Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-17
Much Interested in Donatello,
the Florentine Sculptor.
A Man Who Could Not Lie, and Who
Chooses Truth to Beauty in
His Works of Genius.
She "Giggled Out Loud" In the Presence OF
Serious Art Students Queer Things to
be Seen in Tour of the Academy.
special Correerondence Of the Gazette.

angelo. he was nothing more tndH
a name to me before coming
here, but l think II is so much
nicer to find out about things when you
reach a place than 10 know everything
beforehand. The things you have imag-
ined and longed to see are apt to be
the very things you do not care
about or are disappointed in when you
do see them. Donatello sprang from q
humble family, as SO many of these
great Florentines did, and was carried to
the top by the pure force of his genius.
He worked when Lucadella Robbia was
making his beautiful has reliefs of
glazed pottery and Brunelleschi was
building his dome and Ghiberti was
casting the bronze for those wonderful
doors of the BaptstrY which Michel
Angelo afterwards called
1.-THE DOORS OF PARADISE
and Masccacio was frescoing the Bran
cacci chapel in the church of the Car
melites from which all succeeding
artists learned. That period of Dona-
tello's life from 1886 to 1866 was that
Renerative, budding time just before the
full bloom of the renaissance repre-
scented by Michel Angelo, leonardo da
Vince and Raphael, Donatello is called
the precursor of Michel Angelo; he was
kind of John the Baptist calling men
to repent of their old ways and come out
into new kingdom of truth in art. 1
should have most profound re-
spect for that man if l had seen but one
of his works, that is his Mary Mag
dRlen, statue in wood in the Baptistry.
l have seen dozens of painted Mary Mag
dalens, and they were all particularly
fat and serene, lying around in very fer
tile deserts in very decollete robes, and
reading very large books which l sup
pose to be editions de luxe of the latest
three volume Hebrew novel from the
calm interest with which the Marys pc
ruse them. But this honest Donatello
made Mary Magdalen as was u Mary
Magdslen. HIS Mary had lived
in q desert sure enough, where
there was no table 'hote, and
she had repented and suffered.
wonder if there has ever been another
artist who dared to embody such plain
truth? This statue has not one single
charm of rounded grace; the limbs are
thin TO boniness; the face worn with
thought and intensity of prayer. She Is
in the skin of some wild animal,
and her hair is unkempt. "Unpleas-
antly realistic'' says Baedecker. 1t
certainly is, but it expresses to me
moral courage IN the man that made it,
which IS most beautiful. 1t was not
made for thing of beauty but to
EXPRESS A RELIGIOUS IDEA.
Donatello was a man who could not
le. When the choice came between
ruth and beauty he chose truth. Per-
laps if his genius had been greater he
would always have united the two. In
Ill his works-and they are numerous
lere-it is evident that the artist strove
% express ideas, not to make pretty
hings, such as the modern Florentine
culptors make. What would that ear
lest, honest Donatello say to a shop full
If al lbaster dolls, such as one now sees
II Florence? If he noticed them at all
le might say: "They are very pretty,
'ut what do they mean?'' He
vas man who never made
that did not mean some
hing. There is the st. George in a
liche on the outside of the church of St.
dichel. "MarchI' said Michel Angelo,
IS he looked at it, and that was a grand |
lifting commentary. You feel like ad- |
lressing ali of Donatello IS figures; they |
re not alwys graceful, but they are |
ull of real. active life; not restless, but |
.lways ready to do something, and al |
Ways unlike any other conception of the |
ubject. Here is his photograph before
ne, large honest eyes that look straight.
lot at you, but at something he is think
Il; long, large nose and strong, seri-
us mouth. 1t is a face full of noble
purpose and of power to accomplish.
Donatello's David appeals to me more
han the celebrated David Michel Angelo.
Ingelo's colossal laundering proved
David looks as if it had been by his own
orce of human will and purpose that he
ad killed Goliah. His brows are knit.
nd the whole face and attitude are what
truck me as an exaggerated expression
+ power. No killing of giants will sa t.
fly this young warrior; he would like to
mock the earth out of its orbit, and
hen he had done it he would still rest
loomily dissatisfied. 1 can't help ag rec
lG with that inartistio old Podesta, or
overnor of Florence, who, when Michel
nowed him the statue, said he thought
little more marble might
COME OFF THE NOSE.
David Is the gentle, God-led
outh who had used his sling bravely,
Ut had trusted to higher power than
Is own. My admiration for Michel An
clio is very great indeed, but, q say it
cry modestly and may claim the priv
eye to take it all back sometime1 IT
sems to me he had more power than he
new what to do with. He was
OF exactly in harmony with
AZURE, and struck out fiercely to bring
Ito being something above and bevoud.
hardly knew what, and his tremen-
Gus efforts are even more great for what
ley aim to express than what they
ally embody. l imagine he accom-
ished more by lifting and inspiring
hers than by his own work. He was
lch tremendously original man; he
cared the air of mists of tradition like a
under storm and the Sixteenth century
fists breathed a fresher and diviuer
mosphere for his living.
We went to the Buonorotti house the
her day and found it most interesting
any of Michel Angeles sketches and
udies and architectural designs are
'eserved there. There is something
undering about everything he ever
nceived. and the wonder is how he
er confined himself and big ideas in
Q little closet barely large enough for q
air and table where they tell us he ,
orksd. 1t would be natural for such n !
an TO want room. Why, should think ,
e very conception of his David would ,