the unseen world and other essays-第50部分

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uld　rank　a　photograph；　however　exquisitely　executed；　with　an　original　picture。　And　finally；　if　exact　imitation　were　the　supreme　object　of　art；　the　best　tragedy；　the　best　comedy；　and　the　best　drama　would　be　a　stenographic　report　of　the　proceedings　in　a　court　of　justice；　in　a　family　gathering；　in　a　popular　meeting；　in　the　Rump　Congress。　Even　the　works　of　artists　are　not　rated　in　proportion　to　their　minute　exactness。　Neither　in　painting　nor　in　any　other　art　do　we　give　the　precedence　to　that　which　deceives　the　eye　simply。　Every　one　remembers　how　Zeuxis　was　said　to　have　painted　grapes　so　faithfully　that　the　birds　came　and　pecked　at　them；　and　how；　Parrhasios；　his　rival；　surpassed　even　this　feat　by　painting　a　curtain　so　natural　in　its　appearance　that　Zeuxis　asked　him　to　pull　it　aside　and　show　the　picture　behind　it。　All　this　is　not　art；　but　mere　knack　and　trickery。　Perhaps　no　painter　was　ever　so　minute　as　Denner。　It　used　to　take　him　four　years　to　make　one　portrait。　He　would　omit　nothing；neither　the　bluish　lines　made　by　the　veins　under　the　skin；　nor　the　little　black　points　scattered　over　the　nose；　nor　the　bright　spots　in　the　eye　where　neighbouring　objects　are　reflected；　the　head　seems　to　start　out　from　the　canvas；　it　is　so　like　flesh　and　blood。　Yet　who　cares　for　Denner's　portraits？　And　who　would　not　give　ten　times　as　much　for　one　which　Van　Dyck　or　Tintoretto　might　have　painted　in　a　few　hours？　So　in　the　churches　of　Naples　and　Spain　we　find　statues　coloured　and　draped；　saints　clothed　in　real　coats；　with　their　skin　yellow　and　bloodless；　their　hands　bleeding；　and　their　feet　bruised；　and　beside　them　Madonnas　in　royal　habiliments；　in　gala　dresses　of　lustrous　silk；　adorned　with　diadems；　precious　necklaces；　bright　ribbons；　and　elegant　laces；　with　their　cheeks　rosy；　their　eyes　brilliant；　their　eyelashes　sweeping。　And　by　this　excess　of　literal　imitation；　there　is　awakened　a　feeling；　not　of　pleasure；　but　always　of　repugnance；　often　of　disgust；　and　sometimes　of　horror　So　in　literature；　the　ancient　Greek　theatre；　and　the　best　Spanish　and　English　dramatists；　alter　on　purpose　the　natural　current　of　human　speech；　and　make　their　characters　talk　under　all　the　restraints　of　rhyme　and　rhythm。　But　we　pronounce　this　departure　from　literal　truth　a　merit　and　not　a　defect。　We　consider　Goethe's　second　〃Iphigenie；〃　written　in　verse；　far　preferable　to　the　first　one　written　in　prose；　nay；　it　is　the　rhythm　or　metre　itself　which　communicates　to　the　work　its　incomparable　beauty。　In　a　review　of　Longfellow's　〃Dante；〃　published　last　year；　we　argued　this　very　point　in　one　of　its　special　applications；　the　artist　must　copy　his　original；　but　he　must　not　copy　it　too　literally。

What　then　must　he　copy？　He　must　copy；　says　Taine；　the　mutual　relations　and　interdependences　of　the　parts　of　his　model。　And　more　than　this；　he　must　render　the　essential　characteristic　of　the　objectthat　characteristic　upon　which　all　the　minor　qualities　dependas　salient　and　conspicuous　as　possible。　He　must　put　into　the　background　the　traits　which　conceal　it；　and　bring　into　the　foreground　the　traits　which　manifest　it。　If　he　is　sculpturing　a　group　like　the　Laocoon；　he　must　strike　upon　the　supreme　moment；　that　in　which　the　whole　tragedy　reveals　itself；　and　he　must　pass　over　those　insignificant　details　of　position　and　movement　which　serve　only　to　distract　our　attention　and　weaken　our　emotions　by　dividing　them。　If　he　is　writing　a　drama；　he　must　not　attempt　to　give　us　the　complete　biography　of　his　character；　he　must　depict　only　those　situations　which　stand　in　direct　subordination　to　the　grand　climax　or　denoument。　As　a　final　result；　therefore。　Taine　concludes　that　a　work　of　art　is　a　concrete　representation　of　the　relations　existing　between　the　parts　of　an　object；　with　the　intent　to　bring　the　essential　or　dominating　character　thereof　into　prominence。

