the soul of the far east-第19节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


lts　he　does。　　In　his　drawings；　man　is　shown；　not　as　he　might　look　in　the　primitive；　or　privitive；　simplicity　of　his　ancestral　Garden　of　Eden；　but　as　he　does　look　in　the　ordinary　wear　and　tear　of　his　present　garments。　　Civilization　has　furnished　him　with　clothes；　and　he　prefers；　when　he　has　his　picture　taken；　to　keep　them　on。

In　dealing　with　man；　the　Far　Oriental　artist　is　emphatically　a　realist；　it　is　when　he　turns　to　nature　that　he　becomes　ideal。　But　by　ideal　is　not　meant　here　conventional。　　That　term　of　reproach　is　a　misnomer；　founded　upon　a　mistake。　　His　idealism　is　simply　the　outcome　of　his　love；　which；　like　all　human　love；　transfigures　its　object。　The　Far　Oriental　has　plenty　of　this；　which；　if　sometimes　a　delusion；　seems　also　second　sight；　but　it　is　peculiarly　impersonal。　　His　color…blindness　to　the　warm；　blood…red　end　of　the　spectrum　of　life　in　no　wise　affects　his　perception　of　the　colder　beauty　of　the　great　blues　and　greens　of　nature。　　To　their　poetry　he　is　ever　sensitive。　His　appreciation　of　them　is　something　phenomenal；　and　his　power　of　presentation　worthy　his　appreciation。

A　Japanese　painting　is　a　poem　rather　than　a　picture。　　It　portrays　an　emotion　called　up　by　a　scene；　and　not　the　scene　itself　in　all　its　elaborate　complexity。　　It　undertakes　to　give　only　so　much　of　it　as　is　vital　to　that　particular　feeling；　and　intentionally　omits　all　irrelevant　details。　　It　is　the　expression　caught　from　a　glimpse　of　the　soul　of　nature　by　the　soul　of　man；　the　mirror　of　a　mood；　passing；　perhaps；　in　fact；　but　perpetuated　thus　to　fancy。　　Being　an　emotion；　its　intensity　is　directly　proportional　to　the　singleness　with　which　it　possesses　the　thoughts。　　The　Far　Oriental　fully　realizes　the　power　of　simplicity。　　This　principle　is　his　fundamental　canon　of　pictorial　art。　　To　understand　his　paintings；　it　is　from　this　standpoint　they　must　be　regarded；　not　as　soulless　photographs　of　scenery；　but　as　poetic　presentations　of　the　spirit　of　the　scenes。　The　very　charter　of　painting　depends　upon　its　not　giving　us　charts。　And　if　with　us　a　long　poem　be　a　contradiction　in　terms；　a　full　picture　is　with　them　as　self…condemnatory　a　production。　　From　the　contemplation　of　such　works　of　art　as　we　call　finished；　one　is　apt；　after　he　has　once　appreciated　Far　Eastern　taste；　to　rise　with　an　unpleasant　feeling　of　satiety；　as　if　he　has　eaten　too　much　at　the　feast。

