Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-21
WILLIAM W. STORY.
the SculptOr's Discourse Upon Michel
ANGLICAN Analysis OF the Genius
and Character of the Greatest O1
ltaly's Artists.

Inc SculptOf's Discourse Upon Michel.
ANGLICAN Analysis OF the Genius
and Character OF the Greatest Of
Italy's Artists.
Mr. William ~. sStory, sculptor, poet and
author, lectured before the Long Island Histori-
cal society in Brooklyn, N. Y, this week, to an
audience which crowded the spacious hall as it
has never been filled before.
The theme Of Mr.. Story's lecture was 'Michel-
angelo and the Medic and Sistine Cha pels."
He opened by1aying that the death of the
pagan religion was the death blow to pagan art,
and to it succeeded the long night OF the Middle
Ages, broken scarcely by a single CLEAN of light
Christianity not only struck the death blow at
pagan art, but to all art as well. Art struggled
for time hut gradually faded and withered
away until 1t had well nigh persisted from utter
atrophy, and ruined and half dead found a re-
1uge In some church or monastery. The Sculp-
tured figures of gods, goddesses and heroes were
buried in the ground. while their pictured SEM
blances were swept from the walls Of the tenn
pies How could art survive when beauty and
happiness and all that made life worthy or de-
slrable were crime? Only arms survived: the
world became q vast battlefield, and out of It
all only came the flower of chivaly The seasons of
history. however. said the lecturer were like
the seasons Of the year; nothing wholly dies.
Spring came at last. the spring of the Renais-
sance, and art, science literature lived again.
Liberty aroused herself. and declared for the
rights Of man. Then began the long conflicts of
the Guelphs and the Ghibelines the great COM
monWealths OF Italy arose. and one after another
arose those men whose names shine like planets
In history-Dante and Boccacio, Petrarch, Gil
otto and the whole illustrious COMPANY which
gathered around the court Of Lorenzo the Mag
niicent. Music began to establish herself, and
art sent forth her sudden and brilliant corrusca-
tions of genius, and among these was Michel
angelo the greatest genius which ever wreaked
itself upon stone.
THE CITY OF THE RENAISSANCE.
AS Italy was the country (said the speaker so
Florence was the city of the renaissance, and
around her still linger the memories of that
brilliant time. while she is filled with its monu-
ments Every street and piazza ana byway
seems filled with the ghosts of her glorious
past In this connection Mr.. Story briefly and
In felicltous phase, outlined the glOres OF Flor
ence. Within her walls history and romance
meet everywhere and there is scarce street or
square which has not something to recall her
golden time. Continuing, he said that of all
the great men who shed luster over Florence
none dominates over and pervades her like
Mlchelangelo. All places which knew him are
haunted by his memory. but his home was here
The house which he Inhabited is here. and in it
are gathered every relic Of him that could be
1ound, and they are guarded with jealous care
Here stands his folded desk, lighted by q little
enough to turn around in. Michelangelo was
born near Florence March 5. 1874 or I475 ac-
cOrdlng as you reckon from the Incarnation or
the Nativity. and he died February %, 1854.
eighty-nlne or ninety years old. in Rome. He
was of noble family. and early showed his predi-
lection for art. He was taken into the household
of Lorenzo de Medici encouraged and helped
His early efforts at soul pture are not remarka-
bic, and did not show the genius which after
ward characterized him. He soon. however
atty began to develop. The Sistne Chapel was
completed when he was 3S years Old and he
was 66when he completed The Last Judg-
ment." Throughout his long life he was en-
gagged upon many and varied works. He was
by turns scu ptOr., painter, architect engineer
and poet. 0ne CT his last works was to model
the cupOla for st. Peters, which he never saw
completed In some respects his plan was de-
parted from by his successors, but in every in
stance when this was done the work lost
The lecturer next sketched the character of
Michelangeio, and the sorrows and limitations
and annoyances which beset him and fretted
him. The stern, intense massive character of
his genius was pointed out. His life was noble
his faith high and his energy ineXhaustible.
Never in his whole life was he guilty of mean
or dirty action. The lighter charms and graces
OF life were not for him. but he piowed deeper
furrOw in his time than any OF his contempora-
ries. Earnest, intOlerant of that which was
small and trivial; his soul was as gratd aS his
learn, sacrificing always himself for his high
ideal Violent and irasclble in his temper. he
was generous, patient and fOrgiving of wrong
At last. at 80, he died peacefully. The great
light did not go out, but still burns witha clearer
luster.
The lecturer next spoke of the Medici Chapel
in the church Of San Lorenzo where are the
tombs OF Lorenzo and Julian and in front of
which appear the wonderful sculptured figures
of Day and Night and Dawn and Twilight. Over
these are the statues of the two Medici. In de-
scribng the four categorical figures the speaker
said that whatever might be their faults, and
they were evident, they were grand, al
most supernatural shapes The sculptor
had not sought to be true to nature but
rather to embody his thoughts in stone. They
are types OF ideas. There is no jOyOusness in
these gures-a terrible sadness and solemnity
appears to weigh them down. What Mcclellan
gelo meant to embody in these statues can only
be guessed at, but certainly it was no common
thought. They are seasons and epochs in the
history of man. 1t would seem as if the sculp-
tor sought to tell in them the sad condition of
his country and the sorrows which oppressed
him for her sake. Whatever be the interpreta-
ton OF these statues their grandeur has never
been surpassed. They were executed when he
was % years old and not in good health
THE sIsTINE CHAPEL.
Mr.. Story next told the tale Of the Sistine
Chapel in Rome. where shines forth the glory
of Michelangelo's genius as a painter. He
drew a comparison between MicheangelO and
Raphael. They were, he said, the antithess of
each other. Raphael was soft. pleasing delight
full: the other was grand, rugged. massive
Speaking of Michelangelo's characteristics the
lecturer said Dante was his favOrite poet and
SavonarOla about his only friend. He could
tolerate annOyances, troubles and opposition
when they did not infringe upon his dignity as a
man, and when that was at issue he withstood
the Pope as freely as if he were common man.
He began the work upon ST. Peters when over
sixty. He undertook the work with re-
luctance, claiming that architecture was
not his art but in this great temple
his colossal genius shines forth as grandly as in
his sculpture or his painting. AS poet he is
stern, rugged and intense. His poetry burns
with the fire of his soul, as though he was strug-
Cling with the limitations of language to ex-
press what was in his thought. His verses. said
the speaker, stand out like giant rocks in the
general sweet mush of Italian verse;
In conclusion Mr.. Story told with graphic
force Of the opening Of the vault Of the Medici
Chapel in 1857. and the condition in which the
remains of that illustrious family were found.
Some Of the coftaRs had been plundered of the
jewels and iornat0knts which decked the dead.
He compared their memory-their very names
almost for9otten-with the fame Of Michel
| angelo. In their lifetime they thought they