126 On Vainilng. 



it the appearance of fcience, vet is far from having any true 

 connection with it. Such is the conftrained air and erect 

 attitude taught in dancing, the violent actions ufed in thea- 

 tres, and many others not countenanced by nature, but de- 

 pending wholly on cuftom for fupport. The artift muft tread 

 in the fimple path of nature, and leave thofe adventitious and 

 forced airs to the perfons to whom they belong, the dancing 

 matter, hair-dreiter, 8te. Unfortunately there is a fafhioii 

 in art, and which the vulgar would attempt to force upon us. 

 Whatever is flight, crude, or undetermined, is all the rage, 

 and the artifts appear to be falling into a habit of painting 

 without form : that decifion obfervable in the old mafters, 

 and which is infeparable from the grand ftvle, is almoft 

 neglected. To paint for what is termed effect may an- 

 fwer the purpofe of the idle, the ignorant, and thofe who 

 make a trade of the art, but fuch a practice will not fatisfy 

 the difcerning. The only apologv the artift can offer is, that 

 he muft fifth with fuch baits as willjake: unfortunately, he 

 does not live to paint, but paints to live. The Greeks had 

 a great advantage over the moderns in having philofophers to 

 judge of their works, and ftates to reward them. 



We muft not reject works of art beeaufe they do not pof- 

 fefs the firft degree of tafte$ for they may be tafty though 

 not ranking in the firft clafs ; juft as we fay a thing is fweet, 

 though it is only in a certain degree fo. Tt is the condition of 

 man to labour much to obtain little; this fhould make us 

 cautious of pronouncing haftily on works of art : none are 

 unexceptionable, and perhaps there are but few from which 

 we may not derive fome benefit. 



Of the various degrees of tafte, the graud confifts in the 

 choice of objects fuperior to the common (not only in man 

 but in nature), and in the omiflion of the fubordinate and 

 trivial parts. Beautiful tafte felects the beautiful for imita- 

 tion. An union of the grand and beautiful will form the 

 beft and moft perfect talte. Meannefs of tafte exprefles 

 diftinctly all the trivial and little parts of objects, hence 

 the whole becomes little. The debafed or corrupt, de- 

 lights in things monftrous, deformed, and ugly : it may be 

 called the grotffque, and the praife bellowed on it fhould be 

 as limited as the views of the artift. Thofe who have fnc- 

 ceeded moft in this way, have been praifed by the ignorant 

 in proportion to the uglinefs of the objects introduced in 

 their works. Great and noble fpirits will ever admire the 

 fublime parts of creation, while the rural and all the more 

 humble beauties will beft aflbciate with the domeftic virtues. 



Little 



