Of poetry
or a performance of music merely expect
ing to be astonished. If we do that We
prove that we do not know what poetry
and music are. We demonstrate our total
misconception Of the nature and mission
of art.
Do YOU think that little child can COM
prehend the complex artistic structure of
a concerto, written by one of the great mas
ters, 80 as 10 analyzc it and present its
architecture to you in clear manner2
Oh, you say, his teacher can teach him all
that. Very well, Then what is the child
doing but repeating lesson like q we'll
drilled parrot? And il he cannot analyze
the structure OF the work without the aid
OF his teacher. how much Of its inner thought
can he grasp?
The plain truth is that the child can only
be expected to asst onish us by playing a