Evening star., 1928-04-22

fered to give the nuns three times as
much as they paid Pietro for the pic
ture and TO cause another exactly like
II to be executed for them by the same
hand. but they would not consent. be-
cause Pietro had told them that he did
not think he could equal the one they
possessed"
Nevertheless the heart behind the
hand that made these ikons was ut
terly without belief. "Pletro hao put
very little religion and could never be
made "a believe in the Immortality OF
the soul Nay, most obStinately did he
reject good counsel with words suited
IN the StubbornneSS of his marble e-hard
brain, He placed all hopes In the
Goods of fortune" Having acquired
wealth through great efforts and hard
ships, he sought to spend 1t in age In
the pursuit of pleasure, but he had
made himself too stole to be sensitive
to pleasure now. and try as he would
he could not be a happy lihertine,
Happiness is the greatest OF all the
arts. and comes rarest OF all to artists,
who give so much of It, At the end
Perugino refused the last SacramentS.
unfrightened by the threat that he
ground. Il want TO see" he said.
what happens to a soul that has not
confessed"
Far later on we shall see how Ruskin
and Rossetti Burne-Jones and Holman
Hunt and William Morris-that pic
tureSque group of romantic souls who
called themselves "Pre-Raphaelites"-
contended passionately by preaching
and example that 1t was in these men
who came before Raphael--in Giotto
and Fra Angelica. in Andrea del Sarto.
Fra Lippo Lippi and Botticelli--that
italian painting reached its greatest
age. Perhaps they were wrong in their
Judgment, as will happen TO those who
love much, but this must be granted to
them. that in Signorelli and Perugino
religion loses its hold upon art and a
subtle seed of decadence enters into the
Renaissance When the great triunl-
virateS-Leonardo and Raphael and
Mlchelangelo. Correggio, Tintoretto and
Veronese---have passed away that seed
will Sprout into baroQue extravaganza,
depth of feeling will pass with sincerity
of belief. and there will be no more
great painters in Italy. as there will be
no more cathedrals in Europe.
y
Raphael.
Raffaelo Santi cor Sanzio) was we'll
named after an angel, for no character
was ever more angelic nor any life
more fortunate or serene. He came
into world where his uncle. Bramante,
was In power, as an architect. with the
richest patrons of art, He was spared
the struggles that deform as well as
form the spirit, and the gentleneSS OF
mind at peace stamped itself upon all
his work.
He was born at Urbino ION Good
Friday of the year 1883 at o'clock of
the night" says Vasari, carelessly neg
lecting to tell us at what minute of the
hour. His father was painter, who
saw at once the talent OF his son. and
sent him after a short stay with Timo-
teo VIII to the bottega Of Perugino. He
spent many years at Perugia in happy
apprenticeship. learning with what
seemed a miraculous facility, and pro-
ducing before his twenties pictures In
diStinguishahle in style and power from
the masterpieces of Perugino himself.
The next step was to outplay the mas
ter at his own game. Perugino had
painted a Marriage OF the Virgin"
Raphael put his hand to q similar
"Sposalizio." and every one hailed 1t as
superior TO the teachers canvas. Al
ready Raphael had developed the power
TO portray grace of figure and tender
ness of countenance, and though the
intrusion OF architectural masses seems
out Of place and the composition Is too
geometrically bilateral. the proud beauty
and perfect form of the figure at the
left marks the first triumph OF Ra-
phael's even art.
So the lad outgrew Perugino and
Perugla, and fretted q little when he
heard tell of the greater men In Flor
cnce, and how Leonardo and Michel
angelo were at that moment painting
In silent competition In the Great Hall
of the Palace. So OF he went. In 1904,
and his gentle and sunny manner soon
won him friends In the art capital of
the Renaissance world: Botticelli.
Andrea del Sarto. Fra Bartolommeo;
Andrea della Robbia. and Leonardo
loved him but Michelangelo.
who loved only his art. He studied for
a time with Bartolommeo: but beau
tifui ink-sketch OF the Mona Lisa"
shows how the modest youth stroye to
learn the secrets of Leonardo's esoteric
soul. Under this double tutelage he
grew apace, and formed out Of their
example and his own nature that dolce
stii nuovo--or sweet new Style"--which