“ It is in vain that we look for genius to reiterate its miracles in the old arts ”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Art (1841). copy citation
Author | Ralph Waldo Emerson |
---|---|
Source | Art |
Topic | genius art |
Date | 1841 |
Language | English |
Reference | in "Essays: First Series" |
Note | |
Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Essays:_First_Series/Art |
Context
“Beauty will not come at the call of a legislature, nor will it repeat in England or America its history in Greece. It will come, as always, unannounced, and spring up between the feet of brave and earnest men. It is in vain that we look for genius to reiterate its miracles in the old arts; it is its instinct to find beauty and holiness in new and necessary facts, in the field and road-side, in the shop and mill. Proceeding from a religious heart it will raise to a divine use the railroad, the insurance office, the joint-stock company, our law, our primary assemblies, our commerce, the galvanic battery, the electric jar, the prism, and the chemist's retort, in which we seek now only an economical use.”
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