44. Characteristics of Composition.

§ 5. What powers are im

to remove some of the component images, add others foreign, and re-arrange the whole.

Let us suppose, for instance, that he has perfect knowledge of the forms of the Aiguilles Verte and Argentière, and of the great glacier between them at the upper extremity of the valley of Chamonix. The forms of the mountains please him, but the presence of the glacier suits not his purpose. He removes the glacier, sets the mountains farther apart, and introduces between them part of the valley of the Rhone.

This is composition, and is what Dugald Stewart mistook for imagination, in the kingdom of which noble faculty it has no part nor lot.

The essential acts of Composition, properly so called, are the following: The mind which desires the new feature summons up before it those images which it supposes to be the kind wanted; of these it takes the one which it supposes to be fittest, and tries it: if it will not answer, it tries another, until it has obtained such an association as pleases it.

In this operation, if it be of little sensibility, it regards only the absolute beauty or value of the images brought before it; and takes that or those which it thinks fairest or most interesting, without any regard to their sympathy with those for whose company they are destined. Of this kind is all vulgar composition; the "Mulino" of Claude, described in the preface to the first part, being a characteristic example.

If the mind be of higher feeling, it will look to the sympathy or contrast of the features, to their likeness or dissimilarity; it will take, as it thinks best, features resembling or discordant; and if when it has put them together, it be not satisfied, it will repeat the process on the features themselves, cutting away one part and putting in another; so working more and more delicately down to the lowest details, until by dint of experiment, of repeated trials and shiftings, and constant reference to principles (as that two lines must not mimic one another, that one mass must not be equal to another), &c., it has morticed together a satisfactory result.

This process will be more and more rapid and effective, in proplied by it. The portion to the artist's powers of conception and association, these

Three Func

in their turn depending on his knowledge and experience. The First of the distinctness of his powers of conception will give value, point, and tions of Fancy. truth to every fragment that he draws from memory. His powers of association, and his knowledge of nature will pour out before him, in greater or less number and appositeness, the images from which to choose. His experience guides him to quick discernment in the combination, when made, of the parts that are offensive and require change.

The most elevated power of mind of all these, is that of association, by which images apposite or resemblant, or of whatever kind wanted, are called up quickly and in multitudes. When this power is very brilliant, it is called Fancy; not that this is the only meaning of the word Fancy, but it is the meaning of it in relation to that function of the imagination which we are here considering; for Fancy has three functions; one subordinate to each of the three functions of the imagination.

Great differences of power are manifested among artists in this respect; some having hosts of distinct images always at their command, and rapidly discerning resemblance or contrast; others having few images, and obscure, at their disposal, nor readily governing those they have.

Where the powers of fancy are very brilliant, the picture becomes highly interesting; if her images are systematically and rightly combined, and truthfully rendered, it will become even impressive and instructive; if wittily and curiously combined, it will be captivating and entertaining.

tion not yet

But all this time the Imagination has not once shown itself. All§ 6. Imagina. this (except the gift of Fancy) may be taught; all this is easily manifested. comprehended and analysed; but Imagination is neither to be taught, nor by any efforts to be attained, nor by any acuteness of discernment dissected or analysed.

It has been said that in composition the mind can only take cognizance of likeness or dissimilarity, or of abstract beauty, among the ideas it brings together. But neither likeness nor dissimilarity secure harmony. We saw in the Chapter on Unity that likeness destroyed harmony or unity of Membership; and that difference did not necessarily secure it, but only that particular imperfection in each of the

§ 7. Imagina

tion associative

harmonizing parts which can only be supplied by its fellow part. If, therefore, the combination made is to be harmonious, the artist must induce in each of its component parts (suppose two only, for simplicity's sake), such imperfection as that the other shall put it right. If one of them be perfect by itself, the other will be an Both must be faulty when separate, and each corrected by the presence of the other. If he can accomplish this, the result will be beautiful; it will be a Whole, an organized Body with dependent members; he is an Inventor. If not, let his separate features be as beautiful, as apposite, or as resemblant as they may, they form no whole. They are two members glued together. He is only a Carpenter and Joiner.

excrescence.

Now, the conceivable imperfections of any single feature are inis the co-rela- finite. It is impossible, therefore, to fix upon a form of imperfection tive conception in the one, and try with this all the forms of imperfection of the other until one fits; but the two imperfections must be co-relatively and simultaneously conceived.

of imperfect component parts.

§ 8. Material with

analogy Imagination.

