Evening star., 1924-12-07

the anchor is hope, the heart is love
Holy fear. the theme of the first bay
in the south aisle. is symbolized by
the six-winged seraph of Ezekiel. One
boss shows Moses taking off his shoes
in front of the burning bush. An
other pictures the woman who wiped
Christs feet with the hair of her
head. a third reveals Isaiah and the
angel with the burning coal Mary
of Bethany with the aIabaster box
and Mary Magdalene at the resur-
rection are included. st. John falling
on his face in revelation completes
the group.
The sculpture work done is only q
beginning. In the 61la acres of the
close is a wealth of trees, shrubbery
plans and flowers which will be cary
ed in the cathedral structure, just as
the border of the reredos of the Beth
lehem Chapel is patterned after the
Glastonbury thorn which grows on
Mount st. Alban and blooms al
Christmas. Even poison ivy will have
its place as a garland around the
neck of a gargoyle representing evil.
Bees, ants, butterflies and other in
sect life, birds and squirrels, will be
carved in the stones or in the wood Of
the choir stalls. All will have a
symbolic significance.
compared Will lne nuOeS OF JTeeCe-
Gothic figures may seem prosaic
unless one appreciates the ideal OF
the Christian builders of the middle
ages-ideals adapted to the building
of the modern Washington Cathedral.
Greek art is full of sex The
Gothic cathedral builders regarded
chastity as d fundamental part of the
teaching of Christ. They expressed
it by making their figures spiritual.
7
usually draped. ThoughtfuIness of
expression was aimed at; sexual ap
peal was avoided.
As A. Kingsley Porter says, When
forced by the nature OF their subject
to depict the nude, as in the cycles
of Adam and Eve and the last judg
ment, the medieval sculptors in
variably contrived to deprive their
figures of all sensual suggestion.
Yet he would be bold critic
who dare pronounce any naturalistic
figure ever produced in the golden
age of the renaissance was absolute
ly less lovely, possessed more grace
or sweep Of line, more charm, greater
dignity, higher decorative signif-
canoe"
Consequently the figure sculpture in
Washington Cathedral is not SEN
auous. It does not suggest Rodiu.
| intended as guide to thought on
higher plane. contemplation of the
infinite provoked by familiar sym
| bols. 1t confirms the statement made
repeatedly that Gothic is the most
| intellectual of architectures.
To complete the contrast with
Greek art one must add the thought
that Greek architecture was really
| frame for the Greek sculptures. In
Gothic the sculpture is subordinated
to the architecture. One can, then,
in the light of tradition, understand
the builders of Washington Cathe-
dral when they stress the beauty
and proportions of the architecture
as a witness to Christ in the Cap
ital of the Nation" and "a house OF
prayer for all people"
The figures on the bosses must
serve a definite subordinate purpose.
They are only a part of great in
tellectual scheme. But they help the
Individual to appreciate the greatness
of the cathedral enterprise and its
wonderful variety of detail. The
modern materialist may pass 1t by in
favor of more obvious things. Its
subtleties will remain perpetual JOY
to the initiated.