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"In order therefore to relish and to judge of the production of Genius and to Art, there must be an internal perceptive power, exquisitely sensible to all the impressions which such productions are capable of making on a susceptible mind."

— Duff, William (1732-1815)

Author

An Essay on Original Genius

Place of Publication

London

Publisher

Printed for Edward and Charles Dilly

Date

1767

Metaphor

"In order therefore to relish and to judge of the production of Genius and to Art, there must be an internal perceptive power, exquisitely sensible to all the impressions which such productions are capable of making on a susceptible mind."

Metaphor in Context

Let us suppose two persons, the one possessed of a comprehensive and penetrating judgment, without any refinement or delicacy of taste; the other endued with the most exquisite sensibility of taste, without any extraordinary proportion of the reasoning talent, both set to work in examining the merit of some masterly production of art, that admired piece of history-painting, for instance, of the Crucifixion, by Michael Angelo, and observe their different procedure, and the very different remarks they will make. The former measures with his eye the exact proportion of every figure in the piece; he considers how far the rules of art are observed in the design and ordonance; whether the group of subordinate figures naturally lead the eye to the capital one, and fix the attention principally upon it and whether the artist has given a proper variety of expression to the countenances of the several spectators. Upon discovering that the painter had exactly conformed to the rules of his art in all these particulars, he would not only applaud his judgment, but would also give testimony to his mastery and skill; without, however, having any true feeling of those uncommon beauties which constitute real merit in the art of painting. Such would be the procedure and remarks of the man of mere judgment. Consider now, on the other hand, in what a different manner the man of taste will proceed, and in what manner he will be affected. Instead of attending, in the first place, to the just proportions of the various figures exhibited in the draught, however necessary to be observed; instead of remarking, with approbation, the judgment and ingenuity displayed by the artist in the uniformity of design, and in the regularity and justness that appear in the disposition of the several figures of the piece; he fixes his eye upon the principal one, in which he observes the various contorsions of the countenance, the natural expressions of agonising pain, mixed however with an air of divine benignity and compassion. Then he passes on to the contemplation of the inferior and subordinate figures, in which he perceives a variety of opposite passions, of rage and terror, of admiration and pity, strongly marked in their different countenances; and feels the corresponding emotions in their utmost strength which those several passions are calculated to inspire. In a word, the man of judgment approves of and admires what is merely mechanical in the piece; the man of taste is struck with what could only be effected by the power of Genius. Wherever nature is justly represented, wherever the features of any one passion are forcibly expressed, to those features his attention is attracted, and he dwells on the contemplation of them with intense and exquisite pleasure. The sensations of the former are cool, weak, and unaffecting throughout; those of the latter are warm, vivid, and deeply interesting; or, to speak more properly, the one reasons, the other feels. But as no reasoning can enable a man to form an idea of what is really an object of sensation, the most penetrating judgment can never supply the want of an exquisite sensibility of taste. In order therefore to relish and to judge of the production of Genius and to Art, there must be an internal perceptive power, exquisitely sensible to all the impressions which such productions are capable of making on a susceptible mind.
(pp. 13-16)