This is imagination, properly so called; imagination associative, the grandest mechanical power that the Human intelligence possesses, and one which will appear more and more marvellous the longer we consider it. By its operation, two ideas are chosen out of an infinite mass (for it evidently matters not whether the imperfections be conceived out of the infinite number conceivable, or selected out of a number recollected), two ideas which are separately wrong, which together shall be right, and of whose unity, therefore, the idea must be formed at the instant they are seized, as it is only in that unity that either are good, and therefore only the conception of that unity can prompt the preference. Now, what is that prophectic action of mind, which out of an infinite mass of things that cannot be tried together, seizes, at the same instant, two that are fit for each other; together right, yet each disagreeable alone.

This operation of mind, so far as I can see, is absolutely inexplicable, but there is something like it in Chemistry.

"The action of sulphuric acid on metallic zinc affords an instance of what was once called Disposing Affinity. Zinc decomposes pure water at common temperatures with extreme slowness; but as soon as sulphuric acid is added, decomposition of the water takes place

The

rapidly, though the acid merely unites with oxide of zinc.
former explanation was, that the affinity of the acid for oxide of zinc
disposed the metal to unite with oxygen, and thus enabled it to
decompose water; that is, the oxide of zinc was supposed to produce
an effect previous to its existence. The obscurity of this explanation
arises from regarding changes as consecutive, which are in reality
simultaneous. There is no succession in the process, the oxide of
zinc is not formed previously to its combination with the acid, but
at the same instant. There is, as it were, but one chemical change,
which consists in the combination, at one and the same moment, of
zinc with oxygen, and of oxide of zinc with the acid; and this
change occurs because these two affinities, acting together, overcome
the attraction of oxygen and hydrogen for one another."

Now, if the imaginative artist will permit us, with all deference, to represent his combining intelligence under the figure of sulphuric acid; and if we suppose the fragment of zinc to be embarrassed among infinitely numerous fragments of diverse metals, and the oxygen dispersed and mingled among gases countless and indistinguishable, we shall have an excellent type in material things of the action of the imagination on the immaterial. Both actions are, I think, inexplicable; for, however simultaneous the chemical changes may be, yet the causing power is the affinity of the acid for what has no existence. It is neither to be explained how that affinity operates on atoms uncombined, nor how the artist's desire for an unconceived whole prompts him to the selection of necessary divisions.

This operation would be wonderful enough, if it were concerned § 9. The grasp with two ideas only. and dignity of But a powerfully imaginative mind seizes Imagination. and combines at the same instant, not only two, but all the important ideas of its poem or picture; and while it works with any one of them, it is at the same instant working with and modifying all in their relations to it, never losing sight of their bearings on each other; as the motion of a snake's body goes through all parts at once, and its volition acts at the same instant in coils that go contrary ways.

This faculty is indeed something that looks as if man were made after the image of God. It is inconceivable, admirable, altogether divine; and yet wonderful as it may seem, it is palpably evident that 1 Elements of Chemistry, by the late Edward Turner, M.D. Part II. Sect. IV.

§ 10. Its limits.

§ 11. How ma

no less an operation is necessary for the production of any great work; for, by the definition of Unity of Membership, (the essential characteristic of greatness) not only certain couples or groups of parts, but all the parts of a noble work must be separately imperfect; each must imply, and ask for all the rest, and the glory of every one of them must consist in its relation to the rest, neither while so much as one is wanting can any be right. And it is evidently impossible to conceive, in each separate feature, a certain want or wrongness which can only be corrected by the other features of the picture (not by one or two merely, but by all) unless together with the want, we conceive also of what is wanted, that is, of all the rest of the work or picture. Hence Fuseli:

"Second thoughts are admissible in painting and poetry only as dressers of the first conception; no great idea was ever formed in fragments."

"He alone can conceive and compose who sees the whole at once before him."

There is, however, a limit to the power of all human imagination. When the relations to be observed are absolutely necessary, and highly complicated, the mind cannot grasp them; and the result is a total deprivation of all power of imagination associative in such matter. For this reason, no human mind has ever conceived a new animal. For as it is evident that in an animal, every part implies all the rest; that is, the form of the eye involves the form of the brow and nose, these the form of the forehead and lip, these of the head and chin, and so on, so that it is physically impossible to conceive of any one of these members, unless we conceive the relation it bears to the whole animal; and as this relation is necessary, certain, and complicated, allowing of no license or inaccuracy, the intellect utterly fails under the load, and is reduced to mere composition; putting the bird's wing on men's shoulders, or half the human body to half the horse's, in doing which there is no action of imagination, but only of fancy; though in the treatment and contemplation of the compound form there may be much imagination, as we shall presently see. (Chap. III. § 30.)

The matter, therefore, in which associative imagination can be nifested in treat- shown is that which admits of great license and variety of arrange

ment of uncer