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fol. 10v Chapter II in Part I, Section I: 'Definition of Greatness in Art' (3.90-92) ?
has in itself .. {high} powers of attraction and ent<ice>ertainment - wholly
independent
of the ideas it conveys. and not less in degree - <*.*> nor demanding less
exertion of mind & devotion of time to bring to perfection than the whole
art of music .
5
10
15
and for the language - therefore - <only> {only} insomuch <as it> {as it} is necessary
to the clear convey<ance>{ing}
of those thoughts
20
fol. 11r Chapter II in Part I, Section I: 'Definition of Greatness in Art' (3.90-92)
painting is not only <most> {very} attractive and entertaining to the spectator . but
requires no small exertion of mind and no limited devotion of time
to bring {it} to any degree of perfection. That which is both difficult to
to do and attractive when done . naturally draws to itself much of the effort
5 of the artist - & attention of the critic . and is frequently thought by the
one to be the end - and by the other - the test of art. <And> <t>Thus men
have frequently fancied that they were becoming rhetoricians & poets -
when they were only learning to speak <plain> {melodiously} . and the judge has
over and over <-> again - advanced to the honour of authors those who
10 were never more than ^ {ornamental} writing masters .
It <is not thus that the claims of artists to distinction are to be determined -
or> that the taste of the multitude always awake to the ^ {lowest} pleasures of which
art can bestow - & blunt to the highest . is to be formed or elevated . It
must be the part of the judicious critic <of*> carefully to distinguish what is
15 language . & what is thought. & to rank and praise pictures for their
thoughts only. ^ considering <the language,> as {& <especially in[?] its[?]>
{the}decorative part of language}< entirely> a <secondary> point of
excellence . ^ {in totally different & inferior matter} and one which cannot be
compared with or weighed against
thought in any way or in any degree whatsoever . *Vol 2. Pa. 2 . The
picture . <down> to end -
20 We lay down then . an universal rule *That the greatest painting is
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MW