The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-04

Il Raphael devoted himself 10
the anatomical study Of the nude
figure and to the investigation Of
muscles in dead and excoriated
bodies, as we'll as in those Of the
living; for in the latter they are not
so readily distinguished, because OF
the impeachment presented by the
covering Of the skin, as in those
from which outer integumentS have
keen removed The same re-
searches also made him acquainted
with the articulation Of the bones,
with the distribution of the nerves,
the course of the veins, etc, by the
study of all which he rendered him
self excellent in every point q.
knowing. nevertheless. that in this
respect he could never attain the
excellence Of NIichelangelo."
The most famous Of the pictures
in the "Stanza" are the Dispute"
and the School of Athens" Dis
puta" means discussion rather dis
pute: but there is considerable as 10
what the discussion IS about PopeS,
bishops. philosophers and poets all
seem absorbed in the topic; while
above them Raphael has painted the
serenity of heaven. Here, gloomy
and intense and proud, is the ia
nous figure of Dante.
NT,,s,Av sic tho colo
brated composition which passes by
right for the highest expression of
Christian painting-for the most
perfect resume of fifteen centuries
of faith . the Dispute is more
than a masterpiece; it marks de-
cisive date in the development Of
the human mind; with Michael
angeles frescoes in the Sistine
Chapel it completes for the honor
of being the greatest painting in
Rome"
And then, as if to emphasize the
point that the rediscovery Of Greece
had helped to put an end to the
middle ages, Raphael painted the
School of Athens Here philosophy
is pictured, as before, theology; and
one who is prejudiced in favor OF
philosophy cannot help liking the
second picture better. Taine, that
ecumenic mind. could not leave it,
and wished to say to it. in Faust's
phrase, "Stay yet while, thou art
so fair"
Here are Pythagoras and Hera-
clitus, Plato and Aristotle, Archi-
medes and his pupils. and many
more, individualized with the skill
and patience Of genius; not por-
traying, as Symonds thought, the
diverse systems of these men, but
giving them personality, power and
intelligence. And standing over
them all, in a separate panel, is
Philosophy herself. benign and calm
in a wisdom that has learned to
love.
TINE pope, having the good taste
Il to like these pictures, begged
the young artist to decorate with
frescoes the ceiling of certain rooms
in the vatican-the 'Loggie.'
Raphael designed for these spaces
great pictures of scenes from the
Old and New Testaments; but the
painting was done by his aides.
He now had a plethora of COM
missions, mostly from such digni-
taries as could not be refused;
every king in Europe sent him
work. So he gathered assistants
about him, young as he was: 'fresco
painters, masters Of the easel, work.
men in mosaic and marguerite,
sculptors, builders, arras-weavers
engravers, decorators. g. all labored
under his eye, receiving designs
from his hand, and executing what
was called thereafter by his name;
only so could he do so much labor
in so short a life.
1t was typical of his nature that
whereas artists are of all men the
least inclined to cooperation and
harmony, those who worked with
Raphael fell in with the placid gem
iality of the master. Even Michel
angelo could not ruffle this level
temper. Bramante brought Raphael
secretly one day to see Angeles I'M
finished paintings in the Sistine
Chapel; when he found it out the
Titan ragged. for he had given or
ders that none should see his work
until it vas complete.
However. it did his youthful rival
no good: for Raphael's irresistible
impulse to initiate led him to seek
massive effects in the style of An
gelo:. and as this was alien to the
healthy normality Of his genius, il