Their　paintings；　by　comparison；　we　call　sketches。　　Is　not　our　would…be　slight　unwittingly　the　reverse？　　Is　not　a　sketch；　after　all；　fuller　of　meaning；　to　one　who　knows　how　to　read　it；　than　a　finished　affair；　which　is　very　apt　to　end　with　itself；　barren　of　fruit？　Does　not　one's　own　imagination　elude　one's　power　to　portray　it？　　Is　it　not　forever　flitting　will…o'…the…wisp…like　ahead　of　us　just　beyond　exact　definition？　　For　the　soul　of　art　lies　in　what　art　can　suggest；　and　nothing　is　half　so　suggestive　as　the　half　expressed；　not　even　a　double　entente。　　To　hint　a　great　deal　by　displaying　a　little　is　more　vital　to　effect　than　the　cleverest　representation　of　the　whole。　The　art　of　partially　revealing　is　more　telling；　even；　than　the　ars　celare　artem。　　Who　has　not　suspected　through　a　veil　a　fairer　face　than　veil　ever　hid？　　Who　has　not　been　delightedly　duped　by　the　semi…disclosures　of　a　dress？　　The　principle　is　just　as　true　in　any　one　branch　of　art　as　it　is　of　the　attempted　developments　by　one　of　the　suggestions　of　another。　　Yet　who　but　has　thus　felt　its　force？　　Who　has　not　had　a　shock　of　day…dream　desecration　on　chancing　upon　an　illustrated　edition　of　some　book　whose　story　he　had　lain　to　heart？　Portraits　of　people；　pictures　of　places；　he　does　not　know；　and　yet　which　purport　to　be　his！　　And　I　venture　to　believe　that　to　more　than　one　of　us　the　exquisite　pathos　of　the　Bride　of　Lammermoor　is　gone　when　Lucia　warbles　her　woes；　be　it　never　so　entrancingly；　to　an　admiring　house。　　It　almost　seems　as　if　the　garish　publicity　of　using　her　name　for　operatic　title　were　a　special　intervention　of　the　Muse；　that　we　might　the　less　connect　song　with　story；two　sensations　that；　like　two　lights；　destroy　one　another　by　mutual　interference。

Against　this　preference　shown　the　sketch　it　may　be　urged　that　to　appreciate　such　suggestions　presupposes　as　much　art　in　the　public　as　in　the　painter。　　But　the　ability　to　appreciate　a　thing　when　expressed　is　but　half　that　necessary　to　express　it。　　Some　understanding　must　exist　in　the　observer　for　any　work　to　be　intelligible。　　It　is　only　a　question　of　degree。　　The　greater　the　art…sense　in　the　person　addressed；　the　more　had　better　be　left　to　it。　Now　in　Japan　the　public　is　singularly　artistic。　　In　fact；　the　artistic　appreciation　of　the　masses　there　is　something　astonishing　to　us；　accustomed　to　our　immense　intellectual　differences　between　man　and　man。　　Sketches　are　thus　peculiarly　fitting　to　such　a　land。

Besides；　there　is　a　quiet　modesty　about　the　sketch　which　is　itself　taking。　　To　attempt　the　complete　even　in　a　fractional　bit　of　the　cosmos；　like　a　picture；　has　in　it　a　difficulty　akin　to　the　logical　one　of　proving　a　universal　negative。　　The　possibilities　of　failure　are　enormously　increased；　and　failure　is　less　forgiven　for　the　assumption。　　Art　might　perhaps　not　unwisely　follow　the　example　of　science　in　such　matters　where　an　exhaustive　work；　which　takes　the　better　part　of　a　lifetime　to　produce；　is　invariably　entitled　by　its　erudite　author　an　Elementary　Treatise　on　the　subject　in　hand。

To　aid　the　effect　due　to　simplicity　of　conception　steps　in　the　Far　Oriental's　wonderful　technique。　　His　brush…strokes　are　very　few　in　number；　but　each　one　tells。　　They　are　laid　on　with　a　touch　which　is　little　short　of　marvelous；　and　requires　heredity　to　explain　its　skill。　　For　in　his　method　there　is　no　emending；　no　super…position；　no　change　possible。　　What　he　does　is　done　once　and　for　all。　The　force　of　it　grows　on　you　as　you　gaze。　　Each　stroke　expresses　surprisingly　much；　and　suggests　more。　　Even　omissions　are　made　significant。　　In　his　painting　it　is　visibly　true　that　objects　can　be　rendered　conspicuous　by　their　very　absence。　　You　are　quite　sure　you　see　what　on　scrutiny　you　discover　to　be　only　the　illusion　of　inevitable　inference。　　The　Far　Oriental　artist　understands　the　power　of　suggestion　well；　for　imagination　always　fills　in　the　picture　better　than　the　brush；　however　perfect　be　its　skill。

