Elegant Art Jokes: FUSELI’S Vary from LITERATURE TO PAINTING.

Fuseli’s wit, learning, and talents gained him early admission for the company of wealthy and distinguished men. He devoted himself to get a time and effort after his arrival working in London towards the daily toils of literature-translations, essays, and critiques. Among other works,
he translated Winckelmann’s book on Painting and Sculpture. 1 day Bonnycastle thought to him, after dinner,

“Fuseli, it is possible to write well,-why don’t you're writing something?”

“Something!” exclaimed the other; “you always cry write-Fuseli write!-blastation! What shall I write?”

“Write,” said Armstrong, who had been present, “write around the Voltaire and Rousseau Row-there can be a subject!”

He was quoted saying nothing, but went home and begun to write. His enthusiastic temper spurred him on, in order that he composed his essay with uncommon rapidity. He printed it forthwith; but the whole edition caught fire and was consumed! “It had,” says one of his friends, “a short life and a bright ending.”

While busied with his translations along with other literary labors, he'd not forgotten his early attachment to Art painting techniques. He found his way to the studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and submitted a number of his drawings to the President’s examination, who looked over them for quite a while, after which said, “How long maybe you have studied in Italy?” “I never studied in Italy-I studied at Zurich-I am a local of Switzerland-do you think I will study in Italy?-and, especially, could it be worth a darn?” “Young man,” said Reynolds, “was I the writer of these drawings, and was offered 10000 a year never to practice as a possible artist, I'd reject the proposal with contempt.”

This very favorable opinion in one who considered all he was quoted saying, and was so remarkable for accuracy of judgment, decided the destiny of Fuseli; he forsook forever hard and thankless trade of literature-refused an income within the church from some patron who had previously been struck along with his talents-and addressed himself to oil painting with heart and hand.