MR. BALFOUR'S HOPEFULNESS.
[To TUE EDITOR Or TUE "BPECTATOR."] your criticism of Mr. Balfour's artist friend, in the !Spectator of April 29th, and of the kindred anticipations for literature which Mr. Balfour would base upon the prevailing activity of literary culture, you say :—" Is not the almost un- known thing which we call genius positively essential to this springing-up of a new and original school of painting ? And how does the multiplication of zeal, talent, industry, and urdent desire to create, secure the dropping of this genius from the clouds ? Genius moulds its own conditions Genius makes its own conditions," Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his "Sixth Discourse" to the students of the Royal Academy, .says:—" The untaught mind finds a vast gulf between its own powers and those works of complicated art which it is utterly unable to fathom ; and it supposes that such a void can be passed only by supernatural powers And as for artists themselves, it is by no means their interest to un- deceive such judges, however conscious they may be of the 'very natural means by which their extraordinary powers were acquired ; though our art, being intrinsically imitative, re- jects this idea of inspiration more perhaps than any other." Again :—" How much he has been indebted to the labours of others; how little, how very little, of his art was born with him!" And again :—" I am, on the contrary, persuaded that by imitation only, variety and even originality of in- vention is produced. I will go further,; even genius—at least, what generally is so called—is the child of imitation." And in the "Second Discourse ":—" Not to enter into meta- physical discussions on the nature or essence of genius, I will venture to assert that assiduity unabated by difficulty, and a disposition eagerly directed to the object of its pursuit, will produce effects similar to those which some call the result of natural powers."
Holy Trinity Vicarage, Dover, May 1st. G. SARSON.
[But Reynolds was wrong. Had he been right, the pupils of each great painter would have equalled or surpassed him- self.—En. Spectator.]
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