Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-10-01

together unity which is the result OF
perfection separately considered the qualities Of eacl
one fitting into the mperection and completing the cha
racter Of Of the others And It IS from their varie
ties that the chorda unity Of vitality is evolved Vita
proportion it is to be observed is entirely without
pereeired reference utility expediency
frankly accepted by the mind being In itself suf
cent ground for its existence Observe for instance the
continuous yet varying curvature OF the human
cheek forehead lips nose and chin, and the
of union by which these all harmonzed in lovely
/ face They have no common use; an ugly face is as
useful beautiful one, and performs the offices
Vital proportion is the continent of every attribute Of
beauty in the physique. These remarks viii show that
vital proportion exist in all the physical qualities
of great work of sculpture The surface and indeed
all things of the work must display the union of
varying curyaures and all constituent characteristics
one harmony. There few modern works that pos
sess it in high degree The Torso of the Belvidere,
the noble fragment of antiquity which Michel Angelo
made the study Of his lifetime is remarkable for an in
eable grace and purity of curvature all the parts being
perfect in themselves, and yet aiding whole perfect
themselves. The finest works of later artists harsh
beside it.
6, The middle quality of physique aspect, and
this was spoken of triune being continuous contrast
ed and contanent
The containent degree of aspect needs but slight
mark 1t is the actual shape of Objects containing the
form and the higher degrees of aspect and produces
such sensible qualities concavity conyexy and their
resultant projections. OF course this quality is necessa-
ry possessed by every work of sculpture and its
particular is dependant in great the
other members of the une to which it belongs It is not
requisite that it be further alluded to.
Z. ContrastThis degree of aspect comprises linear.
angular pointed shapes and these include all modes of
physical contrast Their power is shown more fully in
architecture than in sculpture, and more in the Dorc
architecture of Greece than in any other STYLE The sub
Unity of the Doric is dependant almost wholly upon
linear and angular contrast But contrast appears in
degree in all sculptures fully in that OF Egypt
and the middle ages than in the Greek modern works.
In the middle ages heavy and angular shapes of drapery
universally made exponent of the power Of gravity
in statuary This contrast is needed and must exist in
degree in all fine sculpture, partly to give value to
the predominant curvature and partly because without
the human attribute of intellect would be repre-
sented in aspect 1t has tendency to restrain sensual
and oyerhexed curvatures such thosetha degrade
the works of Canova and others of his school and its
restraint includes attitude also which becomes excessive
y contorted in the works of degraded men. The con-
which is required in these is however,
that Of actually straight lines real angles but of cur
Natures slight and pure that the mind is scarcely
scious of any variation from straight line plane
faces. We shall presently that natural forms almost
exclusively composed of curves and that it has
NAMED for man mainly to make nnumerable rectangular
edges in his bricks and timbers and squared
Nevertheless these things good in their place. good
the work Of the creature. Indeed the cube is the
ponen Of power and is found in the Apocalypse the
shape Of the New Jerusalem descending from God out
of Heaven"
8. Continuity is the highest quality Of the triune in
aspect and it includes all qualities of graduation, las
of curved lines and Of specifically and dynamcay curved
surfaces well the less obvious modes of continuity
such as OF plane surfaces and of harmonized suraces
1t is believe universally acknowledged that all forms
of beauty composed of curved surfaces exclusively
In the human body-the most beautiful object in the
word-there is not one straight line nor plane surface
throughout the realms of nature animate and mani
mate except in crystals In the lines of calm water
and of extended and vast plains right lines often
suggested, which not actual Without these could
be sensible 81 the value of contrasted curves In
nature the eye fed with grace of curvature which
no hand instrument follow" Curves univer
sally variant and their differences have been alluded to
fha mars anh Nitalp rtio x
Now, in sculpture the principles that find in nature
must be adhered to- Curvature Of surface must be the
main quality Of aspect with the admission of much
apparently linear contrast is needed to give the
tureit full value the whole finding its unity in prspor-
ton" In the Theseus, for example, the angles of the
elbow and the knee give additional value to the result of
the extraordinary which has exqustey curved the
intermediate surfaces of the body and thigh.
3 1t is necessary to remark that could not have
either proportion aspect in physical substances
it not for the qualities Of extension The subject
of form is in architecture study of extreme importance
but in sculpture it is always impled the human figure
being nearly determnate FORM and needs particular
treatment in this essay To complete the system it may
be proper say that consists Of longitudinal lateral
and vertical extensions that these include all FORM and
and that form could not possibly exist without all Of
them. Thus, longitudinal and lateral extension may be
made exist in the deineation Of square upon plane
surface and obviously, verca extension be not added
to them they cannot constitute physical object occupy
ing spaces and similarly if the example be applied, using
any Of these extensions for the third term.
10. We have for the present done with the body. IL
is noble and valuable thing capable Of receiving the
imprint Of the exquisite beauty Of FORM aspect and
proportion in sculptures while in life it adds the
Grafton of color motion, and Many carry the
pabes of sculpture further hgher) than this point
TO these blind it is scarcely useful to speak, but they
asked TO follow for little way and think Of the pos
sibty Of attaining something better. The body can, in
either life sculpture become lamp through which the
seraphim may shine with the tender yet glorious efful
gence OF Heaven through which the withdrawn demons
may glare with the shadosed lumen of their inferno. We
see both Of these lamps in sculpture and two noble in
stances are together lie who visits the Medici
Chapel at Florence forgets the statue Of Day. and
near II the monumental egy Of Lorenzo de Medic The
former, roughly blocked from the marble wakens and
gazes into the heart with the sweet dawnng Of heavenly
hours while the other, in fearful repose banches the
very spirit Of the beholder
-" Mark him we'll
lie meditates, his head upon his hand.
What from beneath his hcm-lke bonnet seoyls2
IL il a face o. but eyeess skull2
'Tis lost in shade, yet, like the basilsk,
1t fascinates and is intolerable."
And this brings US to Spirit.
IL. " Lamp Of life. thy light is burning
Through the veil that to hold Ii;
Let it's yesta flame shine Ger US;
Let our tapers glimmer starlikc,
Lighted by it's keen reflection
Till yorantignorances
Printed dwell in leeward shadows"
Spirit in art brings us truly the man Of genius and
his works. Who shall fty comprehend them Who
bis statues with superhuman vitality? Some glimpse,
perhaps some far of efugence may lend type of the
unbound knowledge; but that is ALL Spirit comprises
the will the component Of the affections the recipient
love from the Creator y the intellect with its acul-
ties he recipient Of truth from the Creator and the
active principle Of the mind Each Of these three is it.
self triune in structure. Following the analytic line
shall first take nm the mental power activity This