Art biþ ani wis to schewen a þoȝt þe man haveþ on mode. Yt ys þe kraft of schaaping enne ymage uppon one borde, or one clothe, or one leaue. It ys eek poeſye, and yedde, and pleiewerk. To kerven ſtoon biþ art, al so is to blowen glas. To daunſen and to harpen boþen been art.
Sume artificieres taaken here craft to meſtere; ooþre maaken mirȝth þerthurȝ, and gamen, and hauen enne ooþer meſter.
Hiſtorie[edit | edit source]
Mankyn gan maaken art er rekennes. Þe eldeſte art þe yeet laſteþ þe me haveþ ifvnden been þe holwes wiþinne cooues at Bhimbetka and Daraki-Chattan on Yndie, cupules ihoten. Þiſe cupules been ouer CCLXXXX þuſend yeere on aage, and some weenen þei been michel eldre, mei happ dcc þuſend yeeres.
Twei fygures on þe iliknesse of a wimman weren ifvnden þat been on aage yliche with þe foreſeyde cupules, þe whych sume seggen been þe eldeſte biſnes of ſkulptiles þe scoleres clepen Venuſes. Þat were þe eldeſte ischopen yliknes of eyþing. Bute þe michel del of Venus ſkulptiles been michele yungre, and some ſkoleres weenen þiſe olde tweie bute toles.
Þe eldeſte ipeynt imaage of a werldlich þyng to manne ycuth ys an iliknes of a swin in one coue, Leang Tedongnge ihoten, on Sulawesi eiland on Yndonesie, þat scoleres weenen wel fif and fouerti thuſend yeres and fif hundred on aage.
Þe eldeſte inſtrvmente of musyk þat man fand biþ a glee pipe of bere boon, in one cove on Slouenie, Divje Babe yhoten. Skoleres weenen Neanderthales yt schop abuten fifti þuſend yeres agon.
Þe Greekiſſhe folk on aunſyen times ys faamouſe for here craftie ſtoone ſtatves and here smiker fates.
Þe old Romiſſh folk is iknowen for here goode portreture of tyles.
Wide ycuth art of þe olde Chineis folk his wys of peinture þat leveþ michel bare rum abuten þe pryncipale figure, and eek for his mere diſches of whit and bleu.
On þe fifteeneþ hondred of yeres anno domini bilamp an awendyng of art in Europe þat hatte þe Reneſſaunce, þat ys on Englyſſhe þe sekunde birþe. Artifycieres of þat ilke genre heelden þe sooþeſte nereu figuring of werldliche thynges alre bezte. Þe saame genre weldede art þurȝut þe sexteeneþ hondred of yeeres anno domini, and þe seventeeneth, and þe eiȝteteeneþ, and of þe nienteeneþ a partie.
On þe nienteeneþ hundred of yeeres anno domini com a manere of peinture icleped Ympreſſiounym þat forbueþ nerewe figuryng of werldliche þinges, ak seecheth enne feir impreſſiovn þerto. Þe saame was þe erſt genre of Neeue Art, þe whych weex wel michel on þe twenteeþ hvndred of yeeres anno domini and forkede to diverſe maneres, so biſne Cubyme, and Abstracte Expreſſiovnyme.
Sithen Neewe Art biþ a selkuth þyng, þat seecheþ bringen on man sum deep inward ymaginaacion. It com abuten anno domini MDCCCCLXX.