Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-02-04
The Art Lecture by Mr.. Ware.

Wares collection.
THE LECTURE.
Mr.. Ware said that be had found his sub
| iect, announced as '' The Last judgment,
in Art" too large for single lecture. He
must confine it to Christian Art" and,
with the exception of one or two Cathe-
ural sculptures. to illustrations from South
of the Alps Ills subject, therefore. would
be " Some Examples of the Last Judgment,
in Art
Beginning with the earliest Christian
Art, Mr.. Ware alluded to its mingling of
Christian cheer and trust, with delightful
symbolisms which lend themselves to the
graces of the soul and glad things of the
Gospel. The early Christian sarcophagi
and the paintings in the catacombs show
art inspired with joy of the glad news in
Christ. :" In pace" Is the common in
scription, and peace the effect The cub
iects are the Good Shepherd, leading forth
his flock by still waters the Mystic Vine.
running over chapel arches the Orpheus
| Christ, with his music soothing the pains
| of life, and the like. The time had not come
for asceticism to Danish all pagan beauty.
| The light of Greek loneliness still flickered
in them.
In the Dark Ages this Is all put out. The
observation began in the 9th century and
was greatest in the 10th. when the official
heading of the law-papers was since the
end OF the world is at hand" Art became
leaden. darksOme and unhappy yet not
without promise, for darkness means the
day. and In the gloom there is promise of
| the Sistne chapel.
Mr.. Ware took for his FIRST illustration
of Early Christian Art. the Mosaics in the
chapel tomb of Gallia Placidia, an Empress
of the West, who died in the 9th century.
still visible at Rayenna. which represent
the Good Shepherd, with grace still hight
| ed by classic tradition, shown in the come
| ly limbs, frame justly modelled and head of
mild dignity. The next was Transfgura-
ton, in mosaic, over the altar of an old
church standing IN the desOlate marshes
/ outside of Ravenna, in which Christ l.
| represented by colossal Illuminated cross,
| splendid with flashing color-a work of the
9th century, when the jewelled cross was
the sign of the Masters presence and
image of His person.
The first painting 0fthe Last judgment Of
/ which we have any account was executed by
a monk, who was also missionary and paint
er, who was engaged by King Of Bulgaria
to paint him the irightfulest picture posi-
| bic, and who painted Last Judgment and
the torments of the damned 50 wildly that
the King was converted To Christianity. 1t
is no lenger in existence. but was doubtless
something in the Neo-Greek style which
we call Byzantine. OF this specimen re-
mains in wall-painting in a church in
! Capua, dating from the year 1915. The
next example Is in mosaic in the Cathe-
dral Of lOrcello--in which the Last judy
ment fills three of a series Of five parallel
bands on one of the walls. Ia this the
Judge sits in glory on a rainbow. blessing
and cursing with nail-tran>hxed hands. In
other portions the earth and sea are giving
up their dead-and elsewhere Hell and
Paradise. The mosaic illustrates the gene
raj plan of the Final judgment IN Art.
from which there Is little departure from
fir; to last. Christ l. represented enthron-
ed with his apostles, saints and martyrs.
Mary and John the Baptist are thereas wit
! nesses or intercessOrS. The signs oiythe Pas
sionare displayed 10 the assurance of the say
ed and the confusion Of the lost trumpets
OF resurrection are sounded angels and
archanges assist and lastly the JOYS Of
the blessed and the t0rmCnt= OF the ac-
cursed are displayed.
After Byzantine Art had thus furnished
the plan. sculpture led Oft in representa-
ton, and occupied the ground well into the
18Th century. The unknown architects of
the Catledrals of those Catheiral-hu building
times. made their structures the books OF
sacred lore for the people. and the last
things, death and judgment. heaven and
hell.were iav0rite subjects with them. The
place for the sculptures representing these
Is commonly the triangle technically call
cd the tgmpanuml formed by the curves OF
the arched porch of a Gothic doorway
They take one typical form, though with
many quaint differences.
] l1.,I b, 1r.+rf Q ft4s
Cathedral of Wells. in England ana 9TH
ers in France, Italy AMI Germany. Mr..
