Moon and Sixpence

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Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965

"Moon and Sixpence"

It was not till four years after Strickland's death that
Maurice Huret wrote that article in the
which rescued the unknown painter from oblivion and blazed the
trail which succeeding writers, with more or less docility,
have followed. For a long time no critic has enjoyed in
France a more incontestable authority, and it was impossible
not to be impressed by the claims he made; they seemed
extravagant; but later judgments have confirmed his estimate,
and the reputation of Charles Strickland is now firmly
established on the lines which he laid down. The rise of this
reputation is one of the most romantic incidents in the
history of art. But I do not propose to deal with Charles
Strickland's work except in so far as it touches upon
his character. I cannot agree with the painters who claim
superciliously that the layman can understand nothing of
painting, and that he can best show his appreciation of their
works by silence and a cheque-book. It is a grotesque
misapprehension which sees in art no more than a craft
comprehensible perfectly only to the craftsman: art is a
manifestation of emotion, and emotion speaks a language that
all may understand.

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Apples, Ripe and Rosy, Sir (page 53) Queen Hildegarde (page 88) Ã¦a, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria in the Light of Recent Discovery (page 274)

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Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965

"Moon and Sixpence"