Also 6 artiste. [a. F. artiste, a. It. artista:—late L. artista, f. ars ART: see -IST.] One who practises or is skilled in any art.
I. One skilled in the ‘liberal’ or learned arts.
† 1. One who is master of the liberal arts (see ART sb. 7); a Master of Arts, learned man, philosopher. Obs.
1592. Chettle, Kind-Harts Dr. (1841), 7. Idiots that think themselues artists because they can English an obligation.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., I. iii. 24. The Wise and Foole, the Artist and vn-read.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, II. x. He held dispute against all the Regents or Fellows of Colledges, Artists or Masters of Arts.
1680. T. Lawson (title), A Mite in the Treasury; being a Word to Artists, especially the Heptatechnists, or Professors of the Seuen Liberal Sciences.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., Artist, in an academical sense, denotes a philosopher or proficient in the faculty of arts.
† 2. gen. One who pursues some practical science; a scientific man, man of science, savant. Obs.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 288. The Moon, whose Orb Through Optic Glass the Tuscan Artist views.
1686. [see 3 b].
† 3. specifically: † a. A professor of the healing art; a medical practitioner, physician, surgeon.
1592. Chettle, Kind-Harts Dr. (1841), 21. They must be artistes that are able to … resist the disease, by prouiding remedies.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, II. iii. 10. Relinquisht of the Artists … both of Galen and Paracelsus.
1671. Salmon, Syn. Med., III. lxxx. 695. Let the Artist grasp the Fracture with both his hands.
1761. Smollett, Gil Blas, III. vii. Luckily my wounds were not mortal, and I fell into the hands of a skilful artist.
† b. A professor of magic arts or occult sciences; an astrologer or alchemist; later, a chemist. Obs.
c. 1605. Rowley, Birth Merl., IV. i. The artists … That seek the secrets of futurity.
1641. French, Distill., vi. (1651), 175. In vain do Artists endeavour the reduction of metalls into their first matter.
1649. trans. Du Ryer’s Alcoran, 413. The knauery and wickedness of the Artists, the foolishness of credulous people, who suffer themselues to be deluded by them.
1686. W. Harris, trans. Lemery’s Chym., I. xvii. (ed. 3), 401. Volatile salts do rise from them which would very much incommode the Artist if he should hold his nose over it.
II. One skilled in the useful arts.
† 4. gen. One who follows any pursuit or employment in which skill or proficiency is attainable by study or practice; hence a. A skilled performer, a proficient, a connoisseur. b. A practical man, as opposed to a theorist. Obs.
1594. Carew, Huarte’s Exam. Wits, xiv. (1596), 253. From which two extreams a king ought to be farther distant, than any other artist.
1600. Chapman, Iliad, XXIII. 289. To make discharge of a design To please an artist.
1653. Walton, Angler, 125. I will give you more directions concerning fishing; for I would fain make you an Artist.
1721. Perry, Daggenh. Breach, 68. In all the questions … I had answer’d them like an Artist, and like a Workman.
1723. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 190. The mate was an excellent sea artist, and an experienced sailor.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 76. A body of theoretic Men only … There might be many of that denomination; yet there were also many real artists in this body.
† 5. A follower of a manual art; an artificer, mechanic, craftsman, artisan. Obs. exc. as in 6.
1633. G. Herbert, Priesth., ii. in Temple, 155. Fitted by the fire and trade Of skilfull artists.
1718. Pope, Iliad, XVIII. 479. Then from his anvil the lame artist rose.
1762. Goldsm., Cit. World, lxv. A poor cobler sat in his stall…. By this time my shoe was mended; and satisfying the poor artist for his trouble, [etc.].
1815. Southey, Roderick, XII. 78. Greek artists in the imperial city forged That splendid armour.
† b. transf. or fig. Obs.
1660. Stanley, Hist. Philos., 157/2. A swarm of Bees, Artists of Hymettian Honey.
6. In this sense now influenced by 7 and applied to: One who practises a manual art in which there is much room for display of taste; one who makes his craft a ‘fine art.’ Cf. ARTISTE.
