Excerpt from Modern Painters, Vol. 1: Part I.-II<br><br>The work now laid before the public originated in indigua. Tion at the shallow and false criticism of the periodicals of the day on the works of the great living artist to whom it princi pally refers. It was intended to be a short pamphlet, reprohat ing the matter and style of those critiques, and pointing out their perilous tendency, as guides of public feeling. But, as point after point presented itself for demonstration, I found myself compelled to amplify what was at first a letter to the Editor of a Review, into something very like a treatise on art, to which I was obliged to give the more consistency and com pleteness, because it advocated opinions which, to the ordinary connoisseur, will sound heretical. I now scarcely know whether I should announce it is an Essay on Landscape Painting, and apologize for its frequent reference to the works of a particular master; or, announcing it as a critique on particular works, apologize for its lengthy discussion of general principles. But of whatever character the work may be considered, the motives which led me to undertake it must not be mistaken. No zeal for the reputation of any individual, no personal feeling of any kind, has the slightest weight or influence with me. The rep tation of the great artist to whose works I have chiefly referred, is established on too legitimate grounds amongall whose admira tion is honorable, to be in any way afiected by the ignorant sarcasms of pretension and afiectation. But when public taste seems plunging deeper and deeper into degradation day by dayw and when the press universally exerts such power as it possesses to direct the feeling of the nation more completely to all that is theatrical, affected, and false in art; while it vents its ribald bufiooneries on the most exalted truth, and the highest ideal of.<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.