DEPARTMENT VII HISTORY OF ART 



(Hall 8, September 20, 11.15 a. m.) 



CHAIRMAN: PROFESSOR HALSEY C. IVES, Washington University, St. Louis. 

 SPEAKERS : PROFESSOR RUFUS B. RICHARDSON, New York, N. Y. 

 PROFESSOR JOHN C. VAN DYKE, Rutgers College. 



FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTIONS AND METHODS IN THE 

 STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF ART 



BY RUFUS BYAM RICHARDSON 



[Rufus Byam Richardson, Director, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, 

 Greece, 1893-1903. b. Westford, Massachusetts, April 18, 1845. Graduate Yale, 

 18(19; Ph.D. ibid. 1878; Student of Divinity, Yale, 1869-72; Berlin, 1872-74. 

 Professor of Greek, University of Indiana, 1880-82; ibid. Dartmouth College, 

 1 882-93. Member of the American Geographical Society, American Academy of 

 Sciences, British Society for Promotion of Hellenic Studies, German Arclueo- 

 logical Society, Austrian Archaeological Society, Greek Archaeological Society. 

 Editor of sEschines' Oration against Ctesiphon ; and contributor to several 

 scientific and educational journals.] 



THIS is the subject on which I was invited to speak. It is a large 

 subject, almost immense. When it was announced to me it reminded 

 me of the theological student who came to his first pastorate full of 

 enthusiasm, and began to hit out straight from the shoulder at specific 

 evils. After his first sermon on the sin of intemperance the deacons 

 of the church waited upon him and told him that would never do. 

 because one of the richest men in the church was likely to take the 

 sermon as a personal attack. The next Sunday he hit out in another 

 direction, coming down hard on dishonesty in business. This time 

 '~>nc of the deacons came and told him that the other one had regarded 

 the sermon as a direct attack on him. Again he was advised to be 

 more cautious. The young man, however, having a bent for the 

 specific, found himself getting deeper and deeper into trouble, and 

 at last, to save himself, fell back on the noble but vast subject of " the 

 exceeding sinfulness of sin." After that he was held by all the con- 

 gregation to be a powerful preacher, and a safe man. He had a large 

 subject, and could hammer away on it for a lifetime without hurting 

 anybody's feelings. 



"Fundamental Conceptions and Methods in the Study of the 

 History of Art " is also a large subject. I was thankful that with the 

 invitation came the suggestion. " Of course, there is no objection that 

 you emphasize classical art." Better a "pent-up Utica " where one 

 can at least get his back to a wall than "a whole unbounded con- 



