fessed adversary of Gothic jig-saw work. Gothic he had been
taught to interpret as something barbarous. But now, upon be-
holding the great cathedral, his learned doctrine was overthrown
by immediate experience. And trusting the deep impression, he
cast aside the traditional prejudices of his time. He had per-
ceived the greatness and sublimity of Gothic art.

From intuitive perception he then proceeded to study and in-
vestigation. A spirit always striving to order isolated experiences,
he reflected on his impression. His findings were given form and
published in his famous essay Von deutscher Baukunst, dedi-
cated to Erwin von Steinbach, the builder of the Cathedral. In
its clear conception of general principles, the paper reveals the
divination of a genius. In language poetic with the passion and
enthusiasm of youth, the author praised the originality of the
Gothic building, which seemed to him "not a product of human
hands, but a creation of nature, everything perfect in form, even
to the smallest detail, everything subordinated to the whole."
In his imagination he set the Cathedral face to face with the re-
membered models of classicism. Their polished beauty seemed
to him the mere result of esthetic rules, while the naturalness
and even harshness of the Gothic building seemed to manifest
creative power. Interpreting his experience, he came to say: "Art
is formative long before it is fine, and yet is true and great, in-
deed, often truer and greater than fine art itself."