Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-04-27

women arc gathered about Him-one
Of thcm holding His hand. The real
masterpiece ot the picture is the man
at the extreme right holding a jar in
his arm. Tho look of interest and
pity depicted on his face shows the
real art Of the great German master.
Durer was famous for his flesh tints,
and these are brought out with cx-
quisite dciicacy in no figure of Christ.
The influence of Michael Wohlgemuth,
who was the teacher of Durer, is seen
in the painting in the robes and head
dresses of the women.
Durcr was OF Hungarian parentage,
although he was born in Nuremberg
in 1471. At an early age he was APP
prcnticed TO Michael Wohlgemuth. In
1890 he made Il journey TO Colmar.
Basel and Venice, where he studied
art. He married the beautiful Agnes
Frey and returned to Nuremberg,
where he again resumed his work I'M
der his old master, but in 1497 he de-
ctdCd to start Il studio of his own.
Lett to himself his pictures began to
show the Hungarian influence when he
painted pictures of horses galloping
over the Stcppes along the Danube
His Woodcuts soon became popular
and for n time he gave up his paint
ing for this work, but his wife was so
iuSi'tcUt that he go back TO his brush
that he did so after a year at wood
cuts. lie was in the height of his
fame when Luther came into promi-
hence and the artist became one OF
his followers. We next find Durer at
work on altar pieces and portraits of
| the Madonna. These were followed
| hv his great painting Of the Road to
| calvary an enormous canvas contain
! ing at least one hundred figures. This
great work is now in the private col
lection Of Sir Frederick Cook. al
though a very good copy hangs in the
| gallery at Dresden. Later he painted
his Lamentations for Christ described
above. His death occurred in 1898.
Peter Paul Rubens.
Christ on the Cross, by Peter Paul
| Rubcns. is regarded by art lovers ms
one ,of the worlds most beautiful pic
lures. Like the majority of Rubens'
works It is OF heroic proportions. II
occupies prominent place in the Ru-
bens cabinet, being hung under per-
| feet conditions. Viewed from an
artists standpoint it is truly n mon
umcntal work. The conception is that
| of Christ lifted up for the healing Of
! all nations. Hence IT is not a repro
| duction Of the scene on Calvary: the
| crosses Of the thieves, the soldiers, the
mourning women have no place in its
makeup. Alone on the Hill of Col
! eo'ha hangs the thorn crowned
! Christ. Face and form arc of great
/ beauty, dclicacy and refinement. The
eyolids are closing and the lips are
parted in last sigh, yet the beauty
Of neither face nor form is touched
conveyed that the body Is hanging
| there without strain. the loin cloth
! Tutoring the breeze, of oXultation in
/ the fulfllmont of high purpose
a. if | be lifted up, shall draw all
men unto mo-" The coloring of the
picture Is exquisite in It's softncss,
even the grain OF the wood Of the
cross being brought out with remark
able fidelity to nature. 1t is by far
the worlds most striking portrayal on
canvas of the Saviour of mankind on
the cross.
Peter Paul Rubens, the creator of
the work, was Europc's most prolific
painter. He was born at Siegen
in Westphalia in 1871, but was
taken by his family to Cologne when
he was one year of age. Here they
lived until tho father died, after which
the mother took her two children to