Essays on the fine arts Author:William Carew Hazlitt Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHARACTER OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. The authority of Sir Joshua Reynolds, both from his example and his instructions, has had, and still continues to have a con... more »siderable influence on the state of art in this country. That influence has been on the whole unquestionably beneficial in itself, as well as highly creditable to the rare talents and elegant mind of Sir Joshua, for it has raised the art of painting from the lowest state of degradation, of dry, meagre, and lifeless inanity, to something at least respectable, and bearing an affinity to the rough strength and bold spirit of the national character. Whether the same implicit deference to his authority, which has helped to advance the art thus far, may not, among other causes, limit and retard its future progress ; whether there are not certain original errors both in his principles and practice, which the farther they are proceeded in, the farther they will lead us from the truth; whether there is not a systematic bias from the right line by which alone we can arrive at the goal of the highest excellence,—is a question well worth considering. From the great and substantial merits of the late president we have as little the inclination as the power to detract. But we certainly think that they have been sometimes over-rated from the partiality of friends and from the influence of fashion. However necessary and useful the ebullitions of public or private enthusiasm may be to counteract the common prejudices against new claims to reputation, and to lift rising genius to its just rank, there is a time, when, having accomplished its end, our zealmay be suffered to subside into discretion, and when it becomes as proper to restrain our admiration, as it was before to give loose reins to it. It is only by having undergone this double o...« less