This peculiarity of mind passed by me unnoticed at the
time; I knew and understood too little, nay, indeed, almost nothing of
myself as yet, even as regards the actions of my every-day life.
A second occupation of this prison period was the preparation of an
exercise (or academical thesis) in geometry, which I undertook that I
might the sooner obtain an independent position in some profession.
Thirdly, I studied Winckelmann's "Letters on Art." Through them some
germs of higher artistic feeling may have been awakened within me; for I
examined the engravings which the work contains with intense delight. I
could quite perceive the glow of pleasure that they aroused, but at the
time I took little account of this influence, and indeed the feeling
for art altogether was late in developing itself in me. When I now
glance over the earlier and later, the greater and smaller, artistic
emotions which have swayed me, and observe their source and direction, I
see that it was with arts (sculpture as well as music) as it was with
languages--I never succeeded in accomplishing the outward acquisition of
them: yet I now feel vividly that I, too, might have been capable of
something in art had I had an artistic education.
Pages:
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81