beacon lights of history-iii-2-第26节

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MICHAEL　ANGELO。



A。D。　1475…1564。



THE　REVIVAL　OF　ART。





Michael　Angelo　Buonarrotione　of　the　Great　Lights　of　the　new

civilizationmay　stand　as　the　most　fitting　representative　of

reviving　art　in　Europe；　also　as　an　illustrious　example　of　those

virtues　which　dignify　intellectual　pre…eminence。　　He　was　superior；

in　all　that　is　sterling　and　grand　in　character；　to　any　man　of　his

age；certainly　in　Italy；　exhibiting　a　rugged；　stern　greatness

which　reminds　us　of　Dante；　and　of　other　great　benefactors；　nurtured

in　the　school　of　sorrow　and　disappointment；　leading　a　checkered

life；　doomed　to　envy；　ingratitude；　and　neglect；　rarely　understood；

and　never　fully　appreciated　even　by　those　who　employed　and　honored

him。　　He　was　an　isolated　man；　grave；　abstracted；　lonely；　yet　not

unhappy；　since　his　world　was　that　of　glorious　and　exalting　ideas；

even　those　of　grace；　beauty；　majesty；　and　harmony；the　world　which

Plato　lived　in；　and　in　which　all　great　men　live　who　seek　to　rise

above　the　transient；　the　false；　and　puerile　in　common　life。　　He　was

also　an　original　genius；　remarkable　in　everything　he　attempted；

whether　as　sculptor；　painter；　or　architect；　and　even　as　poet。　　He

saw　the　archetypes　of　everything　beautiful　and　grand；　which　are

invisible　except　to　those　who　are　almost　divinely　gifted；　and　he

had　the　practical　skill　to　embody　them　in　permanent　forms；　so　that

all　ages　may　study　those　forms；　and　rise　through　them　to　the　realms

in　which　his　soul　lived。



Michael　Angelo　not　only　created；　but　he　reproduced。　　He　reproduced

the　glories　of　Grecian　and　Roman　art。　　He　restored　the　old

civilization　in　his　pictures；　his　statues；　and　his　grand　edifices。

He　revived　a　taste　for　what　is　imperishable　in　antiquity。　　As　such

he　is　justly　regarded　as　an　immortal　benefactor；　for　it　is　art

which　gives　to　nations　culture；　refinement；　and　the　enjoyment　of

the　beautiful。　　Art　diverts　the　mind　from　low　and　commonplace

pursuits；　exalts　the　imagination；　and　makes　its　votary　indifferent

to　the　evils　of　life。　　It　raises　the　soul　into　regions　of　peace　and

bliss。



But　art　is　most　ennobling　when　it　is　inspired　by　lofty　and

consecrated　sentiments；like　those　of　religion；　patriotism；　and

love。　　Now　ancient　art　was　consecrated　to　Paganism。　　Of　course

there　were　noble　exceptions；　but　as　a　general　rule　temples　were

erected　in　honor　of　heathen　deities。　　Statues　represented　mere

physical　strength　and　beauty　and　grace。　　Pictures　portrayed　the

charms　of　an　unsanctified　humanity。　　Hence　ancient　art　did　very

little　to　arrest　human　degeneracy；　facilitated　rather　than　retarded

the　ruin　of　states　and　empires；　since　it　did　not　stimulate　the

virtues　on　which　the　strength　of　man　is　based：　it　did　not　check

those　depraved　tastes　and　habits　which　are　based　on　egotism。



Now　the　restorers　of　ancient　art　cannot　be　said　to　have　contributed

to　the　moral　elevation　of　the　new　races；　unless　they　avoided　the

sensualism　of　Greece　and　Rome；　and　appealed　purely　to　those　eternal

ideas　which　the　human　mind；　even　under　Pagan　influences；　sometimes

conceived；　and　which　do　not　conflict　with　Christianity　itself。



In　considering　the　life　and　labors　of　Michael　Angelo；　then；　we　are

to　examine　whether；　in　the　classical　glories　of　antiquity　which　he

substituted　for　the　Gothic　and　Mediaeval；　he　advanced　civilization

in　the　noblest　sense；　and　moreover；　whether　he　carried　art　to　a

higher　degree　than　was　ever　attained　by　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　and