Ware selected for his main example in
sculpture the has-reliefs at the doors Of the
Cathedral of Orviet0. The Cathedral It
self. with its brightness u carved marble
and splendOr Of mosaicS lifted into the air,
, he likened to an Illuminated missal-page.
turned 20 stone. The bas reieis. each PIX ii
feet. represent the creation and tall OF man.
visions of the Redemption, Chri-t's life
and death. the last things-creatIou. pro-
phecy, fulfllment, the end In their deli
cacy of conception and truthtuiue~- and
strong feeling. We see the pure quality
found wherever the workman Is great
enough 70 forget himself IN his art, and to
be the artist. not artisan. There Is no tne-
ness of polish. no surface beauty. like
that ofwhich We have plenty in the Canova
loneliness which breaks through any crust
of unskilled handling The illustration,
of the Gospel story and the days of crea-
ton are iull of winning beauty. There is
e especially group Of those who 20 then
3 way 10 the heavenly seats. led by angels
which sings to the eve as Shakespeare line
to the ear. wnen the Queen will have tn,
. musicians play" whilst | sit meditating
t on that celestial harmony 60 to. or lik,
the music in Handles raptur0us but quicl
song, Angels ever bright and fair. Op
? poslte the quiet expectation Of the good
all Is changed Here all l. trouble. Ar
, angel pushes the despalrlng souls from the
happy seats and demons pull them in q
leash to the pit. One Of the figures ha,
5 been described as " the very statue Of Dis
may. bent over, with hands resting
against his knees. a lock of his long, curly
hair is seized by grisly demon, who
, ashes his broad back with a writing
snake At the other end of the leash is 9
wretch, his head sunk on his hands who
looks the figure of hOpelessness, yet brace
| himself an instant against the hand OF th'
| angel who drives him on. In vain !
line of those " bonds of iniquity' whicl
tie the company together has caugh
around his neck, and he must 60 witt
\ the rest TO his own place. That
llwer deep opens beneath aud an an
gel at the gate with lifted sc0urg
whips them in. Here IS one mlngling an'
universal horror Of singing snakes, tn
worm that never dies; OF tOrturing demons
bat-wingeG and bestial-handed, with Jaw
set to pltiess cruelty and of tortured souls
beaten, wrenched and lacerated. Lucille
: stands in the midst, a mOnstrOus shape, hea'
1 wreathed and hands bound with serpents
! 10 frar mi 4
: tears them with his clawed feet. Two de
= mons twist their long necks about hi
f body and swing the scaly horrors OF thel
d tails around two of the damned, Crlwln.
G them within reach to bite and devour. ii
, one of them the depth of misery from ply
o steal and moral torture is rendered with
= power which has been pronounced un
/ equaled In sculpture. One of the dragon
I has seized the arm of the wretched mai II
his teeth and is dragging it from the socket
e the head of the sinner falls forward liant
: ing, his whole body drops. his knees bend
l. his other arm hangs stifiy down and ye
= in the act of swOOning there l. no sugges
V ton that the senslbllity TO the tormentbe
/ comes less or that the sw0On reaches lurthe
than the muscles
This is the last and best example of n
r subject, in sculpture and the last in sculp
;. ture or painting which presents the lnierna
l. side with any ina ginative dignity, TIL W
i come to the 10th century. The painters G
the Renaissance make hell place of hob
l. gobllnry, with little terror in 1t, or ianc
of cruelty that is disgusting. These bas-re
II liefs, by unknown sculptors. who wrough
to have their work right in Gods sight
rather than TO hand their names down
men, point in their style to the first OF tn
I4th century. and to the school of John q
Pisa, who did for sculpture what Cimabu
did for northumberland 1t from the ugl
ness it had sunk to, through divorce iroi
nature
The light was breaking in the middle G
the 18th century; but the sun did not rls
n till the next century. In 1906 olott
81 painted for a wealthy citizen of Padna tn
ID interior of chapel to the Virgin. lie wa
1t a friend of Dante, and the lecturer snrmi'
OF ed that the poet NAV have suggested som
b. nf tho ideas in the Last Judgment painte