Gimble, the picture-dealer.
"Crude?" said Mr. Hemlock, the critic, appealing confidentially to Mr.
Bullivant, the sculptor.
"What?" inquired that gentleman.
"Blyth's principles of criticism," answered Mr. Hemlock.
"Oh, yes! extremely so," said Mr. Bullivant.
"Having glanced at Art Pastoral, as attempted in the 'Golden Age,'"
pursued Valentine, turning over a leaf, "I will now, with your
permission, proceed to Art Mystic and 'Columbus.' Art Mystic, I would
briefly endeavor to define, as aiming at the illustration of fact on
the highest imaginative principles. It takes a scene, for instance,
from history, and represents that scene as exactly and naturally as
possible. And here the ordinary thinker might be apt to say, Art Mystic
has done enough." ("So it has," muttered Mr. Hemlock.) "On the
contrary, Art Mystic has only begun. Besides the representation of the
scene itself, the spirit of the age"--("Ah! quite right," said Lady
Brambledown; "yes, yes, the spirit of the age.")--"the spirit of the
age which produced that scene, must also be indicated, mystically, by
the introduction of those angelic or infernal winged forms--those
cherubs and airy female geniuses--those demons and dragons of
darkness--which so many illustrious painters have long since taught us
to recognize as impersonating to the eye the good and evil influences,
Virtue and Vice, Glory and Shame, Success and Failure, Past and Future,
Heaven and Earth--all on the same canvas.
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