An Edwardian View

I'm a great fan of Forgotten Books, a great resource I am subscribed to, which sends me an email every day. Many have of these have little interest for me but when something comes along about art, I usually download it. Here is a quote from W.Martin Johnson's book which underlines a sentiment I thoroughly endorse and offer for discussion. "The power to appreciate nature is supposedly an inborn faculty which, unless notably conspicuous, is not valued highly. All minds possess it, however, and, like any physical attribute, it is capable of develop­ment. The teaching of a pupil to “see” is the funda­mental idea in this course of study. Rules and for­mulae stifle spontaneity, and it is doubtful if there are any which can be helpful in their application. To so train the faculties that the quality of a color, the relationship of lights and shadows, the contrast be­tween an object and its surroundings, can all be accu­rately determined, is to learn the meaning of truth. But truth, artistically speaking, is not a photographic reproduction of nature. While the artisan strives to duplicate his pattern and make a good copy, the artist understands truth to have a greater significance. He knows that nature is not altogether beautiful. He knows that it is necessary to select the parts essential to his purpose and that the quality of his art depends upon his power to choose, omit, combine and enhance effects by harmonious surroundings, and accentuate character. Truth is observed in all that the artist undertakes, but it must be subservient to the artistic aim. Unless the imitation of nature results in the beautiful, such imitation is not worth while." School of Art, page 20 1909.

I have the full book as a PDF file only trouble is the size, it's 6.3 meg in size. I could put it into my Dropbox, Public folder to share to your email if you were interested. John