er that many great works of art require mental effort in order
to grasp and appreciate them. You must be wide-awake to follow a play
of Shakespeare; you must puzzle out the meaning of a group painting
before fully enjoying it; you must study some of the detail of a
Gothic cathedral before getting the full effect; music may be too
"classical" for many to grasp and follow. Unless, then, the artist has
made a great mistake, the mental activity which he demands from his
public must contribute to the satisfaction they derive from his works.
If his appeal were simply to their emotions, any intellectual labor
would be a disturbing element. The intellectual appeal is partly to
objective interests in the thing presented, partly to interest in the
workmanship, and partly to the mastery motive in the form of problem
solution.

Perhaps we do not often think of a fine painting or piece of music as
a problem set us for solution, but it is that, and owes part of its
appeal to its being a problem. To "get the hang of" a work of art
requires some effort and attention; if the problem presented is too
difficult for us, the work of art is dry; if too easy, it is tame.

The mastery motive is probably as important in the enjoyment of art as
it is in play and dreaming. It comes in once in the joy of mastering
the significance of the work of art, and again in self-identification
with the fine characters portrayed.

{515}

Empathy in art enjoyment.

At first thought, some forms of art, as architecture, seem incapable
of making the just-mentioned double appeal to the mastery motive.
Architecture can certainly present problems for the beholder to solve,
but how can the beholder possibly identify himself with a tower or
arch? If, however, we remember the "empathy" that we spoke of under
the head of play, we see that the beholder may project himself into
the object, unintentionally of course, and thus perhaps get
satisfaction of his mastery impulse.

Look at a pillar, for example. If the pillar is too massive for the
load supported, it gives you the unsatisfactory impression of doing
something absurdly small for your powers. If on the contrary the
pillar is too slender for the load that seems to rest upon it, you get
the feeling of strain and insecurity; but if it is rightly
proportioned, you get the feeling of a worthy task successfully
accomplished. The pillar, according to empathy, pleases you by
arousing and gratifying your mastery impu