350 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



tLe drama. In tlie foriiiei- group, action is arrested aud the representa- 

 tion is confined to a single moment of time; in the latter, the action is 

 contiinious. 



But the laws governing botli groups are the same. Their success 

 requires concord aud harmony between the external vibrations and the 

 nerves which convey the impressions to the nerve centers. 



A work of art is a material expression of its maker's delight. It 

 excites the nerve centers and produces the sensations of delight or 

 pleasure. We see or hear the artist's ideal through his work, aud the 

 success of his effort as a work of art depends, first, upon the brilliancy 

 and clearness of his perception of his ideal, and, second, on his ability 

 to translate and render this perception correctly. A copy, however 

 accurate, even of the most beautiful scenes in nature, is not art. ISo 

 artist can hope to equal the faithfulness of the photograph in repro- 

 duction, yet this is only the art of photograpliy. A work of art is 

 the ideal of the artist. It is his own thought; is a part of himself. 

 Kot nature as it actually is, but as he sees it, as he idealizes and then 

 depicts it. It is this presentation of the ideality of artistic genius, 

 whether in picture, statue, poem, music, the dance, in architecture, or 

 what not, that stamps the work as one of art, and herein it differs from 

 a mere mechanical copy, however accurate. It is this ideality of artistic 

 genius which produces the sensation of delight. 



Art is suscei)tible of several divisions. The commonest division is 

 into fine, decorative, and industrial. It is not the intention of this 

 paper to treat of industrial art j>er se. Fine art deals with painting, 

 drawing, engraving, sculpture, architecture, music, i)oetry, aud the 

 drama. A division into prehistoric fine art may be made according to 

 the material employed. Prehistoric decorative art explains itself. 



The word "art" has difterent significations, according as it is used 

 in the singular or plural form. When used in the singular form it 

 relates to fine art; when in the plural, to industrial art. This linguis- 

 tic distinction is continued in the designation of the workman; the 

 one is an artist, the other an artisan. Sculpture in marble is undoubt- 

 edly a fine art, and the sculptor is an artist. Suppose his marble 

 sculpturing is used for a magnificent chimney front in one of the medi- 

 ajval chateaux of Europe, or his sculpturing in wood is used for a piece 

 of furniture. It may then be either fine or industrial art, the line 

 between them being extremely difficult to trace. The test of utility 

 does not satisfy the conditions. Eaphael's celebrated cartoons were 

 designed for tapestries; Itubens made designs for similar purposes. 

 Many recognized artists devote their best talents to making decorative 

 designs for furniture, textiles, pottery, wall papers, book covers, and 

 binding; while others equally well recognized find regular employment 

 in illustrating our magazines and books; yet these are all industrial arts. 



No attempt will be made to maintain the distinction between fine 

 arts and industrial arts, nor to determine where the work of the artist 



