The Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds : Comprising Original Anecdotes of Many Distinguished Persons, His Contemporaries; and a Brief Analysis of His Discourses, Volume 2

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Henry Colburn, 1819 - Art
 

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Page 289 - ... by the great, caressed by sovereign powers, and celebrated by distinguished poets, his native humility, modesty, and candour never forsook him, even on surprise or provocation; nor was the least degree of arrogance or assumption visible to the most scrutinizing eye in any part of his conduct or discourse.
Page 276 - From these considerations, which a little of your own reflection will carry a great way further, it appears of what great consequence it is that our minds should be habituated to the contemplation of excellence ; and that, far from being contented to make such habits the discipline of our youth only, we should, to the last moment of our lives, continue a settled intercourse with all the true examples of grandeur.
Page 48 - If we owe regard to the memory of the dead, there is yet more respect to be paid to knowledge, to virtue, and to truth.
Page 289 - ... nature and not meanly cultivated by letters — his social virtues in all the relations and all the habitudes of life, rendered him the centre of a very great and unparalleled variety of agreeable societies, which will be dissipated by his death. He had too much merit not to excite some jealousy — too much innocence to provoke any enmity. The loss of no man of his time can be felt with more sincere, general, and unmixed sorrow. Hail ! and Farewell.
Page 310 - I proceeded to copy some of those excellent works. I viewed them again and again ; I even affected to feel their merit, and to admire them, more than I really did.
Page 224 - ... it; and does not wait for the slow progress of deduction, but goes at once, by what appears a kind of intuition, to the conclusion. A man endowed with this faculty, feels and acknowledges the truth, though it is not always in his power, perhaps, to give a reason for it; because he cannot recollect and bring before him all the materials that gave birth to his opinion; for very many and very intricate considerations may unite to form the principle, even of small and minute parts, involved in, or...
Page 262 - I reflect not without vanity, that these Discourses bear testimony of my admiration * Che Raffaelle non ebbe quest" arte da nutura, ma per lunyo studio. of that truly divine man, and I should desire that the last words which I should pronounce in this Academy, and from this place, might be the name of — MICHAEL ANGELO*.
Page 195 - ... education which I may be said to have had under Dr. Johnson. I do not mean to say, though it certainly would be to the credit of these Discourses, if I could say it with truth, that he contributed even a single sentiment to them; but he qualified my mind to think justly.
Page 288 - In painting portraits, he appeared not to be raised upon that platform, but to descend upon it from a higher sphere. His paintings illustrate his lessons, and his lessons seem to be derived from his paintings. He possessed the theory as perfectly as the practice of his .art. To be such a painter, he was a profound, a penetrating philosopher.
Page 310 - I ought to have done, was one of the most humiliating circumstances that ever happened to me. I found myself in the midst of works executed upon principles with which I was unacquainted : I felt my ignorance, and stood abashed.

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