The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-12-22
MISS SHOWS ART TALKS.
The Venetian School as Illustrated by
Its Greatest Exemplar
GIORGIONE.

hHbhtOs ~ IL
ible, undefinable, yet more than any
thing else, awakens, suggests and
satisfies. Ruskin shows us how the
the painter who expresses the truth
of color also bodies forth all other
essentials. Accepting his statement
that "color is the purifying or sancti-
tying element of material beauty"
and thus becomes 1.-THE type of love-"
we readily understand how 1t brings
the noblest and fullest reward II 1t be
followed faithfully and sincerely, and
how base, ignoble usage must In
evitably result in all sorts of faleity
and unworthiness.
We are also ready to perceive that
ito color perfectly is the rarest and
most precious (technicaD power an
artist can possess. and since per-
lection is so seldom seen we may
easily believe that "there have been
only seven supreme colorists among
the true painters" OF these seven,
four are Venetians of the palmy time,
Giorgione, Titan, Veronese, Tintoreto
one Is that Italian who succeeded
Raphael as q master of delicate lowell
ness and lyrical beauty, the gentle
COrreggio, and two are English, Sir
Joshua Reynolds and the gifted
Turner.
This large Venetian proportion is:
very natural one IN such q classifi-
cation, for Venice has always been a
perfect dream and splendid fulfill
ment of the richest, clesrest, most
varied color. While the :Florentine
school was making such rapid ad.
vancement Venice was little more
than a Byzantine colony in her ar
tistic effort. The marvel of her
atmosphere, the multiplied glories of
her lagoons and her cleaning archi-
lecture made the city comparable to
nothing but the New Jerusalem; but
her artists, while they strove to
initiate the beauty before them OK
pressed nothing but the sensuous
phase,of the magnificent color schemes
which they attempted. Then
Jacopoa Bellini transferred finer
spirit and understanding with more
adequate teaching to his two sons
Gentle and Giau, and then establish
ed.a SCHOOL, exerted great In
fiuence throughout Italy and
Germany also.
To this school, late In the fifteenth
century the lad Giorgione came from
his home in Caetel-Franco, midway
between the mountains and the sea.
He was the son of patrician father
and nameless peasant girl, and his
name was changed later on, after the
Italian fashion, from the family Bar
barella to the synonym for Great
George" or George of Georges be-
cause of his commanding figure aud
superior personality.
At Castel-Franco he had been ia.
miliar with the beautiful Landscapes
he loved to paint in the background
of his pictures. At Venice he had
the surprising loVeliness of the city
high.born and romantic character,
steadfast government and sympa.
thetic patronage to inspire him.
Titan was his fellow.pupil and
through all his long life was in
fluenced by the stronger genius and
II was not long until he surpassed
Bellini who i'm turn was glad to learn
of him. His development was such
that we may not trace its progress.
His gift was like flower which
seems to break into sudden bloom,
and he suddenly became in very
reality George of Georges" a
"splendid presence" in that splendid
Venice, San impassioned musician.
singer, lover" as well as the royal
painter who was to give to the great
Color-School its definite features.
The work he did was like that of
Leonardo in that it was rather a
happy contamination than any radi.
cal revolution. The Bellini had
reached to great perfection in religious
painting, but Giorgione added to
their method freedom and science
which was peculiar to himself. The
new medium of oil was well adapted
to the emotional expression which the
school had endeavored to compass.
And to this he gave finer intuition
and better management. He also ZEN
"with more faultless design, with a
sytem of color yet more ardent. melt
ing and harmonious; with stronger
sense of life and of the real world as
distinguished:from the solemn dream
land of the religious Imagination. He
had power hitherto unknown of in
terpreting both the charm of merely
human grace and distinction, and the
natural joy of life in the golden sun.