Friday, December 20, 2013

Faldoni, parts 2560 - 2563

 2560. Faldoni did not realize that it is not humanly possible to do any sort of paintings that other students would not delight in finding fault with, and the better the work, the more savage the criticism might be. But, nevertheless, this imaginary criticism had the effect of goading Faldoni into finally abandoning the simple profile portrait and turning to more difficult views.


  2561. He even began to fearlessly attempt the three quarter view, trusting to his master's advice that if he just kept trying for twenty years or so, he would eventually succeed.


 2562. Previously in this story we said that Faldoni and the other apprentices could never learn how to paint a face by watching the master, but that was not entirely accurate. The truth is that if one continually tries and fails to do something, and yet every day gets to see that activity done perfectly by another, after a while one can learn something quite by accident.


2563. Now, what I am going to explain is quite mundane and obvious, and seemingly of no consequence, but it must be explained because, as ordinary a piece of information as it is, it is of the utmost importance.


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