88 On the Fine Arts. 
among them. Among all the artists of antiquity thers: 
was no Claude. But they doubtless excelled in the draw- 
ing of figures. We are witnesses of the still surpassing 
beauty of their statues; and we should not, therefore, 
question the excellence of their painters. Indeed the figures 
in outline on their funeral vases put this matter beyond. 
question. 
In comparing the remains of Grecian sculpture with the 
works of the moderns, particularly with the public monu- 
ments of the British nation, a very obvious and striking 
difference is at once perceived and felt. We are sensible, in 
looking at the relics of Greece, of the presence of a simple 
grace, and see an admirable naturajity of form and figure, 
which is rarely discoverable in the sculptures of the mo- 
derns. This seems to be owing to a cause which admits 
of an easy explanation. The inferiority of the moderns 
arises from their superior scientific knowledge. ‘They un- 
derstand the theory of the art so well, that they think 
attention to rules is preferable to the study of natural phe- 
nomena. The Greek artists, on the contrary, appear to 
have worked from living forms and existing things. This 
is remarkably obvious in the remains of ancient sculpture 
which have been carried to London by Lord Elgin. The 
riders in, them are not singly statues whose muscles and 
joints are disposed with exquisite anatomical exactness. 
and placed on horses individually equally correctly formed. 
But the riders and the horses, as in nature though two 
distinct beings, arein the Elgin marbles shown under the 
influence of one impulse ; and all those minute and inde- 
scribable contractions and dilatation of parts, which arise, 
from their separate conformation, are shown under the mo- 
dification of that impulse which constitutes the unity of 
their mutual exertion. I am not here alluding to the figures, 
of the metopes, but to those of the bas-reliefs on the frieze. 
Tt is impossible that this felicitous result could have been 
obtained by the most careful attention to any system of. 
rules. tis indeed impossible that the artist whose busi- 
ness is to attain perfection of design and beauty of execu-. 
tion, should be able to give sufficient time and consideration 
to the study of rules to enable him to work by them with- 
out reference to models in nature. He must unquestion- 
ably furnish himself with such a competent knowledge of. 
principles as to prevent him from falling into error; but if 
he expects to excel in his art, he must study other things, 
than the principles by which the critics will estimate his 
proficiency. As poets must be so far acquainted with 
grammar as to be able to write correct langnage, pana 
an 
