Such works naturally commended themselves most as had least occasion to deviate from their canons.

The simplest pictures, therefore, were pronounced the best.

Paintings of birds and flowers were thus admitted to be fine, because their realism spoke for itself.

Of the exquisite poetic feeling of their landscape paintings the foreign critics were not at first conscious, because it was not expressed in terms with which they were familiar.
But first impressions, here as elsewhere, are valuable.

One is very apt to turn to them again from the reasoning of his second thoughts.