HENRY VAN INUKN. 33 



securing, maintaining and exhibiting a collection of 

 works and objects of art." 



How can we best attain this end ? 



The knowledge of the beautiful furnishes, the key to 

 the liberal and noble quality of art ; just as the knowl- 

 edge of perspective furnishes the key to the entire tech- 

 nical part of the representation. 



The last part, the technical representation, can only be 

 acquired by the study of drawing and painting from 

 nature. This can be done best in classes, where stu- 

 dents by honest emulation aim at great perfection. 

 This drawing in connection with the study of composi- 

 tion, chiaroscuro and coloring gives what we call the 

 language of art. This language should be perfectly 

 learned by the art-student in order that he may be able 

 to communicate readily his ideas. He should be such a 

 master of this language that he is enabled by it to com- 

 municate all the different modes of expression. 



We take, for instance, these two pictures as illustra- 

 tions. Both are intended to convey a religious impres- 

 sion on the beholder. The first, a crucifixion, by Cas- 

 tagno, was made by an artist who was thoroughly im- 

 pressed by his subject, and who knew that the lines and 

 forms in a religious subject should be simple, dignified, 

 and pure. He has even drawn his figures with a sort of 

 timidity, as if they themselves approached the holy sub- 

 ject with awe and reverence. 



We shall find this quality one of the greatest charms 

 of the primitive modern school ; — a charm which lasted 

 until in Michael Angelo's time the naif following of the 

 forms of nature was abandoned to give place to an un- 

 bounded passion for extravagant lines and forms. 



The artist of this picture then, being a master of the 

 technical parts of art, or of the language, was enabled 

 by it to ju'oduce the right impression on our mind. 



How is it with the artist of the second picture ? It is 



