beacon lights of history-iii-2-第31章

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workers　in　mosaics；　but　Cimabue　abandoned　this　servile　copying；　and

gave　a　new　expression　to　heads；　and　grouped　his　figures。　　Under

Giotto；　who　was　contemporary　with　Dante；　drawing　became　still　more

correct；　and　coloring　softer。　　After　him；　painting　was　rapidly

advanced。　　Pietro　della　Francesca　was　the　father　of　perspective；

Domenico　painted　in　oil；　discovered　by　Van　Eyck　in　Flanders；　in

1410；　Masaccio　studied　anatomy；　gilding　disappeared　as　a　background

around　pictures。　　In　the　fifteenth　century　the　enthusiasm　for

painting　became　intense；　even　monks　became　painters；　and　every

convent　and　church　and　palace　was　deemed　incomplete　without

pictures。　　But　ideal　beauty　and　harmony　in　coloring　were　still

wanting；　as　well　as　freedom　of　the　pencil。　　Then　arose　Da　Vinci　and

Michael　Angelo；　who　practised　the　immutable　principles　by　which　art

could　be　advanced；　and　rapidly　following　in　their　steps；　Fra

Bartolommeo；　Fra　Angelico；　Rossi；　and　Andrea　del　Sarto　made　the　age

an　era　in　painting；　until　the　art　culminated　in　Raphael　and

Corregio　and　Titian。　　And　divers　cities　of　ItalyBologna；　Milan；

Parma；　and　Venicedisputed　with　Rome　and　Florence　for　the　empire

of　art；　as　also　did　many　other　cities　which　might　be　mentioned；

each　of　which　has　a　history；　each　of　which　is　hallowed　by　poetic

associations；　so　that　all　men　who　have　lived　in　Italy；　or　even

visited　it；　feel　a　peculiar　interest　in　these　cities；an　interest

which　they　can　feel　in　no　others；　even　if　they　be　such　capitals　as

London　and　Paris。　　I　excuse　this　extravagant　admiration　for　the

wonderful　masterpieces　produced　in　that　age；　making　marble　and

canvas　eloquent　with　the　most　inspiring　sentiments；　because；　wrapt

in　the　joys　which　they　excite；　the　cultivated　and　imaginative　man

forgetsand　rejoices　that　he　can　forgetthe　untidiness　of　that

World　Capital；　the　many　reminders　of　ages　of　unthrift；　which　stare

ordinary　tourists　in　the　face；　and　all　the　other　disgusting

realities　which　philanthropists　deplore　so　loudly　in　that

degenerate　but　classical　and　ever…to…be…hallowed　land。　　For；　come

what　will；　in　spite　of　past　turmoils　it　has　been　the　scene　of　the

highest　glories　of　antiquity；　calling　to　our　minds　saints　and

martyrs；　as　well　as　conquerors　and　emperors；　and　revealing　at　every

turn　their　tombs　and　broken　monuments；　and　all　the　hoary　remnants

of　unsurpassed　magnificence；　as　well　as　preserving　in　churches　and

palaces　those　wonders　which　were　created　when　Italy　once　again

lived　in　the　noble　aspiration　of　making　herself　the　centre　and　the

pride　of　the　new　civilization。



Da　Vinci；　the　oldest　of　the　great　masters　who　immortalized　that

era；　died　in　1519；　in　the　arms　of　Francis　I。　of　France；　and　Michael

Angelo　received　his　mantle。　　The　young　sculptor　was　taken　away　from

his　chisel　to　paint；　for　Pope　Julius　II。；　the　ceiling　of　the

Sistine　Chapel。　　After　the　death　of　his　patron　Lorenzo；　he　had

studied　and　done　famous　work　in　marble　at　Bologna；　at　Rome；　and

again　at　Florence。　　He　had　also　painted　some；　and　with　such

immediate　success　that　he　had　been　invited　to　assist　Da　Vinci　in

decorating　a　hall　in　the　ducal　palace　at　Florence。　　But　sculpture

was　his　chosen　art；　and　when　called　to　paint　the　Sistine　Chapel；　he

implored　the　Pope　that　he　might　be　allowed　to　finish　the　mausoleum

which　he　had　begun；　and　that　Raphael；　then　dazzling　the　whole　city

by　his　unprecedented　talents；　might　be　substituted　for　him　in　that

great　work。　　But　the　Pope　was　inflexible；　and　the　great　artist

began　his　task；　assisted　by　other　painters；　however；　he　soon　got

disgusted　with　them　and　sent　them　away；　and　worked　alone。　　For

twenty　months　he　toiled；　rarely　seen；　living　abstemiously；　absorbed

utterly　in　his　work　of　creation；　and　the　greater　portion　of　the

compartments　in　the　vast　ceiling　was　finished　before　any　other

voice　than　his；　except　the　admiring　voice　of　the　Pope；　pronounced

it　good。



It　would　be　useless　to　attempt　to　describe　those　celebrated

