March Constable. 65 



landscape-painting, and the spring greens were all on 

 his own side of the controversy. In estimating the value 

 of Constable's opinion on this matter we ought there- 

 fore to remember that it was not quite an unbiassed 

 opinion, that his mind was not at all in a neutral or 

 judicial state, but that he was like a Protestant theo- 

 logian seeking texts against tradition ; and that his 

 texts were the young verdure, the shade and shower, 

 the cool and pearly light, and soft blue shadow beside 

 it, the sparkle and glitter of daisy pied pastures in the 

 moisture of an English April. Now whatever a good 

 artist paints is sure to be harmonious, for the simple 

 reason that he makes it so ; and there is no doubt that 

 any first-rate landscape-painter who chooses to paint a 

 spring scene will get a harmony out of it (as he will 

 out of any thing in the world), which may be used after- 

 wards as a critical argument in favor of the ' year's 

 pleasant king.' But the plain truth is that Nature is 

 not harmonious at this season, she is only in the way of 

 becoming so. The colors that she gives are delicious 

 separately, as we happen to come upon them, and they 

 do our eyes good after the chills of winter ; the green 

 especially is good for us, and we welcome it with an un- 

 critical gladness : but when we think of painting, it may 

 be doubted whether any season of the year is less pro- 

 pitious than this to the broad and noble harmonies 

 which are the secret of all grand effects in art. A patch 

 of green in this place and that, quite crude as yet and 

 utterly isolated ; a constant contradiction between the 

 sunshine and the wintry-looking woods ; a few plants 



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