GORDON'S STATUE On the anniversary of Gordon's death, wreaths are placed his statue in Trafalgar Square. on many men. THE NATURE OF ART 121 Few are conscious that Art is practical, not only theoretical; intellectual, and not mechanical. It is well to remember what an author once said "We often make a ladder of our thoughts to where the angels step, but sleep ourselves at the foot." Lübke, in his History of Sculpture, when speaking of Phidias, says that "it is the grandeur of his conception that raises even the most insignificant incident of daily life into the sphere of lofty ideality. Without this creative ability, the most refined appliances of technical skill are unable to make a work of Art great, in the highest sense of the word." The well-known art critic Beulé once said, "The return of the exhibitions is looked to as a fête—a fête of intelligence and taste, and yet, notwithstanding, Art is lost." Yes: how true this appears when one compares the works of the present day, either in painting or in sculpture, with the Art of the Middle Ages! There have no doubt been splendid exceptions-Reynolds, Turner, Gainsborough. In these days of struggle for wealth "painting for the pot" has ruined the work of many, and no doubt the exigencies of one's daily life are very strong. Again, there is much painting that seems to be |