the city of domes-第19节

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ediaeval；　depicting　mankind　struggling　for　the　light；　expressed　in　the　torches；　through　those　conflicts　that　so　pitifully　came　out　of　the　aspirations　of　the　soul；　expressed　in　religion。　The　lowest　group　showed　humanity　in　its　elemental　condition；　related　to　the　animal；　close　to　the　beasts。　So；　to　be　followed　in　sequence；　the　groups　ought　to　be　studied　from　the　lowest　to　the　highest；　and　then　the　eyes　should　be　able　to　catch　the　meaning　of　the　lovely　ornamentation；　crowning　the　tower；　the　petals　of　the　lily；　emblem　of　spirituality；　the　arrow…like　spires　above　expressing　the　aspirations　of　the　soul。

On　the　sides　of　the　tower　the　symbolism　was　consistently　maintained；　war　and　religion　marking　the　progress　of　man　toward　the　state　indicated　by　the　single　figure　of　The　Thinker。

〃And；　speaking　of　the　soul；〃　the　architect　went　on；　〃Observe　these　great　clusters　of　lights　that　illuminate　this　court　and　the　approach　on　the　other　side　of　the　tower。　They　look　like　stars；　don't　they？　And　the　intention　evidently　is　to　use　them　for　their　star…like　character。　But　there　is　history　behind　them。　They　are　like　the　monstrance　used　in　the　Catholic　Church；　to　hold　the　sacred　host；　the　wafer　that　is　accepted　by　the　faithful　as　the　body　and　blood　of　Jesus　Christ。　Since　the　sixteenth　century　it　has　been　used　by　the　church；　a　beautiful　emblem；　made　of　gold　and　designed　to　suggest　the　prayer　of　the　sun；　the　Spirit　of　God　in　radiance。　Its　use　here　helps　to　give　the　court　its　ecclesiastical　character。〃

As　we　made　our　way　toward　the　Marina　we　noted　how　much　the　court　gained　by　its　general　freedom　from　color。　In　the　colonnade；　to　be　sure；　Guerin　had　been　particularly　successful　with　the　shade　of　blue。　But　he　would　have　done　better　if　he　had　omitted　the　color；　in　fact　all　color；　from　the　niches　in　the　tower。

Viewed　from　the　Marina；　the　entrance　to　the　court　proved　to　be　a　vision　of　loveliness。　There　was　only　one　intrusive　note　to　jar　the　harmony；　the　coarse　sea　figure　by　Sherry　Fry；　presumably　Neptune's；　Daughter；　standing　in　the　center；　with　a　great　fish　at　her　feet；　plainly　out　of　place　here；　in　spite　of　the　court's　celebration　of　the　sea　as　the　source　of　human　life。



XVI

The　Brangwyns



We　lingered　in　the　colonnade　to　view　the　eight　mural　decorations　by　Frank　Brangwyn；　of　London。　In　front　of　The　Bowmen　we　found　a　friend；　a　gifted　woman　painter；　fairly　bursting　with　enthusiasm。　〃What　delights　me　in　Brangwyn；〃　she　said；　〃is　his　artistic　courage。　He　dares　to　put　down　just　what　he　feels。　This　sturdy　figure　in　the　foreground；　for　example；　peering　through　the　trees；　how　many　other　painters　would　have　allowed　him　to　turn　his　back　on　the　spectator？　And　yet　how　interesting　he　is　and　how　alive。〃

〃Some　of　those　heads　strike　me　as　curious；〃　I　remarked。　〃That　fellow　closest　to　the　center；　just　about　to　let　his　arrow　fly；　seems　to　have　no　head　to　speak　of。〃

〃Sometimes　he's　careless　with　his　drawing。　And　yet　he　can　draw　magnificently；　too。　He　evidently　had　a　purpose　in　making　so　many　of　the　heads　in　these　murals　almost　deformed。　He　wanted　to　suggest　that　these　types　were　in　no　way　mental。　They　were　wholly　physical。　Notice　the　care　he　has　lavished　on　their　muscular　bodies；　their　great　shoulders　and　legs。〃

〃It　doesn't　seem　like　English　work；　does　it？〃　said　the　architect。

〃No；　there's　something　almost　Oriental　about　it　both　in　the　feeling　and　the　coloring。　And　there's　the　Pagan　love　of　the　elemental　life。〃

〃But　what　a　chance　Brangwyn　had　to　do　something　new　with　this　magnificent　subject；〃　the　architect　went　on。　〃At　last；　after　centuries　of　effort；　men　are　actually　conquering　the　air。　They've　learned　to　fly。　They've　become　birds。　Now　why　didn't　Brangwyn　give　us　a　pictorial　expression　of　that　miracle？　Why　didn't　the　artist　have　as　much　sense　as　the　man　of　affairs　who　pays　Art　Smith　to　come　out　here　and　fly　before　the　multitude？〃

I　argued　that　Brangwyn　preferred　to　deal　with　antique　themes　…　they　were　so　much　more　pictorial。

The　architect　interrupted　with　some　impatience。　〃But　that's　exactly　what　they're　not。　In　my　opinion　Whistler　was　perfectly　right　when　he　said　that　if　a　mural　decorator　couldn't　make　modern　life　pictorial　he　didn't　know　his　business。　Flying　through　the　air　is　only　one　of　many　wonders　in　the　life　of　today　that　cry　out　for　expression　in　art；　but　you　scarcely　catch　a　note　of　them　here。〃

