Euphorion Being Studies of the Antique and the Mediaeval in the Renaissance - Vol. II   By: Vernon Lee (1856-1935)

"Vernon Lee's exploration of the intersection between the ancient world, the medieval era, and the Renaissance in 'Euphorion Being Studies of the Antique and the Mediaeval in the Renaissance - Vol. II' is a fascinating and insightful read. Lee's rich knowledge of art, literature, and history shines through in each essay, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the cultural interconnectedness of these periods. The essays are well-researched and thoughtfully written, offering a fresh perspective on familiar topics. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of artistic and intellectual heritage in the Renaissance."

First Page:

Real and Ideal these are the handy terms, admiring or disapproving, which criticism claps with random facility on to every imaginable school. This artist or group of artists goes in for the real the upright, noble, trumpery, filthy real; that other artist or group of artists seeks after the ideal the ideal which may mean sublimity or platitude. We summon every living artist to state whether he is a realist or an idealist; we classify all dead artists as realists or idealists; we treat the matter as if it were one of almost moral importance. Now the fact of the case is that the question of realism and idealism, which we calmly assume as already settled or easy to settle by our own sense of right and wrong, is one of the tangled questions of art philosophy; and one, moreover, which no amount of theory, but only historic fact, can ever set right. For, to begin with, we find realism and idealism coming before us in different ways and with different meaning and importance... Continue reading book >>