one To be honest, I just met Charles.When Strickland was born, he never noticed anything different about this man, but today there are few people who do not recognize his greatness.I do not mean by greatness the greatness of the successful statesman or of the soldier who has done battle; Overshadowed.A retired prime minister is often found to have been nothing more than an orator;But Charles.Strickland's greatness is true greatness.You may not like his art, but you can't help being interested in it anyway.His works make you restless and tighten your heartstrings.Gone are the days when Strickland was ridiculed and ridiculed, and his defense or even his admiration was no longer considered an eccentricity of some people.His flaws have become in the eyes of the world a necessary derivative of his virtues.His place in art history can go on for debate.Admirers' praise of him and detractors' slander of him may all be biased and willful, but one thing is indisputable, that is, he has genius.The most interesting thing in art, it seems to me, is the personality of the artist; and if the artist is endowed with a unique character, I can forgive him for a thousand faults.I guess Velasquez [Note 1] is a Pierre.El Greco [Note 2] is a more superb painter, but because we have seen too much, his paintings make us feel a little boring.But there is a sensual and tragic beauty in the work of the Cretan painter, who presents the secret of his soul as if it were an eternal sacrifice.Whether an artist, painter, poet, or musician decorates the world with his sublime or beautiful works, it satisfies people's aesthetic consciousness, but this is not dissimilar to human sexual instinct. They all have their rough and violent sides.While dedicating his works to the world, the artist also presents his personal greatness before your eyes.Exploring the secrets of an artist has something of the fascination of reading a detective novel.This mystery is very similar to nature, and the beauty is that it cannot find the answer.Strickland's most insignificant work gives you a vague glimpse of his strange, complex, tormented character; and it must be for this reason that those who dislike his paintings cannot be indifferent to him.It is also this that makes so many people full of curiosity and strong interest in his life and character.

【Note 1】Diego.Rodriguez.De.Silva.Velasquez: (1599︱1660), Spanish painter. 【Note 2】El.Greco: (1541︱1614?), Spanish painter, born in Crete. Until four years after Strickland's death, Maurice.It was Xu Rui who wrote the article published in the "French Courier", so that the unknown painter would not be obsolete.This article of his was the first shot, and many writers who were timid to set a new standard followed in his footsteps.For a long time, no one in the French art critics has enjoyed a more indisputable authority than Xu Rui.It is impossible not to impress people with the arguments put forward by Xu Rui. It seems that his praise of Strickland seems a bit too much, but the verdict of public opinion later confirmed the fairness of his evaluation;Strickland's reputation was unshakably established on the tune he set.Strickland's rise to fame is indeed one of the most romantic instances in the history of art.But I don't want to be here with Charles.Strickland's works of art are commented on, except when they concern the painter's character.I do not share the opinion of some painters who condescendingly believe that the layman does not understand painting at all, and that the best way for a layman to show his appreciation of art is to open his checkbook without saying a word.To be honest, it is a ridiculous misunderstanding to think of art as an artistic technique that only a skilled craftsman can fully understand.What is art?Art is the expression of emotion, and art uses a language that everyone can understand.But I also admit that art critics can seldom make comments of real value without a practical knowledge of technique; and I happen to be very ignorant about painting myself.Happily I did not take any chances in this respect, because my friend EdwardMr. Reggart is not only a master at writing articles, but also an accomplished painter.Strickland's writings have been exhaustively explored; and the beauty of the book sets a model for us.It is a pity that this style of writing is far less popular in England today than it is in France.

[Note] "A Contemporary Painter, to Charles.Reviews of Strickland's Paintings: Edward F.Written by Reggart, 1917 Martin.Sekel Publishing. (Author's note) Morris.In his famous essay, Xu Rui sketched Charles.The life of Strickland; the author deliberately whets the reader's appetite in this way.His passion for art was free from personal likes and dislikes, and the real purpose of his essay was to call the attention of thoughtful minds to a painter of singular genius.But Xu Rui is a veteran who is good at writing articles, and he will know that only articles that arouse readers' interest can achieve their goals more easily.Those who later came into contact with Strickland during his lifetime, some writers who had known him in London, and some painters who met him at the café at Montmartre, were astonished to discover that What they saw at the beginning as a failed painter, a painter who was no different from countless failed artists, turned out to be a real genius, but they missed it.From this time on, French and American magazines were flooded with articles of all sorts: this one a memory of Strickland, the other a review of his work.As a result, these articles added to Strickland's reputation and aroused, but failed to satisfy, readers' curiosity.This topic is very popular with readers, and Weiterbrecht︱Rothholz put a lot of effort into it, and in an eloquent monograph [Note] he wrote a table of contents, listing the authoritative some articles.

[Note] "Charles.Strickland, Life and Works: Hugo, Ph.D.Written by Weittbrecht︱Rothholz, published in Leipzig in 1914 by Schweingel and Hannisch, the original book is in German. (Author's note) It is human nature to create myths.If there is something surprising or puzzling in the lives of those who stand out, people cling to it hungrily, invent myths, and believe it with a verging on fanaticism.This can be said to be a protest of Romanticism against the ordinary and bleak life.Some small stories in the legend become the most reliable passport for the hero to lead to the realm of immortality.Walter.Sir Raoley [Note] is always cherished in people's memory because he spread the cloak on the ground for Queen Elizabeth to walk across, not because he brought the British name to many lands that people have never found before. ; a cynical philosopher must laugh when he thinks of it.Speaking of Charles.Strickland, not many people knew him during his lifetime.He made many enemies, but few friends.No wonder, therefore, that those who wrote to him had to resort to a lively imagination to make up for the meager facts.It is clear that, though not much is known about Strickland's life, and although Romantic writers have found a great deal of perfunctory material therein, there were many grotesques in his life, and his There are many absurd and eccentric characters in his character, and there are many tragic and sad experiences in his fate.In time, out of this chain of events arose a myth, against which the wise historian would not rashly object.

