Yet all Greek sculpture was painted or treated with wax in such a manner the harshness of the stone was modified. The sensitive vision of the Greeks could not tolerate the cold, hard whiteness. Much of our enjoyment of ancient sculpture is due to its discoloration, to what time and the elements have done to its surfaces. * * * * * Our appreciation of art will never be true until we can gaze with unprejudiced eye upon any combination of lines and colors the artist chooses to use. So long as we demand that he shall use only those combinations we are accustomed to, just so long do _we_ by _our_ attitude check his development. The average man is bewildered by the new and the strange; he is bewildered by new cities, new countries, new peoples, new pictures, new sculpture, new architecture, new music, new books, new ideas--because he is not used to them and does not understand them; he does not know whether to like them or not so he condemns them in order to make a pretense of knowing. * * * * * The rare man is not bewildered by the new and the strange at home or abroad, in art or life. He is interested and at once sets about learning and comprehending. He _loves_ the new and the strange _instinctively_ because they excite his curiosity and pique his intelligence. He loves to meet the new and the strange as an archeologist loves to find an inscription in an unknown tongue--for the hidden significance. * * * * * This chapter may be concluded appropriately by four warnings which Chinese wisdom pours into the ears of art students. Many of the modern painters should ponder these precepts. “Ja, Kan, Zoku, Rai.” “_Ja_ refers to attempted originality in a painting without the ability to give it character, departing from all law to produce something not reducible to any law or principle. “_Kan_ is producing only superficial pleasing effect without any _power_ in the brush stroke--a characterless painting, to charm only the ignorant. “_Zoku_ refers to the fault of painting from a mercenary motive only--thinking of money instead of art. “_Rai_ is the base imitation of or copying or cribbing from others.” X UGLINESS The modern movement is in the direction of greater freedom, freedom to produce beautiful things in one’s own way. _Unhappily many of the things produced are not beautiful now_--not nearly so dignified and beautiful as thousands upon thousands of old pictures. One’s _first_ impression on entering an exhibition of extreme modern works is not an impression of beauty but of _ugliness_. There is no denying that, and it takes even the most impartial and sympathetic observer a long time to pick out the things which are fine in color and line and to readjust his notions of beauty. Many of the pictures are brutal and most of them are crude, but while the first impression may be one of ugliness it is more, it is one of _exceeding vitality_.