The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-06

little younger than tho two painters last named.
How completely the art Of Juanes was trans
fused with his religion IL not only made mani
fest By his treatment Of sacred themes. for tho
best examples OF which we must visit tho
churches OF Valencia. but II IL attestod by
many traditions Of his devout feeling and
rlous life. lie Is snid to have partaken Of the
communion before beginning tho picture OF a
member OF the Holy Family. and his picture VI
the Virgin. known as LA Purissima." WAS
said Ito have been miracu lousy conceived In q
trance caused By prolonged fasting. 1t II too
often overlooked. however. that Juanes was at
the same time On admirable portrait painter.
and the author OF this manual lie careful to re-
mind us that his portrait OF Don Luis de
Castelvi. . courtisr ofithe time OF Charles ".
Is one OF his finest works. But keen a. was
his eye for nature. when the subject called
for realism. Juanes could never have cum
mittod ali act OF indscorum like that by
which his contemporary. Navarrets. shocked
the lnquisition. The latter artist. 1t appears.
had placed a partridge aud dog and a cat
auarrelllng In o picture Of the Holy Trinity.
Juan Navarrete got his nickname OF FL
Mudo from the fact that at the age OF three n
severe Illness completely DESTROYED his sense
Of hearing. and no became practically dumb.
being constrained to make known his wants
W kssIuEes. anu ny uTHWluk Will u Ol
charcoal. He could read and writo. and Is
said to have made himself thoroughly conver-
SAINT with sacred and protane history. TWAS
FL Mudo who revealed by gestures his vio-
lent indignation when the King ordered
Titian's picture Of The Last Supper" which
was too large for its intended position in the
refractory Of the Escurial. to be cut down. Tho
deaf mute. expressing hir,selfby signs with the
utmost clearness and vigor pledged himself to
make a reduced but exact copy OF the picture In
six months at the risk OF his own head. Navar-
rete. who was ono Of tho chief contributors 10
the treasures Of Spanish art Rmassed in
the Escura Is thought by his adop-
ton Of the Venetian manner the initiated
Titan II he did not study under hlm) to have
exercised much influence on tho great Spanish
masters OF the seventeenth century It was
happily said OF this dumb artist by Lope do
Vega that mo face he drew was dumb"
Among other painters belonging to tho latter
part of the reign OF Philip II. may be men
toned Alfonso Sanchez and Juan Pantoja. The
former was so highly esteemed rs a portrait
painter that the King was besought on one o.
casion by courtier not to permit his gracious
countenance to be depicted by any inferior
hand. Let the poor daubsters live." replied
Philip H.. as long as they misreprcsent our
face and not our behavior" OF Pantoja who
excelled both in portraits and In pictures Of
animals it is related that he was at one time
employed by the King to paint bearded esglo
which had recently been caught Pantoja
seized with such skill the lifelike expression OF
the bird that. getting loose. the eagle dashed
ut the canvas and tore 1t to pieces.
or FL Greco. who. as his name implies. was
not Spaniard. We will merely motto that he did
q great deal uf famous work In Spain. both as o
painter and an architect. between 1877 and
1926. and may be regarded rs the founder OF
the realistic school. on which Zurbaran and
Ribera were to reflect SO much credit Chief
among Ell Greco's pupils was Luis Tristan.
whose masterwork is O series Of pictures OK
ecuted for the Church OF Yepes. There are
also some fine portraits by him extsnt. aud his
paintings are thought to have left deeper
impress than those OF any other Madrid master
upon VelasQuez. 1t is related Of Tristan's
Last Supper" which he painted In his youth
for the monastery OF La Sisla that the picture
pleased the monks but not the price OF two
hundred ducats. They appealed therefore. to
FL Greco. the young artists teacher. TO fix its
value. On seeing the picture the master
few at Tristan with IN uplifted stick.
beratinG him as a rascal and disgrace to
his calling. But the monks interposed. for the
enough to submit to his masters verdict.
Ignorant he Is. indeed" shouted Fl Greco
The picture is worth five hundred. not two
hundred. ducats. Roll 1t UP and take 1t to my
house." Whereupon tho monks concluded to
pay the artists price without further haagling.
Next in point Of time to Juanes. among the
artists who have given distinction to Valencia
was Francisco Ribalta. who seems to have been
studying in that city under an unknown paint
or about 1871. There Is q tradition that he
fell In love with his masters daughter. and that
upon her fathers refusing to sanction his suit
he went to Italy. where no studied the works Of
Raphael and apparently became a pupil OF the
Carracci. Returning to Valencia. Ribalta hast
ened to his former masters house. and. finding
him absent. seized brush and palette and
completed sketch that lay upon an easel.
When the painter came homo and found the
finished picture he called his daughter to him
and exclaimed. This 10 the artist would
have thee marry. and not that daubster Ribal-
ta." As a successful imitator OF the italian art
OF his own and the next preceding generations.
Ribalta is thought to deserve high praise. but
it is remarked OF him that his influence was
transitory and unlike Navarrste and Tristan.
he left no great disciples to transmit his ira
ditions.
on name 20 VOL KNOWN Is NlO6rb8 } We enell
not dwell but merely point out that none Of his
extant works seem to have been executed In
Spain. though the country OF his birth pos
sessas many Of his finest pictures. In his youth
he studied for while with Francisco Ribalts.
but soon went to Italy. settled at Naples. and
died there; and there Is no evidence that he
ever returned to Spain. The influence OF Cor
regio Is traceable in his earlier productions.
but he afterward adopted the robust style OF
CarnvagRio. It is to his exaggerated applica-
ton OF the principles OF the naturallstic school
that We owe the marvellous studies In anatomy
which bring US into CHASTITY contact with disease
and death. Ono OF Ribera's contemporaries.
Cespedes OF Cordova-his later and productive
years coincided with tho earlier years OF the
yalencian master.is but little known out oil
Spain. although he had. in his day a great rspu-
tation. Many OF his finest pictures have per-
ished. but In the cathedral at Cordova is his
Last Supper" n work that the author OF this
volume would place beside that Of Juanes. II
is related that Cespedes. who could Ill bear crit.
icism. put into the foreground Of the Las,
supper" an exquisite vase; when his friends
| came to see the canvas. everybody said. VIVA,
Il