Chapter II: Introduction: 1

Definitions of "Art" and "Beauty"--Aesthetic systems--The
earliest Art--Art periods--The Grecian and Italian
developments--National and individual "Inspiration"--
Powers of imagination and execution--Nature of "Genius"--
The Impressionist Movement--Sprezzatura--The broad manner--
Position in art of Rembrandt and Velasquez--Position of
Landscape in art.

_BOOK I_

CHAPTER

I.--CLASSIFICATION OF THE FINE ARTS 52

The Arts imitative of Nature--Classified according to
the character of their signs--Relative value of form in
Poetry--Scope of the Arts in the production of beauty.

II.--LAW OF RECOGNITION IN THE ASSOCIATED ARTS 59

Explanation of the Law--Its application to Poetry--To
Sculpture--To Painting--To Fiction.

III.--LAW OF GENERAL ASSENT 72

General opinion the test of beauty in the Associated
Arts.

IV.--LIMITATIONS OF THE ASSOCIATED ARTS 78

Production of beauty in the respective Arts--Their
limitations.

V.--DEGREES OF BEAUTY IN THE PAINTER'S ART 83

VI.--EXPRESSION. PART 1.--THE IDEAL 86

VII.--EXPRESSION. PART 2.--CHRISTIAN IDEALS 91

The Deity--Christ--The Madonna--Madonna and Child.

VIII.--EXPRESSION. PART 3.--CLASSICAL IDEALS 106

Ideals of the Greeks--Use of the ancient divinities
by the Painter.

IX.--EXPRESSION. PART 4.--GENERAL IDEALS 135

X.--EXPRESSION. PART 5.--PORTRAITURE 141

Limitations of the Portrait Painter--Emphasis and
addition of qualities in portrait painting--Practice
of the ancient Greeks--Dignity--Importance of
Simplicity--Some of the great masters--Portraiture
of women--The English masters--The quality of
Grace--The necessity for Repose.

XI.--EXPRESSION. PART 6.--MISCELLANEOUS 167

Grief--The Smile--The Open Mouth--Contrasts--
Representation of Death.

XII.--LANDSCAPE 192

Limitations of the Landscape Painter--Illusion of
opening distance--Illusion of motion in Landscape--
Moonlight scenes--Transient conditions.

XIII.--STILL-LIFE 214

XIV.--SECONDARY ART 219

Paintings of record--Scenes from the Novel--From
the written drama--From the acted drama--Humorous
subjects--Allegorical paintings.

XV.--COLOUR 228

_BOOK II_

INTRODUCTORY.--ILLUSION IN THE PAINTER'S ART 236

CHAPTER
I.--ILLUSION OF RELIEF 239
II.--ILLUSION OF MOTION WITH MEN AND ANIMALS 249
III.--ILLUSION OF SUSPENSION AND MOTION IN THE AIR 259

NOTES 273

INDEX OF ARTISTS AND WORKS OF ART MENTIONED IN THIS BOOK 357

GENERAL INDEX 369

LIST OF PLATES

PAGE
FRONTISPIECE.--DETAIL FROM FRAGONARD'S THE PURSUIT (FRICK
COLLECTION, NEW YORK).

This work, which is one of the celebrated Grasse series of
panels, offers a very fine example of the use of an ideal head
in a romantic subject. (See Page 139.)

PLATE 1.--THE EARLIEST GREAT SCULPTURES 6

(a). Head from a statue of Chefren, a king of the 4th Egyptian
Dynasty, about 3000 B.C. (Cairo Museum.)

(b). Head from a fragmentary statuette of Babylonia, dating
about 2600 B.C. (Louvre: from Spearing's "Childhood of Art.")

The first head is generally regarded as the finest example of
Egyptian art extant, and certainly there was nothing executed
in Egypt to equal it during the thirty centuries following the
5th Dynasty. The Babylonian head is the best work of Chaldean
art known to us, though there are some fine fragments remaining
from the period of about a thousand years later. It will be
observed that the tendency of the art in both examples is
towards the aims achieved by the Greeks. (See Page 7.)

