How far I may venture further to obtrude1 my opinions, or advice, on the notice of artists, particularly engravers on wood, I know not, but they may readily imagine that I cannot help feeling a deep interest, and an ardent2 desire, that the art may long flourish, and that those who follow it may feel happy in the pursuit. Perhaps what I have already said may not be uninteresting to some of them, and, if I knew how I could go further, in any way that might urge or stimulate3 them to feel enthusiasm for this art, it should not be wanting; for the wish, though tottering4 on the down-hill of life, is extended beyond the grave.
The sedentary artist ought, if possible, to have his dwelling5 in the country, where he can follow his business undisturbed, surrounded by pleasing rural scenery, and the fresh air. He ought not to sit at work too long at a time, but to unbend his mind with some variety of employment; for which purpose it is desirable that artists, with their little cots, shall also have each a garden attached, in which they may find both exercise and amusement, and only occasionally visit the city or the smoky town; and that chiefly for the purpose of meetings with their brother artists, in which they may make an interchange of their sentiments, and commune with each other as to whatever regards the arts. Were I allowed to become their M.D., my prescription6 should cost them nothing, and be easily taken—it being only attentively7 to observe two or three rules, the first of which is, that they will contrive8 to be very hungry once a day, never to overload9 the stomach, nor indulge to satiety10 in eating anything. By persisting in this, they will find their reward in great good health, and a vigorous, unclouded mind: by a little observation they may clearly see that a great portion of mankind “live to eat”—not eat to live.[38] To say more to men of sense and artists,—which a desire to contribute everything in my power towards their peace of mind and happiness prompts me to do,—I may be allowed to add, that those of them who have attained11 to eminence12 will find themselves pursued by envy; for “There is no species of hatred13 greater than that which a man of mediocrity bears to a man of genius; his reach of thought, his successful combinations, and his sudden felicities are never forgiven by those whom nature has fashioned in a less perfect mould.”
It is the duty of parents and guardians14 to endeavour, with the utmost care, to discover the capacities and fitness of youth for any business before they engage in it; for, without they are innately16 gifted with the power of becoming artists, the want of that power will cause the pursuit to be felt by them as up-hill work, and be productive of unhappiness to them through life. But the fondness of parents for their offspring is mostly such as to blind them in forming a judgment17, and disappointment is sure to follow. It would be well for such parents to read Gay’s fable18 of “The Owl19, the Swan, the Cock, the Spider, the Ass20, and the Farmer.” It may indeed be conceded that there are some rare exceptions to this general rule; for a man may be so formed in body and mind—with such symmetry and health in the one, and such energy in the other—that he may advance a great way towards perfection in anything he ardently21 pursues. But an “Admirable Chrichton,” or a Sir Joshua Reynolds, does not often appear. Men so gifted by nature, whether as artists, or in any other way where intellectual powers are to be drawn23 forth24, ought never to despair of rising to eminence, or to imagine that they can never equal such men as have excelled all others in their day. It ought to be kept in mind that the same superintending Providence25 which gifted those men with talents to excite wonder and to improve society from time to time, in all ages, still rules the world and the affairs of mankind, and will continue to do so for ever, as often as the services of such men are wanted; and this consideration ought to act as a stimulant26 to their successors, to endeavour to surpass in excellence27 the brilliant luminaries28 who have only gone before them to pave the way and to enlighten their paths. All artists—and indeed till men—ought to divide their time by regularly appropriating one portion of it to one purpose, and another part of it to the varied29 business that may be set apart for another. In this way a deal of work may be got through; and the artist, after leaving off his too intense application, would see, as it were, what he had been doing with new eyes, and would thus be enabled to criticize the almost endless variety of lights, shades, and effects, which await his pencil to produce.
Had I been a painter, I never would have copied the works of “old masters,” or others, however highly they might be esteemed30. I would have gone to nature for all my patterns; for she exhibits an endless variety not possible to be surpassed, and scarcely ever to be truly imitated. I would, indeed, have endeavoured to discover how those artists of old made or compounded their excellent colours, as well as the disposition31 of their lights and shades, by which they were enabled to accomplish so much and so well.
