Elegant Art Jokes: FUSELI’S CHANGE FROM LITERATURE TO PAINTING.

Fuseli’s wit, learning, and talents gained him early admission for the company of wealthy and distinguished men. He devoted himself for any lots of time after his arrival London for the daily toils of literature-translations, essays, and critiques. Among other works, he translated Winckelmann’s book on Painting and Sculpture. 1 day Bonny castle believed to him, after dinner, “Fuseli, you can write well,-why don’t you are writing something?”
“Something!” exclaimed one other; “you always cry write-Fuseli write!-blastation! What shall I write?”

“Write,” said Armstrong, who was simply present, “write on the Voltaire and Rousseau Row-there is a subject!”

He said nothing, but went home and began to write. His enthusiastic temper spurred him on, to ensure that he composed his essay with uncommon rapidity. He printed it forthwith; but the whole edition caught fire and was consumed! “It had,” says among his friends, “a short life plus a bright ending.”

While busied along with his translations and other literary labors, he previously not had forgotten his early attachment to Art. He found his way to the studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and submitted a number of his paintings realistic for the President’s examination, which looked over them for some time, after which said, “How long perhaps you have studied in Italy?” “I never studied in Italy-I studied at Zurich-I am a local of Switzerland-do you believe I will study in Italy?-and, especially, could it be worth a darn?” “Young man,” said Reynolds, “were I McDougal of these drawings, and was offered 10000 annually to not practice as an artist, I would reject the proposal with contempt.”

This very favorable opinion from one who considered all he was quoted saying, and was so remarkable for accuracy of judgment, decided the destiny of Fuseli; he forsook for good hard and thankless trade of literature-refused an income inside the church from some patron who had previously been struck along with his talents-and addressed himself to oil painting with heart and hand.