【Note】Walter.Sir Raoley: (1552?︱1618), British historian and navigator. Robert.The Reverend Strickland was not such a sensible historian.He believes that people have misunderstood a lot about the latter half of his father's life, and he publicly stated that he wrote this biography[Note 1] to eliminate some of the misunderstandings that have been circulated and caused great pain to the living.It was well known that the circulating anecdotes of Strickland's life contained much that would embarrass a respectable family.I couldn't help laughing when I read this biography, but I was also secretly glad that it was so boringly written.Pastor Strickland portrayed in his biography a considerate husband and a kind father, a gentleman with a kind character, a hard-working style and good conduct.Contemporary priests have learned an astonishing knack for disguising in the study of what is called biblical hermeneutics, but RobertThe subtlety with which the Reverend Strickland explained his father's deeds, which a dutiful son would have thought worth remembering, must have led him, in due time, to eminence in the Church. of.I seem to have seen his sinewy calf in the bishop's leather leggings.It was a dangerous, but perhaps brave, thing he did, for Strickland owes his fame in no small measure to a generally accepted legend.His art has so much fascination for many people, either because people hate his character or sympathize with his tragic death; while this biography of the son, which aims to cover up his father's shame, is not for his father's admirers. It's like pouring a basin of cold water on your head.Strickland's most important work, The Woman of Samaria, was sold nine months ago to a well-known collector.Due to the sudden death of the collector, the painting was auctioned again and was bought by Christie.It was evidently no coincidence that the sale, which took place at a time when the Vicar Strickland's biography was being published and was being discussed, was £235 lower than it had been nine months earlier for the famous painting.Strickland's personal authority and uniqueness would probably have been powerless to salvage the situation had it not been for the people's fondness for mythology, which made them sneer at a story that so disappointed their curiosity.As it happens, it didn't take long for Dr. Weiterbrecht/Rothholz's article to appear, and the doubts and uneasiness of art lovers were finally dispelled.

[Note 1] "Strickland, Life and Works": The painter's son Robert.Written by Strickland, published by Heinemann in 1913. (Author's note) [Note 2] According to the description in the catalog of Christie’s collection of paintings, the content of this painting is: a nude woman, a native of Society Island, lying on the grass by a small stream, with tropical scenery such as palm trees and plantains in the background . 60 inches by 48 inches. (Author's note) The historical school to which Dr. Weitbrecht/Rothholz belongs not only believes that man is originally evil, but that it is far worse than people imagine; The historians of that school certainly give the reader more pleasure than the disappointing writers who make romantic characters into virtuous gentlemen.For a reader like myself, I would be very sorry if the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra was written as a mere economic alliance; To be as flawless a monarch as King George V would require far more evidence than is at hand (which thankfully appears to be hard to come by).Dr. Weittbrecht︱Rothholz commented on Robert.The Reverend Strickland's naive biography is written in such terms that it is difficult to read without feeling sympathetic to the unfortunate minister.Wherever the pastor did not speak out in order to preserve his decency, he was attacked as hypocrisy, where he profusely articulated passages were flatly called lies, and where the author kept silent on certain matters was simply dismissed as Weiterbrecht-Roth Holz dismissed it as betrayal.These flaws in the work, from the point of view of a biographer, should of course be criticized, but as the son of the protagonist of the biographer, it is also excusable; unfortunately, even the Anglo-Saxon people also suffered from it. Dr. Weittbrecht︱Rothholz criticized as serious, intimidating, pretentious, cunning and deceitful, and only cooks unappetizing dishes.As for my own opinion, I do not think that the Reverend Strickland was careful enough to refute a popular account of certain unpleasant incidents between his parents.He cited Charles in his biography.A letter home from Strickland from Paris, saying that his father called his wife a great woman, but Weitbrecht-Rothholz copied the original letter; it turns out that Strickland The original passage quoted by Pastor Rand is as follows: Tell God to punish my wife!This woman is so amazing, I wish I could send her to hell.In the days of their power the churches did not treat unpopular facts in this way.

[Note] Tiberius.Claudius.Nero (42 BC︱37 AD): Emperor of Rome. Dr. Weittbrecht︱Rothholz is Charles.An ardent admirer of Strickland, he would have been in little danger had he wished to embellish Strickland.But his eyes were sharp enough to see through the despicable motives underlying some acts of innocence.He is not only an art researcher, but also a psychologist and pathologist.He knows a person's subconscious like the back of his hand.No one who has searched for the secrets of the mind has seen deeper meaning through ordinary things as he has.People who explore the secrets of the mind can see things that cannot be expressed in words, but psychopathologists see things that cannot be expressed at all.We are amazed to see how eagerly this learned writer seeks out every detail that discredits this hero.Every time he cites an instance of cruelty or meanness and selfishness in his hero, his heart grows more sympathetic to him.After he found some forgotten anecdote of the protagonist to mock Robert.When he saw the filial piety of the Reverend Strickland, he was as ecstatic as an Inquisitor judging a heretic.The seriousness and diligence with which he wrote this article is also really surprising.Not a single little thing escaped his attention, if Charles.Strickland had a laundry bill unpaid, and this fact must be recorded in detail; You can rest assured.