138 BEAUTY, COMPOSITION, 



We may dismiss the mimetic essays of primitive men and 

 children without further notice. What we are at present 

 concerned with is so different in degree of skill as almost to 

 be different in kind, namely art-work produced by the highest 

 faculties of civilised adult humanity. Now, when we reflect 

 upon the totality of such things presented to our observation, 

 we are led to the conclusion that none of the arts has, hitherto 

 at least, been satisfied with simple imitation. This is clear 

 enough in the case of architecture and music. Poetry can 

 only be called an imitative instead of an expressive or pre- 

 sentative art, in the same way as speech in general might, by 

 a kind of quibble, be called imitative. Even the plastic arts, 

 although they are bound to copy visible objects, do not do 

 so for the sake of imitation. Their object is to give delight 

 to the mind through the sense of vision. With this purpose 

 in view, they exercise qualities in the artist which are distinct 

 from his mimetic skill. Speaking broadly, we find that 

 beauty, composition, expression, and characterisation are 

 governing conditions, to which the imitative process has been 

 subordinated, and without which we do not dignify the copy 

 of an object with the name of art- work. 



I think it can be shown that in fulfilling these conditions 

 the artist voluntarily insists upon those subjective elements 

 which distinguish a drawing from the living model, or a 

 picture from the photograph of the model. It is therefore 

 of importance to consider the four factors I have mentioned 

 beauty, composition, expression, and characterisation with 

 some attention. By doing so we shall understand how the 

 subjectivity, the intervenient intelligence and feeling notice- 

 able in the rudest acts of imitation by man, have been 

 elaborated into fine art. 



II 



In a certain sense art can never rival nature in beauty. 

 Man has not the means at his command to do so not the 

 material for sculpture which shall reproduce flesh surface 

 not the pigments for painting which shall render light and 

 darkness, atmosphere and colour, as they truly are. More- 



