Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-07

and cleaning oriental alabasters. was sitting
IN the church once, late in the afternoon. gazing
dreamiiy up into dark corner near the dome,
where the gold CLEANED family in the dimneSs.
when suddenly q single ray of sun light struck
through some unseen window above, right into
the corner where my eyes were fixed, and there
in a hole OF golden light. stood white as 4
by the rail OF the organ loft. with
snowy wings OutsDread. knew it
up by . ray OF sunlight, but II seemed Ike
vision.
We are enjoying the Venetian art exceedingly.
Bellin's exquisite NadOnnas, TintouttO's
striking. mythical conceptions. Veronese's
golden haired beauties, &nd Titian's marvellous
cOloring. Titan 3 masterpiece, The ASSump-
ton, is picture that anyone can appreciat5-
How can man nut plain co or miles deep 20
canvas? Yet the golden glow VIII ich surrounds
the cloud borne figure OF the Virgin seems to fill
all space, and you can never see TO the bottom
of it. The upturned face OF the Virgin, with its
GLORIOUS, ENRAPTUHED EYES
is not the simple, chid-hke face of most Ma
donnas, but strong face, full of meaning, such
as belongs to q rich and ripened nature. One
would like to wipe out the top Of the picture
which represents God, the Father, holding out
his hands, bat the circle OF sweet chPTubs who
float around the cloud beneath the Virgin are
irresistibly charming, ana the excited. ecstatic
attitudes of the apostles below most effective.
Another picture here that has impressed me
deeply is Tintore'to's masterpiece, The
CrucihxiOn. We have seen 100 representations
of this subject, but this painting, like all OF
Tintoretto's, is utterly unique in conception
You enter little room OF large gallery, aud
there sit down in awe, for the crucifixion seems
actually taking place before you. All nature
looks dulled and deadened: the very sap OF the
earth life stops its flow: the air seems heavy and
ashen gray; the halo about the central figure on
the cross seems faded. There is a general
hurry and stir OF many figures; curious figures,
knocking figures, frightened figures: one
OLD PHARTsEE ON HORSE BACK
points to the cross with a sneering finger; those
who understand the scene are explaining it to
strangers but all seem depressed by q some
thing mysterious and unnatural in the atmos-
phere. Only those phelgmatic old Roman SOL
diers are unaffected by it; they are busy-hard
at work raising the third cross with the thief on
H.; the ground is rough and the thief heavy. In
the back ground is calmly MUNICH
ing away, what? You strain your eyes
in the dimness, and see that the pile where the
ass is eating is of faded palm branches, the
withered remnants of that one earthly triumph
the entrance into Jerusalem. And in the midst
of all the hustle and noise tyou almost hear
those rough soldiers shouting as they pull on
the ropes to raise the cross there is a little,
silent group huddled together at the foot of the
cross. Two are seated on the ground, but those
two who knew ana loved Him best, the Virgin
and st. John. stand there watching,
FIXED AND STUNNED,
as If they could not take their eyes from Him
not even to grieve. How separate and apart
they look, that little groupl The face ofJesus
is bent down, and in shadow. Wise TintorettoI
he knew he could not paint that face. It is
marvellous conception. They say Tintoretto's
good, but il q man teaches and inspires you with
his brush what does it matter how he draws and
colors? Ruskin calls Tintoretto the greatest Of
painters, not because he painted faultIessly, bus
because he had the divine atfiatus in conception.
JESSIE CoRISHE CHAMBRRLIN.