Sir Edward Burne-Jones
pecting it, a " strong imagination " not absolutely Upon the painter this law weighs even more relent-
free from " such tricks " as he was at the moment, lessly, since his imaginings must be judged directly
in intention, belittling. Neither poet nor painter by the eye, and the definite form in which he must
ever did or ever could body forth the forms of express them leaves no scope for that vague allu-
things unknown, for even the most fantastic demon siveness by means of which the poet's phrase may
that German medievalism, at its maddest, gave arouse in his hearer's mind a world of fancies of
birth to was but an unrestrained commingling of which he never dreamed himself. The same
incongruous known elements. Ex nihilo nihil fit words may give rise to very different ideas, but the
is a law that reigns as immutably in the realms of same forms, though they may excite very diverse
fancy as in the sterner regions of fact, and the emotions, cannot, beyond very narrow limits, pro-
greatest poet that ever drew the breath of inspira- duce varying sensations. The poet may often
tion could but transmute the impressions produced propose, the painter must always propound; no
upon his consciousness by outside phenomena and stimulating suggestiveness will serve him, no vague
recombine them in a novel and pleasing amalgam. trailing of " clouds of glory ;" he must both con-
ceive and express clearly
" the local habitation " in
|M|1||||[M which his forms may best
be bodied forth.
H It is with these local
habitations of Burne-Jones'
devising that we now have
more especially to deal, for,
unless it be the land of
Romance, the fairy realm
in which his artistic spirit
lived and moved and had
its being had not, nor
needs, a name.
Born in the heart of
■g|J busy Birmingham, and
spending the larger part of
$m\ his working life " within
%^ImmB|^^B the bills of mortality," as
our forefathers cheerfully
expressed it, almost in
earshot of the roar of
London's traffic, he was
^^HBHBI^B^^B^fiBBMw^MlPBWWllfiBI^B seldom a country-dweller,
though- always, as his
^ffiffiffjftBBra paintings show, a fervent
^^HBSnhS country-lover. Even when
MSCTbPS^mI^^^W^BBIIhPI ^e f°r a time his urban
E£l ......jKfWyafcjJw studio he rarely set him-
self deliberately to repro-
-"t^^BHj^^^MMl^^BaS^H duce a direct view, seldom
|faMMMW8I^^^^^M|lMi devoted himself to painting
a landscape, though the
few that he has left us are
admirable alike in feeling
and in treatment. He
preferred, however, to
i^B^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^™^*™^^^^* build up for himself a
"the merciful knight" by sir edward burne-jones strangely beautiful world
(From a photograph by F. Hollyer) apart, of which we also
176
pecting it, a " strong imagination " not absolutely Upon the painter this law weighs even more relent-
free from " such tricks " as he was at the moment, lessly, since his imaginings must be judged directly
in intention, belittling. Neither poet nor painter by the eye, and the definite form in which he must
ever did or ever could body forth the forms of express them leaves no scope for that vague allu-
things unknown, for even the most fantastic demon siveness by means of which the poet's phrase may
that German medievalism, at its maddest, gave arouse in his hearer's mind a world of fancies of
birth to was but an unrestrained commingling of which he never dreamed himself. The same
incongruous known elements. Ex nihilo nihil fit words may give rise to very different ideas, but the
is a law that reigns as immutably in the realms of same forms, though they may excite very diverse
fancy as in the sterner regions of fact, and the emotions, cannot, beyond very narrow limits, pro-
greatest poet that ever drew the breath of inspira- duce varying sensations. The poet may often
tion could but transmute the impressions produced propose, the painter must always propound; no
upon his consciousness by outside phenomena and stimulating suggestiveness will serve him, no vague
recombine them in a novel and pleasing amalgam. trailing of " clouds of glory ;" he must both con-
ceive and express clearly
" the local habitation " in
|M|1||||[M which his forms may best
be bodied forth.
H It is with these local
habitations of Burne-Jones'
devising that we now have
more especially to deal, for,
unless it be the land of
Romance, the fairy realm
in which his artistic spirit
lived and moved and had
its being had not, nor
needs, a name.
Born in the heart of
■g|J busy Birmingham, and
spending the larger part of
$m\ his working life " within
%^ImmB|^^B the bills of mortality," as
our forefathers cheerfully
expressed it, almost in
earshot of the roar of
London's traffic, he was
^^HBHBI^B^^B^fiBBMw^MlPBWWllfiBI^B seldom a country-dweller,
though- always, as his
^ffiffiffjftBBra paintings show, a fervent
^^HBSnhS country-lover. Even when
MSCTbPS^mI^^^W^BBIIhPI ^e f°r a time his urban
E£l ......jKfWyafcjJw studio he rarely set him-
self deliberately to repro-
-"t^^BHj^^^MMl^^BaS^H duce a direct view, seldom
|faMMMW8I^^^^^M|lMi devoted himself to painting
a landscape, though the
few that he has left us are
admirable alike in feeling
and in treatment. He
preferred, however, to
i^B^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^™^*™^^^^* build up for himself a
"the merciful knight" by sir edward burne-jones strangely beautiful world
(From a photograph by F. Hollyer) apart, of which we also
176