〃For　example？〃　said　the　painter。

〃Industry　…　our　great　machines；　the　new　power　they　bring　into　the　world；　the　change　in　industrial　relations　and　social　and　moral　ideals。　Now　in　these　murals；　Brangwyn　has　simply　repeated　himself　and　he　hasn't　by　any　means　done　his　best　work。　And　I　question　whether　his　observation　is　so　accurate　as　you　admirers　of　his　try　to　make　it　appear。　Look　at　the　way　those　fellows　are　holding　their　bows　…　with　the　left　hand；　presumably　for　the　pictorial　effect　of　the　composition。　Well；　let　that　point　pass。　One　fellow　has　shot　his　arrow。　The　other　is　holding　his　arrow　between　the　fore　finger　and　the　middle　finger。　Well；　it　won't　go　very　far。　The　Indians　know　better。　They　let　the　arrow　rest　on　the　thumb　to　give　it　plenty　of　freedom　to　fly。　One　of　those　bows；　by　the　way；　has　no　string。　Brangwyn　probably　thought　it　wouldn't　be　missed。〃

As　we　looked　at　the　other　panels　the　architect　conceded　that　the　points　the　painter　raised　for　Brangwyn；　the　brilliant　use　of　color；　the　dramatic　grouping　and　the　fineness　of　characterization；　were　true　enough。　〃But　he's　too　monotonous。　Though　his　groups　are　of　different　periods；　some　of　them　ages　apart；　they're　all　essentially　alike　and　the　figures　are　even　dressed　alike。　I'm　perfectly　willing　to　make　allowance　for　artistic　convention。　But　why　should　an　artist　limit　himself　unnecessarily　when　he　has　all　the　ages　to　draw　on？　Why　should　he　neglect　the　present；　the　greatest　of　all　the　ages？〃

〃Ah；　I'm　afraid　you're　too　literal　said　the　painter。　〃You　want　to　limit　a　genius　to　rules。〃

We　turned　from　The　Bowmen　to　study　in　detail　the　second　illustration　of　Air；　much　more　modern　and　yet　charmingly　old…fashioned；　the　windmill　and　the　little　mill　high　in　the　background；　the　group　of　naked　boys　flying　kites；　the　toilers　and　their　children；　going　home　as　fast　as　they　could；　fighting　the　wind；　their　picturesque　draperies　flying　around　them。

The　architect　was　impressed。　〃He's　caught　the　feeling　of　the　thunderstorm；　hasn't　he？〃　he　said。

〃And　he's　brought　out　all　the　picturesqueness　and　the　color　and　the　majesty　and　even　the　humor；〃　said　the　painter。　〃See　how　wonderfully　be　has　composed　the　picture；　what　pictorial　use　he　has　made　of　every　detail。　The　background　of　the　clouds　and　the　rain；　the　dark　blues　and　the　green　and　the　pink；　and　the　kites　catching　some　of　the　color；　and　the　lovely　color　of　the　mill　and　of　the　grass　dried　by　the　sun。　And　see　that　figure　up　there　on　the　steps；　all　windblown　and　rushing　under　cover。　It's　all　beautiful　and　yet　there's　not　one　face　or　figure　there　that　would　be　considered　beautiful　by　the　painter　who　works　for　prettiness。　He　has　no　interest　whatever　in　what　the　average　mural　decorator　considers　beautiful。　And　yet　he　sees　beauty　everywhere　and　he　makes　it　felt。　How　pictorially　he　has　used　those　purple　flowers　in　the　foreground　at　the　base　of　the　composition。　And　observe　their　relation　to　the　purple　clouds　on　top。　And　then　what　character　he　has　put　into　those　active　figures；　particularly　in　this　queer　little　boy；　naked　except　for　the　purple　drapery　flying　from　his　waist。　He　has　caught　something　of　the　fantastic　spirit　that　you　often　see　in　children。〃

In　nearing　the　two　panels　illustrating　Water　we　had　a　chance　to　see　how　dexterously　Brangwyn　could　manage　his　design　without　perspective；　which　would　have　made　a　hole　in　the　wall。　Those　women　with　jars　on　their　heads　stood　against　a　sky　none　the　less　lovely　because　it　was　flat。　It　was　exquisite　in　its　varieties　of　blue　and　white　and　green。　That　sturdy　fellow　lifting　a　heavy　jar　was　actually　working　and　working　hard。　〃And　how　splendidly　Brangwyn　has　modeled　the　figure　with　his　back　turned　to　us；〃　the　painter　exclaimed。　〃What　a　stroke　of　genius　it　was　that　a　yellow　handkerchief　of　just　that　shade　should　hang　from　his　neck。　And　the　figures　in　the　companion　panel　drawing　their　nets；　they　are　putting　their　heart　and　soul　into　their　work　and　they　are　having　a　good　time；　too。　And　this　man　here　in　the　corner；　with　the　purple　shadows　on　his　bare　back；　lifting　his　net；　he's　evidently　had　a　big　catch。　He's　holding　the　net　in　a　way　that　shows　it's　heavy。　And　how　decorative　those　men　in　the　background　are；　with　the　baskets　on　their　heads。　Brangwyn　loves　to　use　figures　in　this　attitude。　They　are　interesting　and　picturesque　and　dramatic　at　the　same　time。〃

〃But　they're　too　conscious；〃　the　architect　insisted；　〃too　posed。

〃Remember；　they're　not　paintings；〃　the　painter　insisted。　〃They're　formal　decorations。〃

In　the　panel　representing　the　elementary　use　of　Fire　we　were　all　struck　by　Brangwyn's　daring　and　fine　treatment　of　the　ugly。　Nearly　every　face　was　almost　grotesque。　And　yet　every　face　was　appealing　for　the　simple　reason　that　it　expressed　attractive　human　qualities。　Two；　a　man　and　a　woman；　had　noses　ridiculously　large。　The　group　of　men　in　the　center　of　the　background；　at　the　base；　around　the　fire；　had　apparently　sta