File:American painters- with eighty-three examples of their work engraved on wood (1879) (14583976168).jpg

Identifier: americanpainters00shel (find matches)
Title: American painters: with eighty-three examples of their work engraved on wood
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Sheldon, George William, 1843-1914
Subjects: Painters Painting, American
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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re displays her chief perfections, whether of beauty or majestyrepose or action. There is not a tint of color, nor phase of light and dark, norforce nor delicacy, nor gradation nor contrast, nor any charm that the mostinventive imagination ever employed, or conceived worthy to be regarded asbeautiful, or as in any other respect fitting to the aim of art, that is not to beseen in Nature, more beautiful and more fitting than art has ever realized orever can. Pictures abound which display the complete mastery of all thetechnicalities of art, fascinating by the most dexterous execution and brilliancyof color, yet false to Nature and destitute of all that awakens thought or inter-ests the feelings. Much has been said by writers on art as well as artists, in disparage-ment of what they call servile imitation of Nature, as unworthy of genius anddegrading to art, cramping invention, and fettering the imagination—in short,productive only of mere matter-of-fact works. What is meant by servile
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MORNING./■>«/« a Fainting by Horace Wolcott Robbins p 188. HORACE WOLCOTT ROBBINS. 133 imitation, so called, is difficult to understand. If its meaning is limited tothat view of realism which accepts commonplace forms and appearances, with-out searching for the ideal of natural beauty, the objections are valid ; but ifit comprehends the faithful representation of all that is most beautiful andbest fitted for the entire purposes of art, really existing and accessible, andever waiting to be gathered up by earnest love and untiring labor, then it isan utter fallacy, born of indolence and conceit. It is by reverent attention tothe realized forms of Nature alone that art is enabled, by its delegated power,to reproduce some measure of the profound and elevated emotions which thecontemplation of the visible works of God awaken. The evening of his life Mr. Durand is passing in his charming country-home, within the shadow of the Orange Mountain, in the presence of all man-ner of comfort

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