The mirror., 1921-07-28

toys, among them lion that stalked in
among the guests at a fete, opening its
mouth and disclosing bouquets of flowers.
He was singer and composer. Happy,
generous, charming was he who attempted
too many things and finished too few.
= When he was a youth he painted a
figure so much better than his teacher,
Verrocchio, that the older man broke his
palette and threw away his brushes, de-
claring that he never would paint again.
That great mind, soaring like an eagle,
could not bear to see anything suffering
Imprisonment of soul and body, and often
bought cages of birds on the market place
for the mere pleasure of setting them free.
AT the court of the Duke of Milan no
entertainment, pageant or play was COM
plete without him who was the leader.
Full of boyish pranks was da Vinci, yet
nothing ever painted shows more rever-
ence than his Last Supper, over which he
worked two years. Artist never has sur
passed his delineation of the various ex-
pressions, the attitudes of the Diciples-
you know instinctively which is John the
beloved one, and Judas the betrayer.
These figures are marvelously complete,
all but the face of Jesus. Da Vinci
searched anxiously, prayerfully, but never
could find model for the countenance of
the Master which measured up to what
he felt divinity incarnate must be. This
wonderful painting was done on the walls
of convent, so that, though the King
of France wanted it so much that he was
willing to pay anything to have the wall
itself transported to France is was i'm
possible. Then the king did the next best
thing-invited the great Italian painter
himself to France, gave him chateau
and loved him as a brother. The cour-
tiers admired and "imitated his dress and
cut their boards after his fashion," VIXEN
he died, three years later, in 1919, an old
chronicle tells u.s. "Sore wept King Fran
els when he heard that Leonardo was
dead"
For the painting of Mona Lisa, Lady
Lisa, which da Vinci carried with him to
France, the king paid $4,000, then un
heard price for any canvas. But even
today, although faded to dull olive
brown, Mona Lisa, "the smiling woman
of the Louvre" is the most life-like and
compelling of all the great pictures of
that gallery. Vasari who lived in da
Vinci's time, wrote, whoever wished to
see how art may initiate nature may
learn from this head"
Mona Lisa was a Florentine lady, the
wife of the artists devoted friend, Gia-
condo. Gold or great influence never
could persuade da Vinci to paint certain
portraits, and yet, for friendships sake,
he spent four years on this smiling woman
which is an ideal rather than a portrait
perhaps. Today beholders are vitalized
by its presence, but no one has plummed
to the depths of that smile which attracts
and ensnares some and repels others. 1t
is sirens song made visible.
Does it hold good or evil in its haunt
ing, unfathtomable eyes which follow one
everywhere? Da Vinci's types would not
be beautiful at all, if robbed of their lure
of expression. Their beauty, not on the
surface, works from within outward. His
women have lived with all their souls,
but whether for good or evil is for the
beholder to decide. Someone wrote,
"There is in it all you can read into it
and nothing more. 1t gives you what you
bring and nothing else. 1t suggests every
joy you have ever felt, every sorrow you
have ever known, every triumph you have
experienced"
While Mona Lisa was posing for him,
Vinci had suffered to keep her smiling,
beautiful animals for her to caress Ian
gorous music was heard and all about
were strewn flowers One can fancy that