Sir Joshua Reynolds

Sixth Discourse

Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy on the Distribution

of the Prizes, December 10, 1774, by the President.

Gentlemen,-- When I have taken the liberty of addressing you on the

course and order of your studies, I never proposed to enter into a

minute detail of the art. This I have always left to the several

professors, who pursue the end of our institution with the highest

honour to themselves, and with the greatest advantage to the

students.

My purpose in the discourses I have held in the Academy is to lay

down certain general ideas, which seem to me proper for the

formation of a sound taste; principles necessary to guard the

pupils against those errors into which the sanguine temper common

at their time of life, has a tendency to lead them, and which have

rendered abortive the hopes of so many successions of promising

young men in all parts of Europe.

I wish, also, to intercept and suppress those prejudices which

particularly prevail when the mechanism of painting is come to its

perfection, and which when they do prevail are certain to prevail

to the utter destruction of the higher and more valuable parts of

this literate and liberal profession.

These two have been my principal purposes; they are still as much

my concern as ever; and if I repeat my own ideas on the subject,

you who know how fast mistake and prejudice, when neglected, gain

ground upon truth and reason, will easily excuse me. I only

attempt to set the same thing in the greatest variety of lights.

The subject of this discourse will be imitation, as far as a