But when I turned to the Theseus and saw that every form was altered by action or repose, when I saw that the two sides of his back varied, one side stretched from the shoulder blade being pulled forward, and the other side compressed from the shoulder blade being pushed close to the spine as he rested on his elbow, with the belly flat because the bowels fell into the pelvis as he sat, — and when, turning to the Ilyssus, I saw the belly protruded, from the figure lying on its side, and again, when in the figure of the fighting metope I saw the muscle shown under the one arm-pit in that instantaneous action of darting out, — and left out in the other arm-pits because not wanted, — when I saw, in fact, the most heroic style of art combined with all the essential detail of actual life the thing was done at once and for ever.
Here were principles which the common sense of the English people would understand; here were principles which I had struggled for in my first picture with timidity and apprehension; here were the principles which the great Greeks in their finest time established, and here was I, the most prominent historical student, perfectly qualified to appreciate all this by my own determined mode of study under the influence of my friend the watchmaker,* perfectly comprehending the hint at the skin by knowing well what was underneath it!
* ‘The watchmaker’ was a man Haydon names only as Reynolds, who worked in Plymouth, the town where Haydon grew up. Reynolds encouraged him to pursue his dream of being an artist at a time when Haydon’s family were firmly opposed, and furnished him with materials on anatomy. He should not be confused with the eminent artist Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), of Plympton (now a suburb of Plymouth), though Sir Joshua’s Discourses on Art were another factor in Haydon’s decision. “I read one. It placed so much reliance on honest industry, it expressed so strong a conviction that all men were equal and that application made the difference, that I fired up at once.” ‘The watchmaker’ was Haydon’s way of distinguishing the two men.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Out. Person. Well.
2 Repose. Stretch. Student.
3 Agony. Know. No.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Skin. 2 Keep. 3 Picture. 4 Muscle. 5 Qualify. 6 Back. 7 Fix. 8 Shoulder. 9 Park.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding un-.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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