Without individuality there can be no individual art, but remember that the value of the individuality depends on the man, for all the poetry is in nature, but different individuals see different amounts of it.
“Fiddle-brown” trees.
Had Constable listened to rules we might have had “fiddle-brown” trees in our pictures to-day.
Naturalistic works.
Nature is full of surprises and subtleties, which give quality to a work, thus a truthful impression of her is never to be found in any but naturalistic works.
On opinion in art.
The undeveloped artistic faculty delights in glossy and showy objects and in brightly coloured things. The appreciation of delicate tonality in monochrome or colour is the result of high development. The frugivorous ape loves bright colour, and so does the young person of “culture,” and the negress of the West Indies, but Corot delighted only in true and harmonious colouring.
Nature and sanity.
Nature whispers all her great secrets to the sane in mind, just as she delights in giving her best physical prizes to the sane in body. |Busy insanity.| Nature abhors busy insanity.
“Stolen bits.”