hence　became　a　benefactor　of　the　world。



In　considering　these　points　I　shall　not　attempt　a　minute　criticism

of　his　works。　　I　can　only　seize　on　the　great　outlines；　the　salient

points　of　those　productions　which　have　given　him　immortality。　　No

lecture　can　be　exhaustive。　　If　it　only　prove　suggestive；　it　has

reached　its　end。



Michael　Angelo　stands　out　in　history　in　the　three　aspects　of

sculptor；　painter；　and　architect；　and　that　too　in　a　country　devoted

to　art；　and　in　an　age　when　Italy　won　all　her　modern　glories；

arising　from　the　matchless　works　which　that　age　produced。　　Indeed；

those　works　will　probably　never　be　surpassed；　since　all　the

energies　of　a　great　nation　were　concentrated　upon　their　production；

even　as　our　own　age　confines　itself　chiefly　to　mechanical

inventions　and　scientific　research　and　speculation。　　What　railroads

and　telegraphs　and　spindles　and　chemical　tests　and　compounds　are　to

us；　what　philosophy　was　to　the　Greeks；　what　government　and

jurisprudence　were　to　the　Romans；　what　cathedrals　and　metaphysical

subtilties　were　to　the　Middle　Ages；　what　theological　inquiries　were

to　the　divines　of　the　seventeenth　century；　what　social　urbanities

and　refinements　were　to　the　French　in　the　eighteenth　century；the

fine　arts　were　to　the　Italians　in　the　sixteenth　century：　a　fact　too

commonplace　to　dwell　upon；　and　which　will　be　conceded　when　we　bear

in　mind　that　no　age　has　been　distinguished　for　everything；　and　that

nations　can　try　satisfactorily　but　one　experiment　at　a　time；　and

are　not　likely　to　repeat　it　with　the　same　enthusiasm。　　As　the　mind

is　unbounded　in　its　capacities；　and　our　world　affords　inexhaustible

fields　of　enterprise；　the　progress　of　the　race　is　to　be　seen　in　the

new　developments　which　successively　appear；　but　in　which　only　a

certain　limit　has　thus　far　been　reached。　　Not　in　absolute

perfection　in　any　particular　sphere　is　this　progress　seen；　but

rather　in　the　variety　of　the　experiments。　　It　may　be　doubted

whether　any　Grecian　edifice　will　ever　surpass　the　Parthenon　in

beauty　of　proportion　or　fitness　of　ornament；　or　any　nude　statue

show　grace　of　form　more　impressive　than　the　Venus　de　Milo　or　the

Apollo　Belvedere；　or　any　system　of　jurisprudence　be　more　completely

codified　than　that　systematized　by　Justinian；　or　any　Gothic　church

rival　the　lofty　expression　of　Cologne　cathedral；　or　any　painting

surpass　the　holy　serenity　and　ethereal　love　depicted　in　Raphael's

madonnas；　or　any　court　witness　such　a　brilliant　assemblage　of　wits

and　beauties　as　met　at　Versailles　to　render　homage　to　Louis　XIV。；

or　any　theological　discussion　excite　such　a　national　interest　as

when　Luther　confronted　Doctor　Eck　in　the　great　hall　of　the

Electoral　Palace　at　Leipsic；　or　any　theatrical　excitement　such　as

was　produced　on　cultivated　intellects　when　Garrick　and　Siddons

represented　the　sublime　conceptions　of　the　myriad…minded

Shakspeare。　　These　glories　may　reappear；　but　never　will　they　shine

as　they　did　before。　　No　more　Olympian　games；　no　more　Roman

triumphs；　no　more　Dodona　oracles；　no　more　Flavian　amphitheatres；　no

more　Mediaeval　cathedrals；　no　more　councils　of　Nice　or　Trent；　no

more　spectacles　of　kings　holding　the　stirrups　of　popes；　no　more

Fields　of　the　Cloth　of　Gold；　no　more　reigns　of　court　mistresses　in

such　palaces　as　Versailles　and　Fontainbleau；ah！　I　wish　I　could

add；　no　more　such　battlefields　as　Marengo　and　Waterloo；　only

copies　and　imitations　of　these；　and　without　the　older　charm。　　The

world　is　moving　on　and　perpetually　changing；　nor　can　we　tell　what

new　vanity　will　next　arise；vanity　or　glory；　according　to　our

varying　notions　of　the　dignity　and　destiny　of　man。　　We　may　predict

that　it　will　not　be　any　mechanical　improvement；　for　ere　long　the

limit　will　be　reached；and　it　will　be　reached　when　the　great　mass

cannot　find　work　to　do；　for　the　everlasting　destiny　of　man　is　toil

and　labor。　　But　it　will　be　some　sublime　wonders　of　which　we　cannot

now　conceive；　and　which　in　time　will　pass　away　for　other　wonders

and　novelties；　until　the　great　circle　is　completed；　and　all　human

experiments　shall　verify　the　moral　wisdom　of　the　eternal

revelation。　　Then　all　that　man　has　done；　all　that　man　can　do；　in

his　own　boastful　thought；　will　be　seen；　in　the　light　of　the

celestial　verities；　to　be　indeed　a　vanity　and　a　failure；　not　of

human　ingenuity　and　power；　but　to　realize　the　happiness　which　is

only　promised　as　the　result　of　supernatural；　not　mortal；　strength；

yet　which　the　soul　in　its　restless　aspirations　never　ceases　its

efforts　to　secure；everlasting　Babel…building　to　reach　the

unattainable　on　earth。



Now　the　revival　of　art　in　Italy　was　one　of　the　great　movements　in

the　series　of　human　development。　　It　peculiarly　characterized　the

fifteenth　and　sixteenth　centuries。　　It　was　an　age　of　artistic

wonders；　of　great　creations。



Italy；　especially；　was　glorious　when　Michael　Angelo　was　born；　1474；

when　the　rest　of　Europe　was　comparatively　rude；　and　when　no　great

works　in　art；　in　poetry；　in　history；　or　philosophy　had　yet

appeared。　　He　was　descended　from　an　illustrious　family；　and　was

destined　to　one　of　the　learned　professions；　but　he　could　not　give

up　his　mind　to　anything　but　drawing；as　annoying　to　his　father　as

Galileo's　experiments　were　to　his　parent；　as　unmeaning　to　him　as

Gibbon's　History　was　to　George　III。；〃Scribble；　scribble；

scribble；　Mr。　Gibbon；　I　perceive；　sir；　you　are　always　a…

scribbling。〃　　No　perception　of　a　new　power；　no　sympathy　with　the

abandonment　to　a　specialty　not　indorsed　by