Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-04
THE SCHOOLS OF AET-THE Re.
EAISSAECE.

By ROBERT NEWMAN.
The armies Of the Crusaders returning
| home to Europe through Venice, their base
brought in their train Greek painters whose
teaching laid the foundation of Italian art
the period known IS the Renaissance. Slim
ulated by religious enthusiasm, the Italian
mind naiyelY accepted the types of these
masters and produced works marked BIZ
profound feeling of awe, reverence and love
Slowly, and by degrees departing from these
formal types, each succeeding master took
step forward, Cinabue and Giotto ap-
peared with bolder design and more vivid
color. DisenEangling themselves from these
thralls and seeking their inspiration directly
in nature, followed line of illustrious me q
until Michael Angelo, the competitor of Da
ViOci, by his admirable cartoon of Italian
Soldiers surprised whilst bathing, brought
the painters of Italy to Florence. With
these CINE Raphael d'Urbino, the
pupil Of Perugino. Fired by this marvel
he e.oandoned the delicate attenusted man
ner Of his master, and gave strength and
vigor to the grace and elegance Of bis flow
ing lines; in his latter works striving to add
the magic hues of the colorist. With the
rivalry of these masters all the great names
Of Italy advance upon the scene. Rosso
and Primaticcio the pupil Of Michael An
gelo, whose splendid frescoes decorate the
grand salons of Fontainbleau; Bsnvenuto
Cellina, Andreadel Ssrto, Fra BArtolomeo,
Correggio Of Parma, Giorgione, Titan,
Paul Ve:onese, Bslliui, the Pa'ma's and
Fintoretto of Venice. The school of the
colorists give the climax of Italian art, in
toe discerning scale, Guido, GuercinO, Car
aiaggio and the CIrracci's.
Here Spain, with her martial hosts eager
for the conquest of the world, caught the
inspiration simultaneously with her phleg-
matte rival, the United States ofthe Neither
lands. The grand portraiture of Velasquez
give us the heroes and chiyslry of Spain.
Murrillo and Riberra decorated her Cathe-
drals. RuDens, Vsndyke, and the wonder
ful genius of Rembrandt gave Holland and
Flanders, series Of mastery works.
The teaching of ROsso, Primaticcio,
Benvenuto, CeIlini, and Du Vinci, under
he patronage of Francis l, gave to
France, Jean Goujon, La Soeur, the Pous-
sims, and Claude Lorraine.
From Holbein, Rubens, Vandyke, Knel-
Ter, and Lely in England, come Sir Joshua
Reynolds, Gainsborough, add others of
esser note.
Napoleon culling from the galleries Of
Europe, the master pieces, for the museum
of the Louvre-the Great Captain unrolled
TO the gaze Of the Parisians his uDrivalled
collection in chronological order. This slim
ulus brought forward msn, enulOus of tina
glory O. Greek and Italian art. The Baron
eros, Gerard, Geriesult, David PrudhoO,
Delacroix, Delarnche, Decamp, Horace
Vernet, Ingres, sLeopold, Robert, Jean
Frances, Millet, Couture, Couroet, Diaz,
Rosa Bonheur, in painting; Barge, Bradier
and others in sculpture. These results
flow from The inspiration Of Greek and
Italian art.
Poctraiture appears TO have been but
little in vogue previous to the time Of Alex
ander the Great, though employed in stiff
formal manner in connection with the
Intercollegiate decoration of Egyptian and
Assyrian temples and tomb5. Thucydides
tells of the jealousy of the Athenians of
the portrait of Pericles upon the shield OF
the colossal Minerva in the Parthenon. In
Rome, portrait statues were produced in
great numbers with the rise of Gothic art,
serving as decorations of cathedrals and
tombs of Kings and mobiles.
Great works of art come not from visions
or dreamy distractions of poet or painter,
but from material of powerful vitality.
Such works come only through thorough
culture, steady, persistent, systematic eff
fort, unappalled by failures or ridicule. OF
their great influence in social economy no
liberal mind doubts. Ia communities dis
tant from great museums of art, desperate
energy must plOw through the field of in
ertia and apathy to SOW the seed. We are
all willing to reap the harvest.