The Beginnings of Art (article)
The Beginnings of Art is an article published in the Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle on 19 january 1889.
Report of a lecture The Beginnings of Art of the Portsmouth Literary and Scientific Society held at the Portsmouth Guildhall on 15 january 1889, attended by Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Beginnings of Art
The members of the Portsmouth Literary and Scientific Society assembled in force at the Guildhall on Tuesday evening, when the fourth ordinary meeting of the session was held. The President (Dr. Axford) was in the chair. The company included the following:— General J. W. Cox, C.B., F.R.G.S., and Miss Cox, General A. W. Drayson, F.R.A.S., General and Mrs. C. P. Catty, Colonel and Mrs. C. P. Wintle, Rev. H. Maxwell Egan Desmond, M.A., F.R.G.S., Major and Mrs. Bulkeley, Rev. S. Kenah, M.A., R.N., Captains B. Jackson, R.N., H. R. Jones, and Lamb, Dr. and Mrs. Kirker, Dr. A. Conan Doyle, Dr. and Mrs. C. C. Claremont, Dr., Mrs., and Miss Way, Mr. G. G. Hardingham, Mrs. Stevenson, Messrs. W. Weston, W. G. P. Gilbert, George Fremantle Ollis, A. Fisher, J. W. F. Allnutt, C. W. Ball, S. G. J. Allnutt, A. Howell, and J. Phillips, the Misses Langdon. Mr. and Mrs. C. Foran, Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson, Mrs. A. E. Petrie, Mr. and Mrs. F. Aylen, Mr. and Mrs. Bristow, Mr. R. T. Grinbell, Mr. J. A. Strong, Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Bell, Mrs. Roberton, Miss Acranan, Miss L. Wilcox, Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Baxter, the Misses Lascelles, Mr. and Miss Hastings, Messrs. H. Wingate, S. Melville Abud. W. R. McIntyre, W. Lawrence, H. McIllory, W. St. George, S. Wilson, &c. The following new members were elected:— Miss J. Read, and Messrs. G. H. Dean, T.C., and G. A. Strong. Mr. R. Mayston, R.N., and Mr. R. T. Gribbell were nominated for membership. Mr. A. Fisher, Assoc. S.A., occupied the attention of the gathering with a paper on "The Beginnings of Art," which instituted a comparison between ancient and modern systems of art teaching. His remarks were copiously illustrated by means of magic lantern views depicting ancient and modern sculptures and other works of art. The apology for the amateurish production of these slides, with which he prefaced his paper, was rendered unnecessary by the excellent manner in which the photographs and drawings were for the greater part thrown on to the screen. Mr. Fisher classed the periods of art under three heads — first, the pre-historic and savage periods, in which no regular training or teaching was given; second, the Egyptian, byzantine, and modern periods, in which the teaching was partial or restricted; and third, the Greek and Renaissance periods, in which the teaching was free and unfettered. It was impossible to say when or where art originated. No real beginnings could be found, the earliest traces of art showing that some progress had been made. The art work of modern savages corresponded in many ways with that of the pre-historic ages, and was allied in both cases to the untrained artistic attempts of children of the present day. The ancient Egyptians were the first nation we net with who showed signs of art training. With them, as with the Assyrians who came after them, art was fettered by priestly restrictions. Among the ancient Greeks, later still, art became free, and painting and sculpture — of which examples of the latter had alone been handed down to us — made such strides that results were attained which had never been surpassed. Many influences worked to bring about the decline of Grecian art, but the conquest by Rome gave the final blow. The Roman art which succeeded showed, per se, no names of eminent men. The lamp of art entirely went out in the sixth century, but from its ashes arose what was known as Byzantine art. Having dealt with the Renaissance, the essayist gave a resume of the life-work of Raphael and Michael Angelo, and said that from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries was one of the brightest periods of art. Want of time precluded any mention of more modern art development, but, in conclusion, Mr. Fisher pointed out that in proportion as art and its training were free and unfettered, so had been its progress or decline in all ages. If we wished that England should rise as an artistic nation we must have greater scope and liberty of action in our classes. — Dr. WAY moved a vote of thanks to the essayist, and Dr. CLAREMONT seconded, urging that the training of the perceptive faculties was more important than loading the memory with facts that could easily be referred to. — Dr. CONAN DOYLE (Hon. Secretary) supported, as did the PRESIDENT; and Mr. FISHER having acknowledged the unanimous vote, the meeting ended.
