File:Studies in pictures; an introduction to the famous galleries (1907) (14776392325).jpg

Identifier: studiesinpicture00vand (find matches)
Title: Studies in pictures; an introduction to the famous galleries
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Van Dyke, John Charles, 1856-1932
Subjects: Painting -- Study and teaching Painting
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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something want-ing in life and inspiration. No ; the value of a nationsart is, primarily, that it represents it& own time andpeople. If Greek art had harked back to Egyptiantimes, and Italian art devoted itself to an expositionof biblical archaeology, they would have had smallvalue in art history to-day. Anachronisms in the pic-ture may be incongruous, chronology may be badlydistorted, and at times even ridiculous; but the lossis more than compensated for by gaining the truthof what the painter actually saw. You will value this truth more when you come tostudy the portraits scattered through the Europeangalleries. They, again, mean little to us, for manyof them are nameless. Wo do not know this proudlord or that fair lady. Their titles have perishedfrom memory, and all we have in the catalogue isan Unknown Man or an Unknown Lady. Buthow very impressive are the types! The painter sawthem in the life; he did not guess at their person-alities. There is Moronis Tailor, which is noth-
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> < Q XX THEMES OF THE MASTERS 53 ing but a portrait, Antoncllo da Messinas Un-known Man in the Louvre, Titians Man with theGlove, Eembrandts Staalmeesters, Van Dycks Van der Geest — alL^seea-ift-tlKrltfe, And whatsplendid representatives of their land and peoplethey are! With what supreme command and reposethis Doge looks at you, with what dignity this sena-tor or warrior carries himself, with what grace andloveliness this lady pauses in her walk and standsgazing from the canvas! It may lend a slight in-terest to know that we are looking at the DogeLoredano or one of the Morosini or the Duchess ofUrbino (Plate 3); but the real charm of the picturelies in the type and the nobility of the carriage. We are now perhaps coming a little nearer to themeaning of these old masters. They count for muchin art because of their fine types, their wonderfuldignity and repose, their grace and charm and loveli-ness, and their profound truth. We may add otherqualities of a lofty nature, such a

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