GOETHE AT THE COURT OF CHARLES FREDERICK OF BADEN. After the Painting by Pecht. RIEDRICH PECHT, well known as a writer on art as well as a painter, was born at Constance in 1814. His most celebrated works were inspired by the poetry of Goethe, Schiller, and Shakespeare. JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE (1749-1832) OETHE wrote few essays in essay form, but, though these are worthy of the genius which made him easily the greatest poet of the nineteenth century, he is more at home in the informal style of semi-dialogue which characterizes his celebrated Shakespearean criticisms in "Wilhelm Meister." His prose often illustrates the same mental habit which shapes the second part of "Faust," -a result of images and ideas crowding upon him beyond his ability to control them. His is the Gothic intellect at its greatest, released by its own necessities from the severe canons of the Greek writers and expressing itself under its own laws. He is a scientist and a philosopher, as well as a poet, and in everything he does he shows the masterly quality of his genius. It was, however, in art in all its forms as a mode of expression for the higher intellect, that he took the greatest delight, and his essays on art have been even more highly valued by his countrymen than the scientific writings to which he himself attached great importance. He was born at Frankforton-the-Main, August 28th, 1749. His father was an imperial councilor, and by all his associations he was bound socially and morally to the higher aristocracy of Germany. Intellectually, however, he knew neither class nor country He felt himself a "world-poet," limited neither by time nor place. During the whole period of "storm and stress," from the French Revolution to the close of the Napoleonic wars, he worked tranquilly at his task of cultivating his genius and giving it the fullest possible expression. This was his life work, and after having determined to devote himself to it, he did not allow the greatest wars and revolutions of modern times to distract his attention from it. From 1775 to his death, March 22d, 1832, he lived and worked at the court of his friend and admirer, Karl August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, who "ennobled » him and made him "President of the Ducal Chamber." Goethe's "Faust" is universally accepted as his greatest work. It ranks with "Hamlet" as the greatest metaphysical and psychological drama of modern Europe, and it does not suffer by comparison with the "Prometheus Bound" of Eschylus. the only drama of the classical epoch which can be classed with it. Among "world-poets" Goethe is usually named with Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare, leaving Milton, Eschylus, and Virgil unmentioned. Perhaps, however, he might be more properly classed with Shakespeare, Dante, and Eschylus than with Homer, - the only poet who has adequately expressed a sublime philosophy of the conduct of life by the free action of his heroes rather than by using them as mouthpieces, charged with the responsibility of delivering his message to the world in their set speeches. W. V. B. UPON THE LAOCOON TRUE work of art, like a work of nature, never ceases to open Aboundlessly before the mind. pressed with it, it produces its effect; but it can never be all comprehended, still less can its essence, its value, be expressed in words. In the present remarks concerning the Laocoon, our object is by no means to say all that can be said on the subject; we shall rather make this admirable work the occasion, than the subject, of what we have to say. May it soon be placed once more in a situation where all lovers of art may be able to enjoy, and speak of it, each in his own way. We can hardly speak adequately of a high work of art, without also speaking of art in general; since all art is comprehended in it, and each one is able, according to his powers, to develop the universal, out of such a special case. We will, therefore, preface with some remarks of a general nature. All high works of art are expressions of humanity. Plastic art relates particularly to the human form; it is of this we are now speaking. Art has many steps, in all of which there have been admirable artists; but a perfect work of art embraces all the particulars that are elsewhere encountered separately. The highest works of art that we know exhibit to us— Living, highly organized natures. We look, in the first place, for a knowledge of the human body, in its parts and masses, inward and outward adaptation, its forms and motions generally. Character. Knowledge of the varieties in form and action of their parts; peculiarities are discriminated, and separately set forth. Out of this results character, through which an important relation may be established among separate works; and, in like manner, when a work is put together, its parts may hold an analogous relation to each other. The subject may be At rest, or in motion. A work, or its parts, may either be self-centred, simply showing its character in a state of rest, or it may be exhibited in movement, activity, or fullness of passionate expression. Ideal. To the attainment of this, the artist needs a deep, well-grounded, steadfast mind, which must be accompanied by a higher sense, in order to comprehend the subject in all its bearings, to find the moment of expression, to withdraw this from. the narrowness of fact, and give to it, in an ideal world, proportion, limit, reality, and dignity. Agreeableness. The subject, and its mode of exhibition, are moreover connected with the sensible laws of art; viz., harmony, comprehensibility, symmetry, contrast, etc.; whereby it becomes. visibly beautiful, or agreeable, as it is called. Beauty. Further, we find that it obeys the laws of spiritual beauty, which arises from just proportion, and to which he, who is complete in the creation or production of the beautiful, knows how to subject even the extremes. Having now enounced the conditions which we demand of a high work of art, much will be comprised in a few words when I say that our group fulfills them all, nay, that out of them alone could it be developed. It will be conceded by all that it exhibits acquaintance with the human form, and with what is characteristic in it, and at the same time expression and passion. In how high and ideal a way the subject is treated will presently be shown; and no one who recognizes the harmony with which the extremes of bodily and mental suffering are set forth can hesitate about calling the work beautiful. On the other hand, many will think I am uttering a paradox when I maintain that the work is also agreeable. A word upon this point: Every work of art must show on the face of it that it is such; and this can be done only through what we call sensible beauty, or agreeableness. The Ancients, far from entertaining the modern notion, that a work of art must have the appearance of a work of nature, designated their works of art as such, through an intentional arrangement of parts; by means of symmetry they rendered easy for the eye an insight into relations, and thus a complicated work was made comprehensible. Through symmetry and opposition slight deviations were made productive of the |