82 THE PEOVINCES OF THE SEVERAL ARTS 



more successfully treated than the torments of the wicked, 

 because the former has been better understood, although the 

 painter's skill in each is equal. In the Perseus of Cellini we 

 admire the sculptor's spirit, finish of execution, and originality 

 of design, while we deplore that want of sympathy with the 

 heroic character which makes his type of physical beauty 

 slightly vulgar and his facial expression vacuous. 



If the phrase ' Art for art's sake ' has any meaning, this 

 meaning is simply that the artist, having chosen a theme, 

 thinks exclusively in working at it of technical dexterity or 

 the quality of beauty. There are many inducements for the 

 artist thus to narrow his function, and for the critic to assist 

 him by applying the canons of a soulless connoisseurship 

 to his work; for the conception of the subject is but the 

 starting-point in art -production, and the artist's difficulties 

 and triumphs as a craftsman lie in the region of technicalities. 

 He knows, moreover, that however deep or noble his idea 

 may be, his work of art will be worthless if it fail in skill 

 or be devoid of beauty. What converts a thought into a 

 statue or a picture, is the form found for it ; and so the form 

 itself seems all-important. The artist, therefore, too easily 

 imagines that he may neglect his theme ; that a fine piece 

 of colouring, a well-balanced composition, or, as Cellini put 

 it, ' un bel corpo ignudo,' is enough. And this is especially 

 easy in an age which reflects much upon the arts, and 

 pursues them with enthusiasm, while its deeper thoughts and 

 sentiments are not of the kind which translate themselves 

 readily into artistic form. But, after all, a fine piece of 

 colouring, a well-balanced composition, a sonorous stanza, a 

 learned essay in counterpoint, are not enough. They are all 

 excellent good things, yielding delight to the artistic sense and 

 instruction to the student. Yet when we think of the really 

 great statues, pictures, poems, music of the world, we find 

 that these are really great because of something more and 

 that more is their theme, their presentation of a noble portion 

 of the human soul. Artists and art students may be satisfied 

 with perfect specimens of a craftsman's skill, independent 

 of his theme ; but the mass of men will not be satisfied ; and 



