Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 7, No. 40, February, 1861 | Page 4

disappears in the
grave, from the day when the first leaves break the mould to that which
sees the old tree fall, the form of each has been modified hourly.
But that which differentiates objects more completely than any other
property is quality. The sky over us, and the waters of the earth, are
subject to infinite variations. Yet, whether in the tiny drop that trembles
at the point of a leaf or in the vast ocean-globe of our planet, in the
torpor of forest-ponds or in the wrath of cataracts, water never loses its
quality of wetness,--the open sky never that of dryness. These two
characteristics are of course entirely the reverse of each other,--as
unlike as are the properties of transparency and opacity,--which they
involve.
So, throughout Nature, one truth, that of texture, is the distinguishing;
and this distinctive element is that which cannot be sacrificed; for
through it are Nature's finest laws manifested. And the painter finds in
his obedience to her demands his highest power over the material
which serves him in his efforts to embody the true and the beautiful.
It is, then, this which compels us to estimate Mr. Page a painter,--a man
especially organized for his profession,--chosen by its demands,--set
apart, by his wonderful adaptation to its requirements, from all the
world. In virtue of this specialty, the necessity arose early in his life to
seek excellence in his department of art,--to search the depths of its
philosophy and discover its vital principles,--to analyze its methods and
expose its errors. It led him to investigate the relation between the
phenomena of Nature and the effects of painting; it guided him to a
clear perception of the laws of art-translation; above all, it compelled

him to practise what he believed to be the true.
Thus much of the painter;--now what of the artist?
It does not necessarily follow, that, because a man is a great painter, he
is also a great artist. Yet we may safely infer, that, if he has been true in
one department of the several which constitute art, he cannot have been
false in others. Should there be a shortcoming, it must be that of a man
whose mission does not include that wherein he fails. Fidelity to
himself is all we should demand. We say this for those who are
disposed to depreciate what an artist actually accomplishes, because in
some one point Turner or Overbeck surpasses him. Nor do we say it
apologetically. The man, who, basing his action upon the evident
purpose of the organization which God has given him, fulfils his
destiny, requires no apology.
We have seen something of the faithfulness which has marked Mr.
Page's pursuit of excellence in the external of his art. He has wrought
that which proves his claim to a broader title than that of painter. Were
it not for the vagueness which involves the appellation of historical
painter, it might be that. Even were we obliged to confine our interest
and study to the portraiture which he has executed, we might, in view
of its remarkable character, designate it as historical.
Than a really great portrait, no work of art can be more truly historical.
We feel the subjectiveness of compositions intended to transmit facts to
posterity,--and unless we know the artist, we are at a loss as to the
degree of trust which we may place in his impressions. A true portrait
is objective. The individuality of the one whom it represents was the
ruling force in the hour of its production; and to the spirit of a
household, a community, a kingdom, or an age, that individuality is the
key. There is, too, in a genuine portrait an internal evidence of its
authenticity. No artist ever was great enough to invent the combination
of lines, curves, and planes which composes the face of a man. There is
the accumulated significance of a lifetime,--subtile traces of failures or
of victories wrought years ago. How these will manifest themselves, no
experience can point out, no intuition can foresee or imagine. The
modifications are infinite, and each is completely removed from the
region of the accidental.
But, although details and their combinations in the human face and
form cannot be wrought from the imagination, the truthfulness or

falsity of their representation is instantly evident. It is because of this,
that the unity of a portrait carries conviction of its truth and of the
unimpeachability of its evidence, that this phase of art becomes so
valuable as history. Compared with the worth of Titian's Philip II.,--the
Madrid picture, of which Mr. Wild has an admirable study,--what value
can be attached to any historical composition of its period?
It has not been the lot of Mr. Page to paint a mighty man, so inlocked