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of Perugia； each had its own school of art； each different and all
beautiful。
So do not mind what art Philadelphia or New York is having； but
make by the hands of your own citizens beautiful art for the joy of
your own citizens； for you have here the primary elements of a
great artistic movement。
For； believe me； the conditions of art are much simpler than people
imagine。 For the noblest art one requires a clear healthy
atmosphere； not polluted as the air of our English cities is by the
smoke and grime and horridness which comes from open furnace and
from factory chimney。 You must have strong； sane； healthy physique
among your men and women。 Sickly or idle or melancholy people do
not do much in art。 And lastly； you require a sense of
individualism about each man and woman； for this is the essence of
art … a desire on the part of man to express himself in the noblest
way possible。 And this is the reason that the grandest art of the
world always came from a republic： Athens； Venice； and Florence …
there were no kings there and so their art was as noble and simple
as sincere。 But if you want to know what kind of art the folly of
kings will impose on a country look at the decorative art of France
under the GRAND MONARQUE； under Louis the Fourteenth； the gaudy
gilt furniture writhing under a sense of its own horror and
ugliness； with a nymph smirking at every angle and a dragon
mouthing on every claw。 Unreal and monstrous art this； and fit
only for such periwigged pomposities as the nobility of France at
that time； but not at all fit for you or me。 We do not want the
rich to possess more beautiful things but the poor to create more
beautiful things； for ever man is poor who cannot create。 Nor
shall the art which you and I need be merely a purple robe woven by
a slave and thrown over the whitened body of some leprous king to
adorn or to conceal the sin of his luxury； but rather shall it be
the noble and beautiful expression of a people's noble and
beautiful life。 Art shall be again the most glorious of all the
chords through which the spirit of a great nation finds its noblest
utterance。
All around you； I said； lie the conditions for a great artistic
movement for every great art。 Let us think of one of them； a
sculptor； for instance。
If a modern sculptor were to come and say； 'Very well； but where
can one find subjects for sculpture out of men who wear frock…coats
and chimney…pot hats？' I would tell him to go to the docks of a
great city and watch the men loading or unloading the stately
ships； working at wheel or windlass； hauling at rope or gangway。 I
have never watched a man do anything useful who has not been
graceful at some moment of his labour： it is only the loafer and
the idle saunterer who is as useless and uninteresting to the
artist as he is to himself。 I would ask the sculptor to go with me
to any of your schools or universities； to the running ground and
gymnasium； to watch the young men start for a race； hurling quoit
or club； kneeling to tie their shoes before leaping； stepping from
the boat or bending to the oar； and to carve them； and when he was
weary of cities I would ask him to come to your fields and meadows
to watch the reaper with his sickle and the cattle…driver with
lifted lasso。 For if a man cannot find the noblest motives for his
art in such simple daily things as a woman drawing water from the
well or a man leaning with his scythe； he will not find them
anywhere at all。 Gods and goddesses the Greek carved because he
loved them； saint and king the Goth because he believed in them。
But you； you do not care much for Greek gods and goddesses； and you
are perfectly and entirely right； and you do not think much of
kings either； and you are quite right。 But what you do love are
your own men and women； your own flowers and fields； your own hills
and mountains； and these are what your art should represent to you。
Ours has been the first movement which has brought the
handicraftsman and the artist together； for remember that by
separating the one from the other you do ruin to both； you rob the
one of all spiritual motive and all imaginative joy； you isolate
the other from all real technical perfection。 The two greatest
schools of art in the world； the sculptor at Athens and the school
of painting at Venice； had their origin entirely in a long
succession of simple and earnest handicraftsmen。 It was the Greek
potter who taught the sculptor that restraining influence of design
which was the glory of the Parthenon； it was the Italian decorator
of chests and household goods who kept Venetian painting always
true to its primary pictorial condition of noble colour。 For we
should remember that all the arts are fine arts and all the arts
decorative arts。 The greatest triumph of Italian painting was the
decoration of a pope's chapel in Rome and the wall of a room in
Venice。 Michael Angelo wrought the one； and Tintoret； the dyer's
son； the other。 And the little 'Dutch landscape； which you put
over your sideboard to…day； and between the windows to…morrow； is'
no less a glorious 'piece of work than the extents of field and
forest with which Benozzo has made green and beautiful the once
melancholy arcade of the Campo Santo at Pisa；' as Ruskin says。
Do not imitate the works of a nation； Greek or Japanese； Italian or
English； but their artistic spirit of design and their artistic
attitude to…day； their own world； you should absorb but imitate
never； copy never。 Unless you can make as beautiful a design in
painted china or embroidered screen or beaten brass out of your
American turkey as the Japanese does out of his grey silver…winged
stork； you will never do anything。 Let the Greek carve his lions
and the Goth his dragons： buffalo and wild deer are the animals
for you。
Golden rod and aster and rose and all the flowers that cover your
valleys in the spring and your hills in the autumn： let them be
the flowers for your art。 Not merely has Nature given you the
noblest motives for a new school of decoration； but to you above
all other countries has she given the utensils to work in。
You have quarries of marble richer than Pentelicus； more varied
than Paros； but do not build a great white square house of marble
and think that it is beautiful； or that you are using marble nobly。
If you build in marble you must either carve it into joyous
decoration； like the lives of dancing children that adorn the
marble castles of the Loire； or fill it with beautiful sculpture；
frieze and pediment； as the Greeks did； or inlay it with other
coloured marbles as they did in Venice。 Otherwise you had better
build in simple red brick as your Puritan fathers； with no pretence
and with some beauty。 Do not treat your marble as if it was
ordinary stone and build a house of mere blocks of it。 For it is
indeed a precious stone； this marble of yours； and only workmen of
nobility of invention and delicacy of hand should be allowed to
touch it at all； carving it into noble statues or into beautiful
decoration； or inlaying it with other coloured marbles： for 'the
true colours of architecture are those of natural stone； and I
would fain see them taken advantage of to the full。 Every variety
is here； from pale yellow to purple passing through orange； red；
and brown； entirely at your command； nearly every kind of green and
grey also is attainable； and with these and with pure white what
harmony might you not achieve。 Of stained and variegated stone the
quantity is unlimited； the kinds innumerable。 Were brighter
colours required； let glass； and gold protected by glass； be used
in mosaic； a kind of work as durable as the solid stone and
incapable of losing its lustre by time。 And let the painter's work
be reserved for the shadowed loggia and inner chamber。
'This is the true and faithful way of building。 Where this cannot
be； the device of external colouring may indeed be employed without
dishonour … but it must be with the warning reflection that a time
will come when such aids will pass away and when the building will
be judged in its lifelessness； dying the death of the dolphin。
Better the less bright； more enduring fabric。 The transparent
alabasters of San Miniato and the mosaics of Saint Mark's are more
warmly filled and more brightly touched by every return of morning
and evening； while the hues of the Gothic cathedrals have died like
the iris out of the cloud； and the temples； whose azure and purple
once flamed above the Grecian promontory； stand in their faded
whiteness like snows which the sunset has left cold。' … Ruskin；
SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE； II。
I do not know anything so perfectly commonplace in design as most
modern jewellery。 How easy for you to change that and to produce
goldsmiths' work that would be a joy to all of us。 The gold is
ready for you in unexhausted treasur