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Here is a sentence with atrocious grammar which made me confused:

Men who, although thus bound down by the almost invincible powers of early habits, have still exerted extraordinary abilities within their narrow and confined circle, and have, from the natural vigour of their mind, given such an interesting expression, such force and energy to their works, though they cannot be recommended to be exactly imitated, may yet invite an artist to endeavour to transfer, by a kind of parody, those excellences to his own works. Whoever has acquired the power of making this use of the Flemish, Venetian, and French schools is a real genius, and has sources of knowledge open to him which were wanting to the great artists who lived in the great age of painting.
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1) recommend = consider?
2) The subject and its verb of the first sentence is:

Men may yet invite (an artist to ...)?

3) What does "this use" refer to?

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Yes, that's confusing writing! I'll give it a shot. To greatly simplify:

"Men who are great artists may invite other artists to use the same kind of techniques in their own works. Those other artists who learn to use the techniques of these great men are geniuses, and can learn from the artists who lived before them."

So no, recommend doesn't = consider, it's more like, "although they (men who are great artists) should not be imitated exactly, aspects of their talents might be incorporated in your own work."

"This use" (of [artists of] the Flemish, Venetian, and French schools) is the "transfer of excellences" into the artist's work of the "interesting expression" and "force and energy" of the artist who has gone before.

What in the world are you reading? It sounds like a scholarly treatise written a hundred years ago! Smile

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Hi Wy, I think you've inspired me so much.

I think actually I got the grammar as almost exactly as what you indicated (except "recommended") before I posted the thread. Now I understand what actually confused me is its logic.

1) If "This use" is the "transfer of excellences", and Whoever has acquired the power of making this use is a real genius, well, we know the transfer is 'by a kind of parody". How is it possible that a "real genius" would do 'a kind of parody'? A man who does parody should be a mediocre artist.

2) A real also imitates like a mediocre artist does?

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Quote:

1) If "This use" is the "transfer of excellences", and Whoever has acquired the power of making this use is a real genius, well, we know the transfer is 'by a kind of parody". How is it possible that a "real genius" would do 'a kind of parody'? A man who does parody should be a mediocre artist.

Actually, Oristar, I recall one of your previous grammar posts involving an old fashioned speech which talked about art...and the author of that speech heartedly disagreed with your opinion that an artist who does parody is a mediocre artist (because I think here that by parody we mean imitation), and I would have to agree...because all we can do is imitate, and when we are being original...you might just say we are combining imitation from other sources, and even the choices to combine these sources is not really original, but an imitation of other combinations which we have witnessed to be successful.

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Thanks Stuh! Very Happy

Could you explain the following?

The "which" in " to which everything is referred" is the same as the "which" in "which he has thus gathered to himself"? That is, the both whichs refer to "mass"?

And what does "mass" mean?

Context:
To find excellences however dispersed, to discover beauties however concealed by the multitude of defects with which they are surrounded, can be the work only of him who, having a mind always alive to his art, has extended his views to all ages and to all schools, and has acquired from that comprehensive mass which he has thus gathered to himself, a well digested and perfect idea of his art, to which everything is referred.

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Hi Oristar!
No, the first "which" refers to the comprehensive mass (which is made up of "all ages and all schools" and means "all the ideas and techniques the artist has learned").

The second "which" refers to the "well digested and perfect idea of his art."

In other words, "Only a man who has studied widely and with an open mind can find excellence and beauty anywhere, because he has an ideal in his mind. That ideal is distilled from the work of others of different times and who used various techniques."

I think. This passage is even more confusing! Smile

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Well explained! Very Happy

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