International studio (19.1903)

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that " parerga," or side-works of this description,
are often of exceptional interest, having an intimacy
about them that is peculiariy attractive. It is with
art, that is to say, as it is with nature. The iarge,
main, obviousiy important characteristics of a
country do not exhaust it for us ; and when these
have become famiiiar, have impressed themselves
upon us, it is more than possible that by happy
accident we may come across some retired quarter
of it where unsuspected delights lurk and capture
our attention. These nooks and by-ways may
undoubtedly gain something even from the mere
fact of their retirement. They are not everybody's
property who travels there ; but, apart from this,
they often contain certain beauties and surprises

of their own which are singularly attractive.
This is so with nature. And instances will arise to
every reader's mind in which something analogous
occurs in the life and work of innumerable artists
in every form of the arts. As Browning somewhere
says, What would one not give to read a poem by
Raphael, to see a painting by Dante ! What a
curious delight it is to come upon a man of real
character doing something purely for his own
satisfaction—not the thing expected of him, but a
thing he has been moved to do at the moment for
his own enjoyment, though it should bring no name
or reward along with it!
For the purpose in hand let me here make
another general remark, not, I think, irrelevant.
In every department of
art there are many ways, it
must be remembered, of
producing admirable results
—results as dissimilar from
one another as have been
the tastes and aims of the
artists essaying them. Of
this we have often to remind
ourselves when criticising
or looking at works which
do not at once commend
themselves to us ; although,
of course, in so many words
no one questions the fact,
except when he is very
young, or is in a temper, or
is anxious to set somebody
by the ears. Let us take
the art of painting still-Iife,
or to iimit ourselves yet
closer—the art of painting
fruit and flowers. In the
days of our forefathers it
was van Huysum's fruit
and ftower pieces that were
held up to superlative ad-
miration ; while in the days
of Ruskin's ascendency it
was the fruit and Hower
pieces of our own country-
man, William Hunt. Now,
though these men's subjects
were the same, it would be
difHcult to hnd two methods
of observation and treat-
ment more unlike. Both
van Huysum and William
Hunt are somewhat out of

" ASSISI'

FROM THE OIL SKETCH BY FRANK BRANGWYN