Beauties and Principles of tin- Art 37 



But it must be remembered, that while Landscape (i:ir- 

 dening is an imitation of nature, yet it is rarely attempted 

 on so large a scale as to be capable of the same extended 

 harmony and variety of expression; and also, that in Land- 

 scape Gardening as in the other fine arts, we shall be more 

 successful by directing our efforts towards the production 

 of a leading character or expression, than by endeavoring 

 to join and harmonize several. 



Our own views on this subject are simply these. When 

 a place is small, and only permits a single phase of natural 

 expression, always endeavor to heighten or to make that 

 single expression predominate; it should clearly either aim 

 only at the Beautiful or the Picturesque.* 



When, on the contrary, an estate of large size comes 

 within the scope of the Landscape Gardener, he is at liberty 

 to give to each separate scene its most fitting character; 

 he will thus, if he is a skilful artist, be able to create great 

 variety both of beautiful and picturesque expression, and 

 he will also be able to give a higher proof of his power, viz. 

 by uniting all those scenes into one whole, by bringing 

 them all into harmony. An artist who can do this has 

 reached the ultimatum of his art. 



Again and again has it been said, that Landscape Gar- 

 dening and Painting are allied. In no one point does it 

 appear to us that they are so, more than in this - - that in 

 proportion to the limited nature of the subject should sim- 

 plicity and unity of expression be remembered. In some of 

 the finest smaller compositions of Raphael, or some of the 

 landscapes of Claude, so fully is this borne in mind, that 

 every object, however small, seems to be instinct with tin- 

 same expression; while in many of the great historical 

 pictures, unity and harmony are wrought out of the most 

 complex variety of expression. 



* This distinction between the Beautiful and the Picturesque \\as :i 

 favorite idea with Mr. Downing. Artists of the present hour pay small 

 thought to it. To most Landscape (iardencrs now it will seem to have 

 comparatively little significance. The endeavor In de-line Beauty has 

 never been very successful; and there is little practical outcome to the 

 attempts to theorize along this line. -- F. A. \V. 



