Chapter II
When I first met Charles Strickland, to be honest, I didn't find anything special about this man, but now almost everyone praises him for his greatness. By greatness, I do not mean the greatness of politicians or military men, who are only momentarily famous, they are only stained with the light of their status, and they are not at all the result of their own characteristics, and their greatness will lose its color with the changes of time. It is often found that a departing prime minister is just a rhetorical orator; A retired general is just a mediocre hero of the market. But Charles Strickland's greatness is true greatness. His art may not be your favorite, but you will be interested in it anyway. His works will make your heart flutter and you won't be able to calm down for a long time. This is no longer the time when Strickland is ridiculed, and it has become the norm to defend and even praise him. In the eyes of the world, his shortcomings have become an indispensable part of him, and what position he occupies in the history of art is still a topic that can continue to be discussed. Admittedly, it may be unfair for both admirers to praise him and detractors to slander him, but one thing is certain: he has talent. I think the artist's personality is the most fascinating part of art. Even if an artist has many shortcomings, as long as he has personality, I will not pursue it anymore. I would like to compare El Greco, Velázquez Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velázquez, Spanish painters. The painting technique is much more advanced, but because we have seen so much, we are no longer interested in his paintings. And the work of the Cretan painter has a kind of **beauty, a beauty full of tragedy, as if in the spirit of self-sacrifice, contributing the secrets of his soul. An artist, whether he is a painter, a poet, or a family, contributes his noble or beautiful works to the world, which greatly satisfies people's aesthetic sense, but this is also similar to human sexual instinct, which has a rude side. The artist contributes his great talents along with his works. Exploring the mysteries of an artist is fascinating and interesting to read and reason. The magic of this mystery lies in the fact that there is no answer at all, just like nature. Even Strickland's least noteworthy work gives a glimpse of his uniqueness, complexity, and twisted personality. It is precisely because of this that those who do not like his paintings cannot ignore him, and so many people are curious and interested in his life and personality.
It was only four years after Strickland's death that Maurice Hurry wrote an article about the painter, which was published in the Courier de France, and from then on the unknown painter began to be known to the public. Many writers who did not dare to be unconventional were inspired by this article and began to follow in his footsteps. For a considerable period of time, Xu Rui enjoyed supreme authority in French critics. Xu Rui's argument must have been impressive, and on the face of it, he seemed to over-praise Strickland, but the subsequent verdict confirmed that his assessment was very fair, and in the tone he set, Charles Strickland's reputation was firmly established. In the history of art, Strickland's rise to fame is indeed impressive, full of romanticism. But I don't want to comment on the work of Charles Strickland, with the exception of it, of course, when they have a touch on the painter's character. I don't agree with some painters, they have a very conceited prejudice, thinking that only insiders understand painting, and laymen silently and generously take out the checkbook, which is the greatest appreciation of art. To be honest, such a view is actually very absurd. They believe that art is an artistic technique that only skilled craftsmen can fully understand. How is art defined? Art is the expression of feelings, and art uses a language that is easy to understand. But it is also undeniable that if an art critic does not really understand the technique, then he will be able to make very few truly valuable comments. Personally, I don't know anything about painting. Luckily, I have a friend named Edward Regart, who is both an essay writer and a good drawer, so I can say that there is zero risk in this regard. In a small book, A Contemporary Painter, A Review of the Painting of Charles Strickland, by Edward Regart, a member of the Royal Irish Academy, published by Martin Secker in 1917. , he studied the work of Charles Strickland in detail. The style of the book is beautiful and exemplary. Unfortunately, this style is not very popular in Britain today compared to France.
In that well-known article, Maurice Shrey gave a rough picture of the life of Charles Strickland, which the author deliberately did to attract the reader's interest. His passion for art was to put personal preferences aside, and he wrote this article in order to get sensible people to start paying attention to such a talented painter in his own right. However, Xu Rui is very experienced in writing articles, and he knows that in order to achieve his goal faster, he must arouse the "interest" of readers. Later, those who had dealt with Strickland were surprised to find that the failed painter they had seen, a painter who had been lost among thousands of fallen artists, had a real talent for painting, but they had not grasped it. Some of these men were writers whom he had known since London, and some painters whom he had met at the Montmartre Café. Since then, various articles related to Strickland have appeared in magazines in France and the United States. Strickland rose to fame because of these articles, and readers were interested in him and wanted to know more about him. Readers liked the subject, and Weitbrecht-Rotholz went through many twists and turns to list some of the most prestigious articles in one of his long features**.
(Tips: The full text ** can be read by clicking on the card at the end of the article).
Humans have a natural instinct to create myths. The surprising or puzzling events in the lives of those outstanding people will be firmly grasped by people, and all kinds of myths will be created. They believe in these myths with unwavering devotion, the extent of which can be described as obsession. It can be said that this is romanticism against the ordinary and mediocre life. Heroes are on the way to the eternal realm, and some of the small stories in the legend have the ability to escort. Sir Walter Rauri is always remembered not because he spread the British name widely, but because he had Queen Elizabeth walk over his cloak on the ground. When thinking about this, a philosopher who jokes about life must not help but laugh. When Charles Strickland was still alive, few people knew about him. He had many enemies, but few friends. Therefore, it is only normal for those who write articles on his subject to fill in the pitiful facts with their rich imaginations. Needless to say, although little is known about Strickland's life, the Romantic literati found a lot of prevarication in it. Horrific acts filled his life, absurd quirks filled his personality, and pathos was everywhere in his life. After a while, this series of events gave rise to a myth about which a clever historian would not be abruptly questioned.
