, 1877-03-11

| Pagan art has never been surpassed. The
works Of Greek sculpture remain the envy and
! admiration of the nineteenth century, as thcy
were OF Athens and Ellis. But It WAS not Pagan
| ism that taught tho carly sculptors; their in
| spiration was drawn from . higher and holier
I source,-from Nature itself. WEAKNESS with
| the old forms of religion drove PH1p1As aud his
contemporaries to the contemplation Of q noble
panthesna, in which they found partial satisfac-
tion for the cravings Of their artistic natures 1
writer in the January number Of Lippincott's
luagazine maintains that the scu1ptors Of the
age OF PEE1CLEs 1lud partakcn of the esotcrIc
philosophy, and knew the s'mysteries q " Of i'm
mortality and divinity. The opinion is q trife
fanciful. No evidence supports it. The light
OF reason does not show its truth,
But whether PHID1As and PoLYoNorUs had
shared III the wisdom Of SOCRATES and ASAxA
6oRAs OF not, nothing can be surer than that they
had learned mysteries even more profound,
truths as everlasting, principles more necessary
to the Development OF art. The Minerva Pro-
mach1s and the Olympinn Jupiter of PH1D1As
marked no departure from the religion OF the
common people. The latter statue was designed
to illustrate the passage of HOMER, in which
Jupiter is represented as shaking Olympus By
his 1rown. The grand proportions OF the fig
ufes' Inc beauty OF Its contour, the lavish use OF
precious material in its composition, the glow
ing and picturesque surroundings, impressed
the supcrstititfous Greeks with feelings Of awe.
Ihe 1rowning Jupiter seemed to be present in
the temple. Some worshiped him as Iirinr
god. Some fell PROSTATE before him in
terror. ALL accorded fame to the maker
Of the splendid cfigy.. Pu1D1As did not scorn
the praises Of the vulgar, nor Affect to desnisc
their reverence. He had appealed to their re-
l1g1ous sense, had aroused it, and no doubt en-
joyed the fruits of it. His art had achieved the
visible elimination Of the Greek religion, and
the symbols he employed, as thcy were more
accurate than any that had preceded, we're asso-
ciated more closely with the conditions OF
divine existence.
But PH1n1As worked in obedience to his in |
stinct as an artist, not In slayish imitation of
previous models. His aim was to enbodv |
beauty hrst-to personifY power, secondly- |
and, lastly, to serve religion. The last ln,ita-
ton ";as not even voluntary with him. It WAS |
imposed upon him by the terms of his contrnct.
He was engaged for religious subject. |
and he responded, SO far As the present |
age can know, with indifference as to
the p'ous nature OF the undertaking. It IS lust |
as partial to say that he devoted himself to the
Ellans In the spirit OF a missionary as it is to |
adopt the suggestion Of the writer already re-
ferred to, and fancy that he was PLAYING the
part Of a Grecian Machiavelli or Pagan Me
phistophe1cs. He was simply true to himself
IS an artist. He made forms Of beauty because
he could not helpit. His genius forced him to it,
u there was impiety in this, his contemporaries
lid not perceive it. They thought 1t WAS wicked
II him to plot with PER1cLEs, and to put his own
3Qrtrait on the shield Of Minerva; but no one
eTer charged 1t against him as u mortal
'1ense that he had departed from the
Ugly traditions handed down By the fathers Of
he Greek religion. The progress Of art is not
continuous aud direct VIC know that the
culptoFs OF England, before the discovery OF
he Elgin marbles, had not learned their busf-
less They gazed with wonder on the works Of
he Greeks, and some Of the greatest Of the mod
rms confessedtha ifthey had their LIES labor to
10 again, they would start from new PRINCIPLES.
'rogress Is made by oscillations about an nd
ancing centre. MAcArLAY's doctrine in reoaro
o the t3inmers in politics applies with forre to /
he clippers in marble. Art has conservatism a.
FeH as radicalism- The comparative excellence
i the ancient scu1ptors Is seen Whenever the
chieTements Of the earliest periods are placed T.,