78 ANALYSIS AND CRITICISM 



On Intelligence that, 'if we look at the ideal and the real world, we 

 perceive that their structure is similar', 2^ must be considered. If 

 the latter is taken as a truer formulation of Taine's metaphysical 

 position, the sharpness of Professor Jenkins' distinction is seen to 

 be somewhat exaggerated. 21 We prefer to stress in Taine's 

 aesthetic theory his admirable struggle to 'see art steadily and see 

 it whole'. 22 



Conditions for Production of Art 



Taine's analysis of the conditions surrounding 'the production 

 of the work of art' (Part II) is both a development of his general 

 philosophy of history and an application and verification of that 

 aspect of his method in a special field. As in the 'Introduction' 

 to the History, psychology is a fundamental part of his general 

 law: ^A work of art is determined by an aggregate which is the general 

 state of the mind and surrounding circumstances.''^^ However, in this 

 section of the Philosophy of Art, his attention is focussed on the 

 environmental half of the interaction: the social medium, 'milieu', 

 or 'surrounding circumstances' which help produce a 'general 

 state of the mind'. 



The basis of Taine's exposition here, as elsewhere, is an ela- 

 borate biological analogy, comparing art to a plant. Just as the 

 physical temperature or climate determines which seeds may sur- 

 vive in a particular soil, so there is a 'moral temperature' which 

 also acts according to Darwin's principle of natural selection: 

 'There is a prevailing tendency which constitutes the spirit of the 

 age. Talent seeking to force an outlet in another direction, finds 

 it closed; and the force of the public mind and surrounding habits 

 repress and lead it astray, by imposing on it a fixed growth.' 24 

 Taine's brief discussion of the interrelations between the artist and 

 his society touches on a number of salient points: the experience 

 and ideas the artist shares with his contemporaries; his special 

 aptitude for penetrating to 'the essential character of things' and 

 feeling that character intensely; the manner in which 'his century 

 comes to his aid' through the labours of many creative collabora- 

 tors; and the fact that the public encourages works which suit its 

 mood and discourages others. 



The proofs which are adduced for Taine's general law are both 

 empirical and rational. The former consists of historical examples, 

 'the four great cycles of European civilization — Greek and Roman 

 antiquity, the feudal and Christian middle ages, the well-regulated 