1849. Curzon, Visits Monast., 316. We had a famous pilau, made by my artist [i.e., cook].
1863. Sat. Rev., 138. The definition of Ary Scheffer … sinks into nothing in contact with such phrases as photographic artist, artist in hair, artist in wax flowers, and the like.
1883. Pall Mall Gaz., 12 May (Supp.). Artists from the National Training School of Cookery will show the public … how fish ought to be cooked.
III. One who pursues an art which has as its aim to please.
7. gen. One who cultivates one of the fine arts, in which the object is mainly to gratify the æsthetic emotions by perfection of execution, whether in creation or representation.
It formerly included all who cultivated any of the arts presided over by the Muses, i.e., history, poetry, comedy, tragedy, music, dancing, astronomy; hence the application to actors, musicians, dancers, and perhaps Milton’s ‘artist’ = astronomer in 2.
1581. Sidney, Def. Poesie (Arb.), 52. The other Artists, & especially the Historian, affirming many things, can … hardly escape from many lyes. But the Poet … neuer affirmeth … but euen for his entry, calleth the sweete Muses to inspire into him a good inuention.
1853. Maurice, Proph. & Kings, xx. 345. A man should be an artist to write a biography as much as to write a romance.
1855. H. Reed, Lect. Eng. Lit., iii. (1878), 109. The true poet is always a true artist and words are the instruments of his art.
1876. Gladstone, Homer. Synch., 190. [Homer] was too skilled an artist to bring freely upon the stage any figure which could vie with the subject of his song.
b. fig.
c. 1842. Tennyson, Memory, v. Well hast thou done, great artist, Memory.
8. specifically: † a. One skilled in music. Obs. exc. as in 7: see ARTISTE.
1590. Plain Perc., 21. Argues a bad eare, & a bungling Artist.
1674. Playford, Skill of Mus., I. v. 19. If an Instrument be sounded by another who is an Artist.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 405, ¶ 1. That excellent Artist … having shewn us the Italian Musick in its Perfection.
b. One skilled in dramatic art; hence extended to any public performer: see ARTISTE.
1714. Spect., No. 570, ¶ 1. You may often see an Artist in the Streets gain a Circle of Admirers by carrying a long Pole upon his Chin.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 102. All who live by amusing the leisure of others, from the painter and the comic poet, down to the ropedancer and the Merry Andrew. For these artists well knew that, [etc.].
1853. C. Brontë, Villette, xxiii. (1876), 250. He told me his opinion of … the actress: he judged her as a woman, not an artist.
c. Now especially: One who practises the arts of design; one who seeks to express the beautiful in visible form. In this sense sometimes taken to include sculptors, engravers and architects; but popularly, and in the most usual current acceptation of the word, restricted to: One who cultivates the art of painting as a profession.
1747. J. Spence (title), Polymetis: an Enquiry concerning the agreement between the works of the Roman Poets and the Remains of the Ancient Artists.
1762. H. Walpole (title), Anecdotes of Painting in England, with some Account of the principal Artists.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T. (1816), 209. The artist, who shall produce … the most beautiful vase of china.
1821. Craig, Lect. Drawing, etc., i. 24. Aristides, who lived contemporary with Apelles, the prince of painters, was the first artist who found a way to express the passions of the mind in the countenances of his figures.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, 86. She’s a perfect Hebe; and if I were an artist, I would paint her.
IV. One who practises artifice.
† 9. One who practises artifice, stratagem, or cunning contrivance; a schemer, contriver. Obs.
1649. Bp. Hall, Cases Consc., III. ii. (1654), 181. The Devill is a most skilfull Artist.
a. 1677. Barrow, Serm. on Contentm. Those slippery, wily, artists, who can veer any whither with any wind.
1723. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 51. The young artist that has done this roguery.
1813. Scott, Rokeby, VI. xxxii. A lifetime’s arts, in vain essay’d, Are bursting on their artist’s head!
B. adj. [a. F. artiste adj. (in Montaigne), or attrib. use of sb.] Artistic, skilful.
1603. Florio, Montaigne (1632), 62. The most artist productions.
1713. Lond. & Country Brew., I. (1742), Pref. I have here also divulged the Nostrum of the Artist Brewer.