We　should　overrun　our　limits　if　we　were　to　follow　out　the　admirable　discussion　in　which　M。　Taine　extends　this　definition　to　architecture　and　music。　These　closely　allied　arts　are　distinguished　from　poetry；　painting；　and　sculpture；　by　appealing　far　less　directly　to　the　intelligence；　and　far　more　exclusively　to　the　emotions。　Yet　these　arts　likewise　aim；　by　bringing　into　prominence　certain　relations　of　symmetry　in　form　as　perceived　by　the　eye；　or　in　aerial　vibrations　as　perceived　by　the　ear；　to　excite　in　us　the　states　of　feeling　with　which　these　species　of　symmetry　are　by　subtle　laws　of　association　connected。　They；　too；　imitate；　not　literally；　but　under　the　guidance　of　a　predominating　sentiment　or　emotion；　relations　which　really　exist　among　the　phenomena　of　nature。　And　here；　too；　we　estimate　excellence；　not　in　proportion　to　the　direct；　but　to　the　indirect　imitation。　A　Gothic　cathedral　is　not；　as　has　been　supposed；　directly　imitated　from　the　towering　vegetation　of　Northern　forests；　but　it　may　well　be　the　expression　of　the　dim　sentiment　of　an　unseen；　all…pervading　Power；　generated　by　centuries　of　primeval　life　amid　such　forests。　So　the　sounds　which　in　a　symphony　of　Beethoven　are　woven　into　a　web　of　such　amazing　complexity　may　exist　in　different　combinations　in　nature；　but　when　a　musician　steps　out　of　his　way　to　imitate　the　crowing　of　cocks　or　the　roar　of　the　tempest；　we　regard　his　achievement　merely　as　a　graceful　conceit。　Art　is；　therefore；　an　imitation　of　nature；　but　it　is　an　intellectual　and　not　a　mechanical　imitation；　and　the　performances　of　the　camera　and　the　music…box　are　not　to　be　classed　with　those　of　the　violinist's　bow　or　the　sculptor's　chisel。

And　lastly；　in　distinguishing　art　from　science；　Taine　remarks；　that　in　disengaging　from　their　complexity　the；　causes　which　are　at　work　in　nature；　and　the　fundamental　laws　according　to　which　they　work；　science　describes　them　in　abstract　formulas　conveyed　in　technical　language。　But　art　reveals　these　operative　causes　and　these　dominant　laws；　not　in　arid　definitions；　inaccessible　to　most　people；　intelligible　only　to　specially　instructed　men；　but　in　a　concrete　symbol；　addressing　itself　not　only　to　the　understanding；　but　still　more　to　the　sentiments　of　the　ordinary　man。　Art　has；　therefore；　this　peculiarity；　that　it　is　at　once　elevated　and　popular；　that　it　manifests　that　which　is　often　most　recondite；　and　that　it　manifests　it　to　all。

Having　determined　what　a　work　of　art　is；　our　author　goes　on　to　study　the　social　conditions　under　which　works　of　art　are　produced；　and　he　concludes　that　the　general　character　of　a　work　of　art　is　determined　by　the　state　of　intellect　and　morals　in　the　society　in　which　it　is　executed。　There　is；　in　fact；　a　sort　of　moral　temperature　which　acts　upon　mental　development　much　as　physical　temperature　acts　upon　organic　development。　The　condition　of　society　does　not　produce　the　artist's　talent；　but　it　assists　or　checks　its　efforts　to　display　itself；　it　decides　whether　or　not　it　shall　be　successful　And　it　exerts　a　〃natural　selection〃　between　different　kinds　of　talents；　stimulating　some　and　starving　others。　To　make　this　perfectly　clear；　we　will　cite　at　some　length　Taine's　brilliant　illustration。