PLATE 2.--"LE BON DIEU D'AMIENS", IN THE NORTH PORCH, AMIENS
CATHEDRAL 18

This figure by a French sculptor of the thirteenth century,
was considered by Ruskin to be the finest ideal of Christ in
existence. It is another example of the universality of ideals,
for the head from the front view might well have been modelled
from a Grecian work of the late fourth or early third century
B.C. (See Page 319.)

PLATE 3.--AFTER AN ANCIENT COPY OF THE CNIDIAN VENUS OF PRAXITELES.
(VATICAN) 30

It is commonly agreed that this is the finest model in existence
after the great work of Praxiteles, which itself has long
disappeared. The figure as it now stands at the Vatican, has the
right arm restored, and the hand is made to hold up some metallic
drapery with which the legs are covered, the beauty of the form
being thus seriously weakened. (See Pages 111 _et seq._)

PLATE 4.--VENUS ANADYOMENE 42

(a). Ancient Greek sculpture from the design of Venus in the
celebrated picture of Apelles. (Formerly Chessa Collection, now in
New York.)

The immense superiority of the sculpture over the painting (Plate
5), from the point of view of pure art, is visible at a glance. It
is an indication of the far-reaching scope of the sculptor when
executing ideals. (See Page 113.)

PLATE 5.--VENUS ANADYOMENE, FROM THE PAINTING BY TITIAN.
(BRIDGEWATER COLLECTION.) Compare with the Sculpture on
Plate 4. (See Page 115) 42

PLATE 6.--VENUS REPOSING, BY GIORGIONE. (DRESDEN GALLERY) 54

This is the finest reposing Venus in existence in painting. It was
the model for the representation of the goddess in repose used by
Titian, and many other artists who came after him. (See Page 116.)

PLATE 7.--DEMETER 66

(a). Head from the Cnidos marble figure of the fourth century B.C.,
attributed to Scopas. (British Museum.)

(b). Small head in bronze of the third century B.C. (Private
Collection.)

In each of these heads the artist has been successful in maintaining
the ideal, while indicating a suggestion of the sorrowful
resignation with which Grecian legend has enveloped the mind picture
of Demeter. Nevertheless, even this slight departure from the
established rule tends to lessen the art, though in a very small
degree. (See Page 122.)

PLATE 8.--RAPHAEL'S SISTINE MADONNA (DRESDEN GALLERY), WITH THE FACE
OF THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN FRAGONARD'S THE PURSUIT SUBSTITUTED FOR
THAT OF THE VIRGIN 80

This and the two following plates show very clearly that in striving
for an ideal, artists must necessarily arrive at the same general
type. (See Pages 138 _et seq._)

PLATE 9.--RAPHAEL'S VIRGIN OF THE ROSE (MADRID), WITH THE FACE
OF THE FIGURE REPRESENTING PROFANE LOVE IN TITIAN'S PICTURE
SUBSTITUTED FOR THAT OF THE VIRGIN 92

PLATE 10.--RAPHAEL'S HOLY FAMILY (MADRID), WITH THE FACE OF LUINI'S
SALOME SUBSTITUTED FOR THAT OF THE VIRGIN 102

PLATE 11.--THE PURSUIT, BY FRAGONARD. (FRICK COLLECTION, N. Y.) 114

A detail from this picture forms the Frontispiece. It will be
observed that in the complete painting the central figure apparently
wears a startled expression, but that this is entirely due to the
surroundings and action, is shown by the substitution of the face of
the central figure for that of the Virgin in the Sistine Madonna,
Plate 8. (See Page 139.)

PLATE 12.--PORTRAIT HEADS OF THE GREEK TYPE, FOURTH CENTURY, B.C.
(See Page 145) 130

(a). Head of Plato. (Copenhagen Museum.) (b). Term of Euripides.
(Naples Museum.)

PLATE 13.--PORTRAIT HEADS OF THE TIME OF IMPERIAL ROME. (SEE PAGE
145) 146

(a). Vespasian. (Naples Museum.) (b). Hadrian. (Athens Museum.)

PLATE 14.--SACRIFICE OF IPHIGENIA, FROM A POMPEIAN FRESCO. (ROUX
AINE'S HERCULANUM ET POMPEI, VOL. III) 160

This work is presumed to be a copy of the celebrated picture of
Timanthes, in which the head of Agamemnon was hidden because the
artist could see no other way of expressing extreme grief without
distorting the features. (See Pages 168 and 339.)