As it happens, the Rev. Robert Strickland does not fall into this category of historians. He felt that his father's second half of his life had been largely misunderstood, and he publicly stated that his purpose in writing this biography was to clear up some of the misconceptions that had become circular, and that these fallacies had "greatly contributed to the living." It is a well-known fact that among the anecdotes of Strickland's life that circulate are many that disgrace a decent family. Reading this biography, Strickland: Life and Works, written by the painter's son, Robert Strickland, published by Heinmann in 1913. I couldn't help but laugh, but I couldn't help but feel happy, thanks to the fact that the book was so boring. In his biography, Pastor Strickland portrays a gentle husband, a kind father, and a hardworking, meek, and upright gentleman. Contemporary clergy have learned the art of whitewashing when they study what is called the Bible, but the ingenuity with which the Rev. Robert Strickland "explained" his father's behavior was bound to shine in the church when the time came. I had before my eyes a picture of him putting the bishop's leather leggings over his muscular calves. He did it with great risk, but it could have been very brave, and one of the most important reasons why Strickland was famous at home and abroad was because of the widespread recognition of the legend. The reason why so many people are attracted to his art is not because people are disgusted with his character, or because people sympathize with his tragic death, and this biography of his son, which seeks to whitewash his father, undoubtedly extinguishes the enthusiasm of his father's admirers. Nine months ago, the Woman of Samaria catalogue of Christi paintings described the painting as follows: a naked woman, a native of Society Island, lying on the grass by a stream, against the backdrop of a tropical storm such as palm trees and plantains. 60 inches 48 inches. One of Strickland's most important works, once bought by a prominent collector. Later, after the sudden death of the collector, the painting was auctioned up again and Christy bought it. It was at the time of this auction that the Rev. Strickland's biography was published, and it was clear that it was not an accident that the price of the famous painting had dropped by two hundred and thirty-five pounds compared to nine months earlier. Strickland's personal prestige and uniqueness may not be able to turn the tide unless people love mythology and despise the story that does not satisfy their curiosity. It was not long before Dr. Weitbrecht-Rotholtz's article was published, and art lovers were dispelled.
Dr. Weitbrecht-Rotholtz is a school of history to which Dr. Weitbrecht-Rotholz belongs, and it is firmly believed that "at the beginning of man, nature is inherently evil." In addition, they feel that it is not at all within the scope of people's imagination. There is no doubt that the writings of this school of historians are more interesting to readers than those who write about romantic characters as hypocrites. It would be a shame if Antony's relationship with Cleopatra was described as an economic alliance. It will take far more evidence than I have at hand to successfully convince me that Tiberios is a perfect monarch, like King George V of England. Dr. Wittbrecht-Rotholz in a conversation with Robert? The language used in which Reverend Strickland's naïve biography is commented on reads reads to make one feel pity for the unfortunate pastor. The preacher had to cover up for decency, and all the chapters he described in a row were called lies. And Weitbrecht-Rotholz even rebuked the author's silence on certain matters as a betrayal. From the perspective of a biographer, these deficiencies in the work should indeed be criticized, but as the son of the protagonist of the biography, these are worthy of forgiveness. Unfortunately, the Anglo-Saxon nation was not spared, and was also accused of Weitbrecht-Rotholz, who were accused of being pretentious, domineering, hypocritical and deceitful, and that the food they made was only disgusting. Personally, I find it true that the Rev. Strickland is too arbitrary to refute a widely accepted account of some "quarrel" between his parents. In his biography, he cites as evidence a letter from Paris written by Charles Strickland that his father called his wife "a great woman", while Weitbrecht-Rotholz copied the original letter, which Strickland quotes: "Let God punish my wife!" This woman is so great, I want her to go to hell right away. "They didn't take this approach to the fact that they weren't being seen in the days when the church was at its strongest.
Dr. Weitbrecht Roth-Holtz was an admirer of Charles Strickland, and if he wanted to whitewash Strickland, there would be no danger in the first place. But he had a sharp gaze, and he saw through at a glance the crude attempts implied in innocent deeds. He is not only an art researcher, but also a psychopathologist. He knows a person's subconscious very well, and sees deeper meanings from the surface of ordinary things as he does, which no one who prying into the secrets of the mind can do. What is difficult to express in words can be seen by those who spy on the secrets of the mind, but what cannot be expressed at all can only be seen by a psychopathologist. It's a quick applause when we see how zealous this learned writer is to find all the trivia that disgraces this heroic figure. When he finds an example of the protagonist's coldness or meanness, he will be more sympathetic to the other person. He doesn't know how happy he is when he finds an anecdote about the protagonist that has never been told and uses it to mock the Pastor Robert Strickland's filial piety. We were also amazed that he would write this article so seriously. He didn't miss a single detail, he kept a detailed record of every little thing. Even if Charles Strickland owes a laundry account or a loan, he will record it one by one, and the reader does not have to worry about it.
(Click on the card above to read the full article.)
Thank you for reading, and if you feel that the recommended book meets your taste, please leave us a comment!
If you want to know more exciting content, pay attention to your continuous recommendation!