frescos。　　Their　subjects　were　taken　from　the　Book　of　Genesis；　with

great　figures　of　sibyls　and　prophets。　　They　are　now　half…concealed

by　the　accumulated　dust　and　smoke　of　three　hundred　years；　and　can

be　surveyed　only　by　reclining　at　full　length　on　the　back。　　We　see

enough；　however；　to　be　impressed　with　the　boldness；　the　majesty；

and　the　originality　of　the　figures；their　fidelity　to　nature；　the

knowledge　of　anatomy　displayed；　and　the　disdain　of　inferior　arts；

especially　the　noble　disdain　of　appealing　to　false　and　perverted

taste；　as　if　he　painted　from　an　exalted　ideal　in　his　own　mind；

which　ideal　is　ever　associated　with　creative　power。



It　is　this　creative　power　which　places　Michael　Angelo　at　the　head

of　the　artists　of　his　great　age；　and　not　merely　the　power　to　create

but　the　power　of　realizing　the　most　exalted　conceptions。　　Raphael

was　doubtless　superior　to　him　in　grace　and　beauty；　even　as　Titian

afterwards　surpassed　him　in　coloring。　　He　delighted；　like　Dante；　in

the　awful　and　the　terrible。　　This　grandeur　of　conception　was

especially　seen　in　his　Last　Judgment；　executed　thirty　years

afterwards；　in　completion　of　the　Sistine　Chapel；　the　work　on　which

had　been　suspended　at　the　death　of　Julius。　　This　vast　fresco　is

nearly　seventy　feet　in　height；　painted　upon　the　wall　at　the　end　of

the　chapel；　as　an　altar…piece。　　No　subject　could　have　been　better

adapted　to　his　genius　than　thisthe　day　of　supernal　terrors　（dies

irae；　dies　illa）；　when；　according　to　the　sentiments　of　the　Middle

Ages；　the　doomed　were　subjected　to　every　variety　of　physical

suffering；　and　when　this　agony　of　pain；　rather　than　agony　of

remorse；　was　expressed　in　tortured　limbs　and　in　faces　writhing　with

demoniacal　despair。　　Such　was　the　variety　of　tortures　which　he

expressed；　showing　an　unexampled　richness　in　imaginative　powers；

that　people　came　to　see　it　from　the　remotest　parts　of　Italy。　　It

made　a　great　sensation；　like　the　appearance　of　an　immortal　poem；

and　was　magnificently　rewarded；　for　the　painter　received　a　pension

of　twelve　hundred　golden　crowns　a　year；a　great　sum　in　that　age。



But　Michael　Angelo　did　not　paint　many　pieces；　he　confined　himself

chiefly　to　cartoons　and　designs；　which；　scattered　far　and　wide；

were　reproduced　by　other　artists。　　His　most　famous　cartoon　was　the

Battle　of　Pisa；　the　one　executed　for　the　ducal　palace　of　Florence；

as　pendant　to　one　by　Leonardo　da　Vinci；　then　in　the　height　of　his

fame。　　This　picture　was　so　remarkable　for　the　accuracy　of　drawing；

and　the　variety　and　form　of　expression；　that　Raphael　came　to

Florence　on　purpose　to　study　it；　and　it　was　the　power　of　giving

boldness　and　dignity　and　variety　to　the　human　figure；　as　shown　in

this　painting；　which　constitutes　his　great　originality　and

transcendent　excellence。　　The　great　creations　of　the　painters；　in

modern　times　as　well　as　in　the　ancient；　are　those　which　represent

the　human　figure　in　its　ideal　excellence；which　of　course　implies

what　is　most　perfect；　not　in　any　one　man　or　woman；　but　in　men　and

women　collectively。　　Hence　the　greatest　of　painters　rarely　have

stooped　to　landscape　painting；　since　no　imaginary　landscape　can

surpass　what　everybody　has　seen　in　nature。　　You　cannot　improve　on

the　colors　of　the　rainbow；　or　the　gilded　clouds　of　sunset；　or　the

shadows　of　the　mountain；　or　the　graceful　form　of　trees；　or　the

varied　tints　of　leaves　and　flowers；　but　you　can　represent　the

figure　of　a　man　or　woman　more　beautiful　than　any　one　man　or　woman

that　has　ever　appeared。　　What　mortal　woman　ever　expressed　the

ethereal　beauty　depicted　in　a　Madonna　of　Raphael　or　Murillo？　　And

what　man　ever　had　such　a　sublimity　of　aspect　and　figure　as　the

creations　of　Michael　Angelo？　　Why；　〃a　beggar；〃　says　one　of　his

greatest　critics；　〃arose　from　his　hand　the　patriarch　of　poverty；

the　hump　of　his　dwarf　is　impressed　with　dignity；　his　infants　are

men；　and　his　men　are　giants。〃　　And；　says　another　critic；　〃he　is　the

inventor　of　epic　painting；　in　that　sublime　circle　of　the　Sistine

Chapel　which　exhibits　the　origin；　progres