PLATE 15.--ALL'S WELL, BY WINSLOW HOMER. (BOSTON MUSEUM, U. S. A.) 176

An instance where the permanent beauty of a picture is killed by an
open mouth. After a few moments' inspection, it will be observed
that the mouth appears to be kept open by a wedge. (See Page 176.)

PLATE 16.--HERCULES CONTEMPLATING DEATH, BY A. POLLAIUOLO. (FRICK
COLLECTION, NEW YORK.) 190

The only known design of this nature which appears to exist in any
of the arts. (See Pages 190 and 343.)

PLATE 17.--ARCADIAN LANDSCAPE, BY CLAUDE LORRAINE. (NATIONAL
GALLERY, LONDON) 198

A fine illusion of opening distance created by the precise rendering
of the aerial perspective. The illusion is of course unobservable in
the reproduction owing to its small size and the want of colour.
(See Page 198).

PLATE 18.--LANDSCAPE, BY HOBBEMA. (MET. MUSEUM, NEW YORK) 210

A fine example of Hobbema's work. A strong light is thrown in from
the back to enable the artist to multiply his signs for the purpose
of deepening the apparent distance. (See Page 202.)

PLATE 19.--LANDSCAPE, BY JACOB RUYSDAEL, (NATIONAL GALLERY,
LONDON) 220

Example of an illusion of movement in flowing water. (See Page 204.)

PLATE 20.--THE STORM, BY JACOB RUYSDAEL. (BERLIN GALLERY) 232

Exhibiting an excellent illusion of motion, due to the faithful
representation of a series of consecutive movements of water as the
vessel passes through it. The illusion is practically lost in the
reproduction, but the details of design may be observed. (See Page
206.)

PLATE 21.--THE LITTA MADONNA, BY LIONARDO DA VINCI. (HERMITAGE) 240

This is perhaps the best example known of an illusion of relief
secured by shading alone. (See Page 240.)

PLATE 22.--CHRIST ON THE CROSS, BY VAN DYCK. (ANTWERP MUSEUM) 252

A superb example of relief obtained by the exclusion of accessories.
Van Dyck took the idea from Rubens, who borrowed it from Titian,
this artist improving on Antonella da Messina. The relief of course
is not well observed in the reproduction because of its miniature
form. The work is usually regarded as the finest of its kind in
existence. (See Page 244.)

PLATE 23.--PATRICIA, BY LYDIA EMMET. (PRIVATE POSSESSION, N. Y.) 264

A very excellent example of the plan of securing relief described
in Book II, Chap. I. Here also the relief is not observed in the
reproduction, but the original is of life size and provides an
illusion as nearly perfect as possible. (See Page 247.)

PLATE 24.--THE CREATION OF ADAM, BY MICHELANGELO. (VATICAN) 276

Instance of the use of an oval form of drapery to assist in
presenting an illusion of suspension in the air. (See Page 260.)

PLATE 25.--THE PLEIADS, BY M. SCHWIND. (DENNER COLLECTION.) 288

One of the finest examples of illusion of motion in the air.
(See Page 269.)

PLATE 26.--ST. MARGARET, BY RAPHAEL. (LOUVRE) 302

Perhaps the best example in existence of a painted human figure in
action. It will be seen that every part of the body and every fold
of the drapery are used to assist in the expression of movement.
(See Page 250.)

PLATE 27.--DIANA AND NYMPHS PURSUED BY SATYRS, BY RUBENS. (PRADO) 318

A good example of an illusion of motion created by showing a number
of persons in different stages of a series of consecutive actions.
(See Page 254.)

PLATE 28.--AUTOMEDON WITH THE HORSES OF ACHILLES, BY H. REGNAULT.
(BOSTON MUSEUM, U. S. A.) 334

The extraordinary spirit and action of these horses are above the
experience of life, but they do not appear to be beyond the bounds
of possibility. In any case the action is perfectly appropriate
here, as the animals are presumed to be immortal. (See Page 256.)

PLATE 29.--MARBLE FIGURE OF ARIADNE. (VATICAN) 348

This work, of the Hellenistic period, illustrates the possibility of
largely varying the regular proportions of the human figure without
injury to the art, by the skilful use of drapery. (See Page 329.)

Art Principles