Seven Discourses on Art

A series of inaugural and annual addresses lays out concise principles for the visual arts, offering practical counsel on study, imitation of exemplary masters, composition, invention, and the balanced use of drawing and colour. The speaker urges elevation of art through judgment and taste rather than slavish technical minutiae, recommends close study of both great works and nature, and distinguishes liberal artistic practice from mere decorative craft. Intended for an institutional audience of teachers and students, the discourses also defend formal instruction, public exhibitions, and critical standards as means to raise individual practice and public appreciation of art.