Section VI. Of Truth of Vegetation.—Conclusion

Chapter I.—Of Truth of Vegetation.

§ 1. Frequent occurrence of foliage in the works of the old masters.

§ 2. Laws common to all forest trees. Their branches do not taper, but only divide.

§ 3. Appearance of tapering caused by frequent buds.

§ 4. And care of nature to conceal the parallelism.

§ 5. The degree of tapering which may be represented as continuous.

§ 6. The trees of Gaspar Poussin.

§ 7. And of the Italian school generally, defy this law.

§ 8. The truth, as it is given by J. D. Harding.

§ 9. Boughs, in consequence of this law, must diminish where they divide. Those of the old masters often do not.

§ 10. Boughs must multiply as they diminish. Those of the old masters do not.

§ 11. Bough-drawing of Salvator.

§ 12. All these errors especially shown in Claude's sketches, and concentrated in a work of G. Poussin's.

§ 13. Impossibility of the angles of boughs being taken out of them by wind.

§ 14. Bough-drawing of Titian.

§ 15. Bough-drawing of Turner.

§ 16. Leafage. Its variety and symmetry.

§ 17. Perfect regularity of Poussin.

§ 18. Exceeding intricacy of nature's foliage.

§ 19. How contradicted by the tree-patterns of G. Poussin.

§ 20. How followed by Creswick.

§ 21. Perfect unity in nature's foliage.

§ 22. Total want of it in Both and Hobbima.

§ 23. How rendered by Turner.

§ 24. The near leafage of Claude. His middle distances are good.

§ 25. Universal termination of trees in symmetrical curves.

§ 26. Altogether unobserved by the old masters. Always given by Turner.

§ 27. Foliage painting on the Continent.

§ 28. Foliage of J. D. Harding. Its deficiencies.

§ 29. His brilliancy of execution too manifest.

§ 30. His bough-drawing, and choice of form.

§ 31. Local color, how far expressible in black and white, and with what advantage.

§ 32. Opposition between great manner and great knowledge.

§ 33. Foliage of Cox, Fielding, and Cattermole.

§ 34. Hunt and Creswick. Green, how to be rendered expressive of light, and offensive if otherwise.

§ 35. Conclusion. Works of J. Linnel and S. Palmer.

Chapter II.—General remarks respecting the Truth of Turner.

§ 1. No necessity of entering into discussion of architectural truth.

§ 2. Extreme difficulty of illustrating or explaining the highest truth.

§ 3. The positive rank of Turner is in no degree shown in the foregoing pages, but only his relative rank.

§ 4. The exceeding refinement of his truth.

§ 5. There is nothing in his works which can be enjoyed without knowledge.

§ 6. And nothing which knowledge will not enable us to enjoy.

§ 7. His former rank and progress.

§ 8. Standing of his present works. Their mystery is the consequence of their fulness.

Chapter III.—Conclusion.—Modern Art and Modern Criticism.

§ 1. The entire prominence hitherto given to the works of one artist caused only by our not being able to take cognizance of character.

§ 2. The feelings of different artists are incapable of full comparison.

§ 3. But the fidelity and truth of each are capable of real comparison.

§ 4. Especially because they are equally manifested in the treatment of all subjects.

§ 5. No man draws one thing well, if he can draw nothing else.

§ 6. General conclusions to be derived from our past investigation.

§ 7. Truth, a standard of all excellence.

§ 8. Modern criticism. Changefulness of public taste.

§ 9. Yet associated with a certain degree of judgment.

§ 10. Duty of the press.

§ 11. Qualifications necessary for discharging it.

§ 12. General incapability of modern critics.

§ 13. And inconsistency with themselves.

§ 14. How the press may really advance the cause of art.

§ 15. Morbid fondness at the present day for unfinished works.

§ 16. By which the public defraud themselves.

§ 17. And in pandering to which, artists ruin themselves.

§ 18. Necessity of finishing works of art perfectly.

§ 19. Sketches not sufficiently encouraged.

§ 20. Brilliancy of execution or efforts at invention not to be tolerated in young artists.

§ 21. The duty and after privileges of all students.

§ 22. Necessity among our greater artists of more singleness of aim.

§ 23. What should be their general aim.

§ 24. Duty of the press with respect to the works of Turner.