|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 11
Suddenly Barbara, throwing aside her pen, exclaimed:--
"Betty dear, don't you sometimes feel most horribly ignorant?"
"Why? when?"
"Oh! I am just writing about our visit to Santa Croce the other day. I
enjoyed so much the fine spaces within the church, the softened light,
and some of the monuments. But when we came to those chapels whose walls
are covered with paintings,--you remember, where we met that Mr. Sherman
and his daughters who came over on the _Kaiser_ with us,--I tried to
understand why they were so interested there. They were studying the
paintings for such a long time, and I heard some of the things they were
saying about them. They thought them perfectly wonderful; and that Miss
Sherman who has such lovely eyes said she thought it worth coming from
America to Italy just to see them and other works by the same artist.
Mr. Sumner, too, heard what she said, and gave her such a pleased,
admiring look. After they had gone out from the chapel where are
pictures representing scenes in the life of St. Francis, I went in and
looked and looked at them; but, try as hard as I could, I could not be
one bit interested. The pictures are so queer, the figures so stiff, I
could not see a beautiful or interesting thing about them. But I know I
am all wrong. I do want to see what they saw, and to feel as they felt!"
"I liked the pictures because of their subject," said Bettina; "that
dear St. Francis of Assisi who loved the birds and flowers, and talked
to them as if they could understand him. But I did not see any beauty in
them."
"We must learn what it is; we must do more than just look at all these
early pictures that fill the churches and galleries just as we would
look at wall paper, as so many people seemed to do in the Uffizi gallery
the other day," said Barbara, emphatically. "This must be one of the
things papa meant."
Just here came a knock on the door.
"May we come in, Margery and I?" asked Malcom. "Why! what is the matter?
You look as if you had been talking of something unpleasant."
Bettina told of Barbara's trouble.
"How strange!" said Margery. "Mamma has just been talking to us about
this very thing. She says that, if you like, Uncle Robert will teach us
about the works of the Italian painters. You know he knows _everything_
about them! He has even written a book about these paintings in
Florence!"
"Yes," said Malcom with a comical shrug, "the idea is that we all spend
one or two mornings every week studying stiff old Madonnas and
Magdalenes and saints! I love noble and beautiful paintings as well as
any one, but I wonder if I can ever learn anything that will make me
care to look twice at some of those old things in the long entrance
gallery of the Uffizi. I doubt it. Give me the old palaces where the
Medici lived, and let me study up what they did. Or even Dante, or
Michael Angelo! _He_ was an artist who is worth studying about. Why! do
you know, he built the fortifications of San Miniato and--"
"But," interrupted Barbara, "you know that whenever Italy is written or
talked about, her _art_ seems to be the very most important thing. I was
reading only the other day an article in which the writer said that
undoubtedly the chief mission or gift of Italy to the world is her
paintings,--her old paintings,--and that this mission is all fulfilled.
Now, if this be true, do we wish to come here and go away without
learning all that we possibly can of them? I think that would be
foolish."
"And," added Bettina, "I think one of the most interesting studies in
the world is about these same old saints whom you dislike so much,
Malcom. They were heroes; and I think some of them were a great deal
grander than those mythological characters you so dote upon. If your
uncle will only be so good as to talk to us of the pictures! Let us go
at once and thank him. Now, Malcom, you will be enthusiastic about it,
will you not? There will be so much time for all the other things."
Bettina put her arm affectionately about Margery, and smiled into
Malcom's face, as they all went to seek Mrs. Douglas and Mr. Sumner.
"Here come the victims, Uncle Rob! three willing ones,--Barbara, who is
ever sighing for new worlds to conquer; Betty, who already dotes upon
St. Sebastian stuck full of arrows and St. Lucia carrying her eyes on a
platter; Madge, who would go to the rack if only you led the way,--and
poor rebellious, inartistic I."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|