The work of the painter may be said to be as endless as the objects which nature continually presents to his view; and it is his judgment that must direct him in the choice of such as may be interesting. In this he will see what others have done before him, and the shoals and quicksands that have retarded32 their progress, as well as the rocks they have at last entirely33 split upon. On his taking a proper survey of all this, he will see the “labour in vain” that has been bestowed34 upon useless designs, which have found, and will continue to find, their way to a garret, while those of an opposite character will, from their excellence, be preserved with perhaps increasing value for ages to come. In performing all this, great industry will be required, and it ought ever to be kept in mind, that, as in morals, nothing is worth listening to but truth, so in arts nothing is worth looking at but such productions as have been faithfully copied from nature. Poetry, indeed, may launch out or take further liberties to charm the intellect of its votaries35. It is only such youths as Providence has gifted with strong intellectual, innate15 powers that are perfectly36 fit to embark37 in the fine arts, and the power and propensity38 is often found early to bud out and show itself. This is seen in the young musician, who, without having even learned his A B C’s, breaks out, with a random39 kind of unrestrained freedom, to whistle and sing. How often have I been amused at the first essays of the ploughboy, and how charmed to find him so soon attempt to equal his whistling and singing master, at the plough stilts40, and who, with avidity unceasing, never stopped till he thought he excelled him. The future painter is shown by his strong propensity to sketch41 whatever objects in nature attract his attention, and excite him to imitate them. The poet, indeed, has more difficulties to contend with at first than the others, because he must know language, or be furnished with words wherewith to enable him to express himself even in his first essays in doggrel metre and sing-song rhymes. In all the varied ways by which men of talent are befitted to enlighten, to charm, and to embellish42 society, as they advance through life,—if they entertain the true feeling that every production they behold43 is created, not by chance, but by design,—they will find an increasing and endless pleasure in the exhaustless stores which nature has provided to attract the attention and promote the happiness of her votaries during the time of their sojourning here.
The painter need not roam very far from his home, in any part of our beautiful isles44, to meet with plenty of charming scenes from which to copy nature—either on an extended or a limited scale—and in which he may give full scope to his genius and to his pencil, either in animate45 or inanimate subjects. His search will be crowned with success in the romantic ravine—the placid46 holme—the hollow dell—or amongst the pendant foliage47 of the richly ornamented48 dean; or by the sides of burns which roar or dash along, or run murmuring from pool to pool through their pebbly49 beds: all this bordered perhaps by a back-ground of ivy-covered, hollow oaks (thus clothed as if to hide their age),—of elms, willows50, and birch, which seem kindly51 to offer shelter to an under-growth of hazel, whins, broom, juniper, and heather, with the wild rose, the woodbine, and the bramble, and beset52 with clumps53 of fern and foxglove; while the edges of the mossy braes are covered with a profusion54 of wild flowers, “born to blush unseen,” which peep out amongst the creeping groundlings—the bleaberry, the wild strawberry, the harebell, and the violet; but I feel a want of words to enable the pen to give an adequate description of the beauty and simplicity55 of these neglected spots, which nature has planted as if to invite the admiration56 of such as have hearts and eyes to appreciate and enjoy these her exquisite57 treats, while she may perhaps smile at the formal, pruning58 efforts of the gardener, as well as doubt whether the pencil of the artist will ever accomplish a correct imitation. But, be all this as it may, she has spread out her beauties to feast the eyes, and to invite the admiration of all mankind, and to whet22 them up to an ardent love of all her works. How often have I, in my angling excursions, loitered upon such sunny braes, lost in extacy, and wishing I could impart to others the pleasures I felt on such occasions: but they must see with their own eyes to feel as I felt, and to form an opinion how far the scenes depictured by poets fall short of the reality. The naturalist’s poet—Thompson—has done much: so have others. Allan Ramsay’s
“Habbies Howe,
Where a’ the sweets of spring and summer grow,”
may have exhibited such as I have noticed, but the man endued59 with a fit turn of mind, and inclined to search out such “beauty-spots,” will not need the aid of poets to help him on in his enthusiastic ardour.
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1
obtrude
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| v.闯入；侵入；打扰 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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overload
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| vt.使超载；n.超载 | |
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satiety
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| n.饱和；(市场的)充分供应 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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innately
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| adv.天赋地；内在地，固有地 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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whet
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| v.磨快，刺激 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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stimulant
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| n.刺激物，兴奋剂 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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luminaries
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| n.杰出人物，名人（luminary的复数形式） | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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retarded
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| a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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votaries
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| n.信徒( votary的名词复数 )；追随者；（天主教）修士；修女 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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propensity
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| n.倾向；习性 | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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stilts
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| n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷 | |
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41
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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42
embellish
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| v.装饰，布置；给…添加细节，润饰 | |
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43
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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45
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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47
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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48
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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50
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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51
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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52
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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53
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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54
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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56
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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57
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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58
pruning
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| n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分 | |
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endued
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| v.授予，赋予（特性、才能等）( endue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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