Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/17

 INTRODUCTION. xi disparaging the artists of the present century, it is indisputable that, with the exception to some extent of landscape, they have in no case carried the arts so far as they had already advanced at earlier periods of their history. The arts have revived because a time of prolonged peace and the accumulation of great wealth have given to many of the rich the leisure and means to surround themselves with objects of refinement and luxury; while the marvellous spread of illustrated publications and the increased facilities for travelling and observing the buildings and pictures with which the older countries of Europe teem, have tended to rouse among all ranks of the community an interest in works of art. The present movement is essentially a popular one. It is not headed, like the scientific movement, by the foremost men of the day with all their acuteness and knowledge stimu- lated to the full. It has rather taken its rise among those who, with certain brilliant exceptions, are but ill- informed on artistic subjects, and therefore stand peculiarly in need of guidance and instruction. Nothing could con- sequently be more appropriate to the wants of the day than the publication of works on the fine arts calculated to give sound information in a popular form. The present sketch of the History of Art, elementary as it is, may, therefore, be held to be an attempt in the right direction. It is not within the power of this or of any book to give an intimate knowledge and keen appreciation of art. That can only be attained by the zealous study of works of art themselves; and it is difficult to gain a sufficiently intimate acquaintance with such works for