From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 02/13/01-11:40:32 PM Z
On Tue, 13 Feb 2001, Darryl Baird wrote:
> The term "picturesque" is loaded with meaning, some rooted in traditions
> dating back to the late 17th century, others seem of a more recent and
> convoluted derivation. The picturesque in art is rooted in the Romantic
Darryl, thanks for the lovely dissertation (& of course that's
dissertation in best sense of the term).
Here, for what it's worth, is an ancillary comment:
"For centuries people labored over the Alps and not one single person
ever wrote about the Alps as being beautiful until city-bred Petrarch
came along. The Alps weren't beautiful to the Romans -- they were just a
damnable nuisance. And yet by the end of the 18th century, the thickest
clod of a young English milord catching his first view of Mont Blanc would
burst into tears. That's what you can achieve by culture."
-- Brendan Gill, interviewed by Barbaralee Diamonstein," Inside New York's
Art World," 1979.
PS. No need to rush out to find that old book. That's the only good line
in it.
Judy
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