Even　the　neglect　of　certain　general　principles　which　we　consider　vital　to　effect；　such　as　the　absence　of　shadows　and　the　lack　of　perspective；　proves　not　to　be　of　the　importance　we　imagine。　We　discover　in　these　paintings　how　immaterial；　artistically；　was　Peter　Schlimmel's　sad　loss；　and　how　perfectly　possible　it　is　to　make　bits　of　discontinuous　distance　take　the　place　effectively　of　continuous　space。

Far　Eastern　pictures　are　epigrams　rather　than　descriptions。　They　present　a　bit　of　nature　with　the　terseness　of　a　maxim　of　La　Rochefoucault；　and　they　delight　as　aphorisms　do　by　their　insight　and　the　happy　conciseness　of　its　expression。　　Few　aphorisms　are　absolutely　true；　but　then　boldness　more　than　makes　up　for　what　they　lack　in　verity。　　So　complex　a　subject　is　life　that　to　state　a　truth　with　all　its　accompanying　limitations　is　to　weaken　it　at　once。　Exceptions；　while　demonstrating　the　rule；　do　not　tend　to　emphasize　it。　And　though　the　whole　truth　is　essential　to　science；　such　exhaustiveness　is　by　no　means　a　canon　of　art。

Parallels　are　not　wanting　at　home。　　What　they　do　with　space　in　their　paintings　do　we　not　with　time　in　the　case　of　our　comedies；　those　acted　pictures　of　life？　　Should　we　not　refuse　to　tolerate　a　play　that　insisted　on　furnishing　us　with　a　full　perspective　of　its　characters'　past？　　And　yet　of　the　two；　it　is　far　perferable；　artistically；　to　be　given　too　much　in　sequence　than　too　much　at　once。　The　Chinese；　who　put　much　less　into　a　painting　than　what　we　deem　indispensable；　delight　in　dramas　that　last　six　weeks。

To　give　a　concluding　touch　of　life　to　my　necessarily　skeleton…like　generalities；　memory　pictures　me　a　certain　painting　of　Okio's　which　I　fell　in　love　with　at　first　sight。　　It　is　of　a　sunrise　on　the　coast　of　Japan。　　A　long　line　of　surf　is　seen　tumbling　in　to　you　from　out　a　bank　of　mist；　just　piercing　which　shows　the　blood…red　disk　of　the　rising　sun；　while　over　the　narrow　strip　of　breaking　rollers　three　cranes　are　slowly　sailing　north。　　And　that　is　all　you　see。　　You　do　not　see　the　shore；　you　do　not　see　the　main；　you　are　looking　but　at　the　border…land　of　that　great　unknown；　the　heaving　ocean　still　slumbering　beneath　its　chilly　coverlid　of　mist；　out　of　which　come　the　breakers；　and　the　sun；　and　the　cranes。

So　much　for　the　more　serious　side　of　Japanese　fancy；　a　look　at　the　lighter　leads　to　the　same　conclusion。

Hand　in　hand　with　his　keen　poetic　sensibility　goes　a　vivid　sense　of　humor；two　traits　that　commonly；　indeed；　are　found　Maying　together　over　the　meadows　of　imagination。　　For；　as　it　might　be　put；

　　〃The　heart　that　is　soonest　awake　to　the　flowers　　　　Is　also　the　first　to　be　touched　by　the　fun。〃

The　Far　Oriental　well　exemplifies　this　fact。　　His　art；　wherever　fun　is　possible；　fairly　bubbles　over　with　laughter。　　From　the　oldest　masters　down　to　Hokusai；　it　is　constantly　welling　up　in　the　drollest　conceits。　　It　is　of　all　descriptions；　too。　　Now　it　lurks　in　merry　ambush；　like　the　faint　suggestion　of　a　smile　on　an　ot