The San Francisco call., 1905-06-04

helping the author. and so Cuneo puts
into the book some impressive samples of
his craftsmanship. 1t is to be playfuily
noted, however, that he wisely refrains
from attempting 10 give any representa-
tion of the weird picture" around which,
and the criminal method of its produc-
ton. the story is formed 1t was well TO
leave that bit of uncanny canvas TO the
imagination. OF the reader. The whole
novel IS cIsverly arranged TO give the
ina agination power to conceive the force
of the realism in that painting and to
picture TO the minds eye the startling
effect, IL would have upon certain persons
connected with its execution, and the
awful fascination ii had for the artist
who had committed a crime TO make It's
realism possible and who worshiped this
work of his own hands as his one great
success and the thing that had brought
him fame and fortune.
What the authors words can do toward
depicting this masterpiece of art may be
slightly suggested by the quotation of
fragment from the story whose whole
narrative focuses attention upon that re-
markable brush work of the half-mad
devotee to his profession. The artist who
paints il is mononaniac On the subject
of realism In art and TO his mind no sac
rifce nor sin should be allowed TO bar the
way TO a superlative success in IL. 1t is
represented that the young painter, Va
sari. has only executed mediocre work.
until his friends are astonished by his
production of an extraordinary picture,
called THE Fall Of Caesar Here is the
writer's conyeyance of the impression
the work of art made upon visitor to
the Vasari gallery:
What the visitor first sees on entering
the apartment devoted to this masterpiece
Is a wide doorway at the farther end,
draped on each side with curtains, be-
tween which can be seen court, appar-
entity open TO the sky. since glimpses of a
heavenly blue are visible between lofty
columns BY one of these columns rises
the statue OF warrior mounted on a
pedestal, and at the base. with narrow
beams of sunlight streaming over II, lies
prostrate form, which requires no sec
end glance to certify that il is dead
body especially as the blood-stained
weapons that have accomplished the deed
are scattered on the pavement around.
THE spectator hurries forward. and on
arriving at the end OF the apartment can
hardly be persuaded that no doorway ex-
isis and that the whole scene is simply a
picture painted on canvas Yet so il Is
The picture has every appearance
OF being an actual scene beyond the room
in which the spectator stands, and in
which some terrible tragedy has taken
place. The illusion is perfect The
fallen Caesar with his toga wrapped
partly around him. the statue Of Pompey
rising above a tesselated pavement
stained with blood. here and there dis
carded dagger, coiumnar architecture in
the background-such are the simple ele-
ments presented by this work OF art
Vasari might. with fidelity to historic
truth. have avoided giving the dying fea-
lures of the murdered Caesar, for ne is
represented "as in his mantle mufIling up
his face but disdaining .'the pusilian-
unity of such a method, the artist has
permitted the whole of Caesars face to be
seen for the purpose of delineating with
ghastly realism the expression of dead
face The effect of the sunlight CULVER
ing on"
To the interest of this weird pictures
history Is added. a love story. vasari
seeks TO win the love of beautiful girl