TREES IN MODERN PAINTING 243 



whole mystery of landscape art. Other painters 

 have arrived at excellence in one treatment of 

 nature. Thus, Cozens in grand and solemn 

 effects of mountain scenery ; Robson in simple 

 breadth and masses ; De Wint in tone and 

 colour ; Glover in sun-gleams thrown across the 

 picture, and tipping with golden light the hills 

 and trees ; Cox in his breezy freshness ; and 

 Barret in his classical compositions, lighted by 

 the setting sun. These were men that played 

 in one key, often making the rarest melody. 

 But Turner's art compassed all they did collec- 

 tively, and more than equalled each in his own 

 way." 



I have said and quoted so much about 

 Turner's art generally, because such language 

 can be rightly used of the one part of it with 

 which we are immediately concerned. We 

 can learn more about trees from Turner 

 than from any other painter. He idealises ; he 

 generalises ; as with other painters, it were best 

 at times not to inquire what particular tree is 

 intended. We have already noted a case 

 where he has allowed the general sentiment of 

 a picture to prevail against the requirements of 

 accurate tree-study. But, when all is said, we 



