THE ART OF DRAWING. 159 
we propose to group our remarks under the three universally familiar heads of 
Genre Painting, Historical Painting, and Landscape Painting. We must, 
however, previously advert to a very common error, namely that of calling 
a picture either a “ genre picture” or a “ historical picture ” with a view of 
designating its “ triviality” orits “excellence.” Such a designation with 
such a motive is absurd, because a “genre picture proper” can have the 
same degree of “ classical excellence” as a “historical picture proper” of 
the same perfection. 
1. Genre Parntine aims at representing nature, and more especially 
man in a definite condition of existence. It represents its object at rest 
or at least not engaged in any action of historical importance or influ- 
ence on his own fate or that of others. It may portray an individual 
as the representative of his class, or in his own accidental personality 
with its restrictions. It may also depict several individuals whose col- 
lective representations offer a picture of life, or of domestic, or social, or 
such conditions as belong to the landscape ; not of such conditions which 
only exist for moments in the historical transition from past to future, but 
of such as exist for longer periods of life or recur at intervals. It is self- 
evident that such conditions most frequently have reference to objects of 
every-day life; but products of poetic invention also, and even historical 
subjects, as far as they depict local conditions or conditions of kindly 
humor, afford objects for genre-painting. It has attained to this extent 
since artists have begun to form a true conception of its real nature; viz. 
since, not confining themselves to a mechanical imitation of objects in nature 
or even to their accidental attributes, they have sought rather to repre- 
sent their condition, and to unite with truth to nature an admissible degree 
of ideality, by a careful selection and artistical arrangement of their 
objects. Therefore genre-painting in its higher products passes into histori- 
eal painting. 
2. Histortcat Painting. The term historical painting in its widest sense 
is applied to every picture which depicts important historical events, and 
whose chief contents are either nature herself in her grand evolutions (thun- 
der-storms, gales at sea, &c.), or acting personages whose dispositions and 
feelings or tragical fate are portrayed. The historical painter is the painter 
of the historical development of nature and of the human mind. If a 
historical painting possessed no other excellences but those of art or techni- 
eal skill, 2. e. a perfect disposition of its parts, correct drawing, and good 
coloring, it would still be a poor one if wanting in the significance we have 
indicated, and in expression. As a work of art it should not only captivate 
the eye, but it should also take hold of the feelings and inspire the mind 
of the beholder with the higher ideas of life. The first care of the artist 
who desires to produce a historical picture should be a proper choice of his 
subject ; and herein but too many failures are made. Insignificant trans- 
actions, if only described in detail in the Bible, in Mythology, or in History, 
are too often selected as materials, and even by good painters, when no 
reasonable being would go ten steps to see the thing itself that is repre- 
sented. The historical painter should choose only events of importance, 
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