Excerpt from Alexander Wyant<br><br>We may imagine that the early life and. Environ ment of our painter was very simple and primitive. Far from the complex sensations of city life, its noise and activity, its passion and competition, his early impressions must have been of the quiet and peace of nature, of the changing seasons, of the grass, the flow ers and the smell of the earth. But whereas to the sensitive soul nature whispers her secrets and unfolds her beauties, it is difficult to conceive of any direct artistic impulse or stimulant in this little isolated town of Ohio. We therefore conclude that his desire to ex: press himself in pictorial form was quite spontaneous.<br><br>It is said that as a little boy, lying before the open fire, he would endeavor to describe in charcoal his in:fantine images. It was undoubtedly a great trial later to be apprenticed to a harness maker. However he was not to be enslaved, and although the only models to inspire his youthful ambition and excite his imagin: ation were the crudely colored chromos and infer ior engravings peddled through the countryside, he nevertheless determined to become a painter.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.