E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Leonard Johnson,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
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| Transcriber's notes: Bracketted lower case letters refer to notes at the end of the text{a} At the end of this text I have provided some links to Internet sites which have more information about some of the artists, some of which may have color images similar to the ones presented in this book. |
Great Pictures
As Seen and Described
by Famous Writers
EDITED AND TRANSLATED
By ESTHER SINGLETON
AUTHOR OF "TURRETS, TOWERS, AND TEMPLES" AND
TRANSLATOR OF "THE MUSIC DRAMAS OF RICHARD WAGNER"
With Numerous Illustrations
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
Copyright, 1899
By Dodd, Mead and Company
Preface
The cordial reception of "Turrets, Towers, andTemples" has encouraged me to hope that awelcome may be given to a book treating the masterpiecesof painting in a similar manner.
Great writers and literary tourists have occasionallybeen inspired to record the impressions of their saunteringsamong galleries and museums. The mostinteresting of these, not necessarily professional, Ihave tried to bring together in the following pages.My object has been not to make a selection of thegreatest pictures in the world, although many thathave that reputation will be found here, but ratherto bring together those that have produced a powerfulimpression on great minds. Consequently, whenthe reader is disturbed at the omission of someworld-famous painting, I beg him to remember myplan and blame the great writers instead of me forneglecting his favourite.
My task has not been a light one. A few wordsof rapturous admiration are constantly to be metwith in the pages of art-lovers, but a sympatheticstudy of a single work is rarely found. Generalcomment of a given artist's work is also plentiful,while discriminating praise of individual canvasesis scanty. The literary selection has, therefore,involved a great deal of research.
From time to time the relative popularity ofpainters shifts strangely, but no matter what inconstantfashion may dictate, or what may be the cult ofthe hour, certain paintings never lose their prestige,but annually attract as many pilgrims as Lourdes orFusi-San.
Of modern painters I have only included Turnerand Rossetti.
It is interesting to compare the example I havechosen from Rossetti with Leonardo's "MonnaLisa." Pater has admirably brought out, withoutdwelling too much upon it, the charm t