Velasquez #221531

Rembrandt, Claude — he was the newest, and certainly the truest, from our point of View; SO new and SO true, indeed, that two hundred years after he had Shown the mystery of light as God made it, we still hear that Velasquez was a sordid soul who never saw beauty, a mere master of technique, wholly lacking in imagina tion. SO say those whose necks are stifi with looking at Italy and Raphael. Delacroix1 complains of them, in his Letters, that they see beauty only in lines, and therefore refuse to believe that others may receive a different kind Of impression. The opinion of these people is not to be controverted by words alone, and, as nature is a hard teacher, a student may save himself trouble by studying Velasquez at Madrid. A man Of genius learns from a mere hint, it is true, and such an one without going farther than Paris or London may understand how Velasquez saw the world: a more ordinary eye, however, must take the Spaniard's greatness half on trust, if he has not seen Madrid. But with the best will in the world some eyes really cannot see the side of nature that Velasquez saw; While others are SO bandaged by Italian prejudice that they may save themselves the trouble of a journey.