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ED; E718| 22
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[To] Mr Butts, Gr Marlborough Street
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Felpham Novr. 22: 1802
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Dear Sir
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My Brother tells me that he fears you are offended with me.
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I fear so too because there appears some reason why you might be
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so. But when you have heard me out you will not be so
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I have now given two years to the intense study of those
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parts of the art which relate to light & shade & colour & am
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Convincd that either my understanding is incapable of
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comprehending the beauties of Colouring or the Pictures which I
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painted for You Are Equal in Every part of the Art & superior in
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One to any thing that has been done since the age of
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Rafael.--<All> Sr J Reynolds's discourses <to the Royal
Academy>
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will shew. that the Venetian finesse in Art can never be united
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with the Majesty of Colouring necessary to Historical beauty. &
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in a letter to the Revd Mr Gilpin author of a work
on
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Picturesque Scenery he says Thus "It may be worth consideration
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whether the epithet Picturesque is not applicable to the
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excellencies of the inferior Schools rather than to the higher.
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The works of Michael Angelo Rafael &/c appear to me to have
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nothing of it: whereas Rubens & the Venetian Painters may almost
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be said to have Nothing Else.--Perhaps Picturesque is somewhat
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synonymous to the word Taste which we should think improperly
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applied to Homer or Milton but very well to Prior or Pope. I
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suspect that the application of these words are to Excellencies
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of an inferior order & which are incompatible with the Grand
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Style You are certainly right in saying that Variety of Tints &
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Forms is Picturesque: but it must be rememberd on the other hand.
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that the reverse of this--(uniformity of Colour & a long
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continuation of lines) produces Grandeur"------So Says S/ir
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Joshua and So say I for I have now proved that the parts of the
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art which I neglected to display in those little pictures &
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drawings which I had the pleasure & profit to do for you are
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incompatible with the designs--There is nothing in the Art which
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our Painters do. that I can confess myself ignorant of I also
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Know & Understand & can assuredly affirm that the works I have
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done for You are Equal to Carrache or Rafael (and I am now Seven
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years older than Rafael was when he died) I say they are Equal to
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Carrache or Rafael or Else I am Blind Stupid Ignorant and
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Incapable in two years Study to understand those things which a
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Boarding School Miss can comprehend in a fortnight. Be assured
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My dear Friend that there is not one touch in those Drawings &
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Pictures but what came from my Head & my Heart in Unison. That I
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am Proud of being their Author and Grateful to you my Employer. &
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that I look upon you as the Chief of my Friends whom I would
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endeavour to please because you among all men have enabled me to
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produce these things. I would not send you a Drawing or a
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Picture till I had again reconsiderd my notions of Art & had put
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myself back as if I was a learner I have proved that I am Right &
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shall now Go on with the Vigor I was in my Childhood famous for
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But I do not pretend to be Perfect. but if my Works have
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faults Caracche Corregios & Rafaels have faults also. let me
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observe that the yellow leather flesh of old men the ill drawn &
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ugly young women & above all the dawbed black & yellow shadows
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that are found in most fine ay & the finest pictures. I
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altogether reject as ruinous to Effect tho Connoisseurs may think
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Let me also notice that Carraches Pictures are not like
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Correggios nor Correggios like Rafaels & if neither of them was
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to be encouraged till he did like any of the others be must die
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without Encouragement My Pictures are unlike any of these
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Painters & I would have them to be so I think the manner I adopt
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More Perfect than any other no doubt They thought the same of
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theirs
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You will be tempted to think that As I improve The
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Pictures &/c that I did for you are not what I would now wish
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them to be. On this I beg to say That they are What I intended
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them & that I know I never shall do better for if I was to do
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them over again they would lose as much as they gaind because
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they were done in the heat of My Spirits
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But You will justly enquire why I have not written All this
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time to you? I answer I have been very Unhappy & could not think
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of troubling you about it or any of my real Friends (I have
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written many letters to you which I burnd & did not send) & why
I
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have not before now finishd the Miniature I promissd to Mrs
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Butts? I answer I have not till now in any degree pleased myself
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& now I must intreat you to Excuse faults for Portrait Painting
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is the direct contrary to Designing & Historical Painting in
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every respect--If you have not Nature before you for Every Touch
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you cannot Paint Portrait. & if you have Nature before you at all
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you cannot Paint History it was Michall Angelos opinion & is
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Mine. Pray Give My Wife's love with mine to Mrs Butts assure
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her that it cannot be long before I have the pleasure of Painting
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from you in Person & then that She may Expect a likeness but now
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I have done All I
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could & know she will forgive any failure in consideration of the
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Endeavour.
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And now let me finish with assuring you that Tho I have been
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very unhappy I am so no longer I am again Emerged into the light
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of Day I still & shall to Eternity Embrace Christianity and Adore
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him who is the Express image of God but I have traveld thro
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Perils & Darkness not unlike a Champion I have Conquerd and shall
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still Go on Conquering Nothing can withstand the fury of my
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Course among the Stars of God & in the Abysses of the Accuser My
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Enthusiasm is still what it was only Enlarged and confirmd
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I now Send Two Pictures & hope you will approve of them I
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have inclosed the Account of Money recievd & Work done which I
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ought long ago to have sent you pray forgive Errors in omissions
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of this kind I am incapable of many attentions which it is my
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Duty to observe towards you thro multitude of employment & thro
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hope of soon seeing you again I often omit to Enquire of you But
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pray let me now hear how you do & of the welfare of your family
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Accept my Sincere love & respect
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I remain Yours Sincerely
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WILLm BLAKE
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A Piece of Sea Weed Serves for a Barometer [i]t gets wet &
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dry as the weather gets so
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