The　case　chosen　for　illustration　is　a　very　simple　one；that　of　a　state　of　society　in　which　one　of　the　predominant　feelings　is　melancholy。　This　is　not　an　arbitrary　supposition；　for　such　a　time　has　occurred　more　than　once　in　human　history；　in　Asia；　in　the　sixth　century　before　Christ；　and　especially　in　Europe；　from　the　fourth　to　the　tenth　centuries　of　our　era。　To　produce　such　a　state　of　feeling；　five　or　six　generations　of　decadence；　accompanied　with　diminution　of　population；　foreign　invasions；　famines；　pestilences；　and　increasing　difficulty　in　procuring　the　necessaries　of　life；　are　amply　sufficient。　It　then　happens　that　men　lose　courage　and　hope；　and　consider　life　an　evil。　Now；　admitting　that　among　the　artists　who　live　in　such　a　time；　there　are　likely　to　be　the　same　relative　numbers　of　melancholy；　joyous；　or　indifferent　temperaments　as　at　other　times；　let　us　see　how　they　will　be　affected　by　reigning　circumstances。

Let　us　first　remember；　says　Taine；　that　the　evils　which　depress　the　public　will　also　depress　the　artist。　His　risks　are　no　less　than　those　of　less　gifted　people。　He　is　liable　to　suffer　from　plague　or　famine；　to　be　ruined　by　unfair　taxation　or　conscription；　or　to　see　his　children　massacred　and　his　wife　led　into　captivity　by　barbarians。　And　if　these　ills　do　not　reach　him　personally；　he　must　at　least　behold　those　around　him　affected　by　them。　In　this　way；　if　he　is　joyous　by　temperament；　he　must　inevitably　become　less　joyous；　if　he　is　melancholy；　he　must　become　more　melancholy。

Secondly；　having　been　reared　among　melancholy　contemporaries；　his　education　will　have　exerted　upon　him　a　corresponding　influence。　The　prevailing　religious　doctrine；　accommodated　to　the　state　of　affairs；　will　tell　him　that　the　earth　is　a　place　of　exile；　life　an　evil；　gayety　a　snare；　and　his　most　profitable　occupation　will　be　to　get　ready　to　die。　Philosophy；　constructing　its　system　of　morals　in　conformity　to　the　existing　phenomena　of　decadence；　will　tell　him　that　he　had　better　never　have　been　born。　Daily　conversation　will　inform　him　of　horrible　events；　of　the　devastation　of　a　province；　the　sack　of　a　town　by　the　Goths；　the　oppression　of　the　neighbouring　peasants　by　the　imperial　tax…collectors；　or　the　civil　war　that　has　just　burst　out　between　half　a　dozen　pretenders　to　the　throne。　As　he　travels　about；　he　beholds　signs　of　mourning　and　despair；　crowds　of　beggars；　people　dying　of　hunger；　a　broken　bridge　which　no　one　is　mending；　an　abandoned　suburb　which　is　going　to　ruin；　fields　choked　with　weeds；　the　blackened　walls　of　burned　houses。　Such　sights　and　impressions；　repeated　from　childhood　to　old　age　（and　we　must　remember　that　this　has　actually　been　the　state　of　things　in　what　are　now　the　fairest　parts　of　the　globe）；　cannot　fail　to　deepen　whatever　elements　of　melancholy　there　may　be　already　in　the　artist's　disposition。

The　operation　of　all　these　causes　will　be　enhanced　by　that　very　peculiarity　of　the　artist　which　constitutes　his　talent。　For；　according　to　the　definitions　above　given；　that　which　makes　him　an　artist　is　his　capacity　for　seizing　upon　the　essential　characteristics　and　the　salient　traits　of　surrounding　objects　and　events。　Other　men　see　things　in　part　fragmentarily；　he　catches　the　spirit　of　the　ensemble。　And　in　this　way　he　will　very　likely　exagg