The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-02

l. artist with the monk was an adj
mirable symbol Of the growing
pride of art in the face OF the re-
ligion of which it had once been
the humble servant. Though the
outer subjects still remained
religious, the substance ana
spirit were secular, and ultimately
pagan; heaven and hell were pic
tured less, earth and humanity
more; instead of shadoWy angels
and saints, human beings, of very
visible actually and flesh, came to
dominate the canvas that now in
creasingly replaced the church wall
as receptacle of the pictorial art
figures were clothed no longer in
the casSock-like garb Of Dante and
Giotto, but in gay robes that speak
Of the spirit of the time; bankers,
warriors, Wine-merchantS and alder
men competed, as subjects, with
the Mother of God.
A new delight in color and form
for their own sake, a new marveling
at the persistent miracle of the
body, filled the artists soul and
played a part III the vivid drama
that put an end to the Middle Ages.
The finest figure of this transi-
ton is Sandro Botticelli His real
name was Alessandro di Mariana
Filipepi, but he so loved his teacher
Botticello that he took and in-
mortalized his name. No one could
portray religious subjects with pro-
founder piety; the "Chigi Madonna"
the "Incoronata' and the Madonna
Of the Magnificat" melt with tender
ness and devotion.
Pope SiXtus V loved these pictures
SO well that he called BotticelIo
from Florence to Rome to adorn the
Sistine Chapel which this Pope had
built, and which took its name from
him; there for two years Sandro
worked side by side with Ghirlan-
daio and Perugino, earning large
sums which he at once squandered.
living without care, as was his
habit"
He was not without humor and
wit; when the occupant of the house
attached to his installed a weaving
machine that shook Botticelli's
rooms, the artist placed great stones
on his own roof, which Sloped high
over that Of the weaver's home and
babe the weaver shake and be de-
stroyed.
A PASSAGE in Vasari indicates
L n one source of Botticelli's
change from the Christian to the
pagan style: For many houses in
the city Botticelli painted nude
women enough"
At all events, the flesh began to
rival the spirit in his pictures.
The Calumny of Appelles" shows
black robed Calumny shrinking
from the naked Truth; and the
famous Venus Rising from the
Sea" (Which Pater never ceased
to praise), reveals the goddess un-
stintingly. Subtler and finer is the
artists "Primavera"-S spring: never
did any but Leonardo paint more
delicately. The central figure is
probably Venus again; but there
is certain sadness in these faces,
as if the lover was already a phil
osopher, and sensuality was pass
ing into safety and regret.
The picture prepares for Botti-
celli's end: he heard Savonarola.
and was convinced-as late in life
as he could manage; he abandoned
painting to be a Piagnone, or
Mourner; and became so careless
Of his physical needs that he was
near starvation when Lorenzo
descued him. He died, after G long
illness, at the ripe age of seventy
eight, in the year 1910.
By that time the passage to
paganism was complete. Leonardo's
"St. John" is another Apollo, a son
of joy rather than the grim vision
airy of the Apocalypse; Guido
Rents "St. Sebastian" is frankly
study in the beauty Of nude
youth; it belongs to the paleastra
rather than to the martyrolcgy.
In the "Stanze" of the modest
Raphael scenes from Greek myth
ology mingle unabashed with Bible
episodes and church histsory. Sig
noreli draws naked young men as
back ground for a picture of the
Virgin Mother; Della Porta places
the portraits of Guilia Bella-au nat
urel-at the feet of Paul III on the
marble sepulchre which he carves
for that Pope; Pinturiochio paints a
picture Of Guilia Farnese, the &C
knowledged mistress Of Alexander
VI, as the Madonna being adored by