The midsummer of Italian art . ity with horns, probably astatue or bust of the god Pan. It is this that givesa slightly faun-like expression to the countenance,noticeable in the full sensuous lips and the contourof the eyebrows. The beard of Moses is the one enigma of Christianart. Such long silky curls might have grown on thehead of a woman, but never on the face of a praises the softness and fineness of the hair,but neither he nor Grimm makes any attempt to solvethe mystery. Was it some strange imaginationwhich came upon the artist and took possession ofhim like a prophetic raptur
The midsummer of Italian art . ity with horns, probably astatue or bust of the god Pan. It is this that givesa slightly faun-like expression to the countenance,noticeable in the full sensuous lips and the contourof the eyebrows. The beard of Moses is the one enigma of Christianart. Such long silky curls might have grown on thehead of a woman, but never on the face of a praises the softness and fineness of the hair,but neither he nor Grimm makes any attempt to solvethe mystery. Was it some strange imaginationwhich came upon the artist and took possession ofhim like a prophetic rapture ? There are Romanrepresentations of Jupiter with a beard dividedinto thirteen curls or ringlets, and this has an arti-ficial appearance, and is not much like the naturalgrowth on the chin of Moses. Here Michel Angelohas certainly surpassed himself in boldness andoriginality. The hair on his head is not less remarkable for itsfineness and the gracefully vigorous disposition ofits locks. It is only in the Moses that Michel An-. MOSES, BY MICHELANGELO In Church of S. Pietro in Vincolo, Rome The Works of Michel A ngelo. 161 gelo has equalled the finest Greek treatment of especially its arrangement about the rightear, and where it comes in contact with the of itself is a marvel of artistic skill. So thisartist, who disliked to make use of clothes, could bethe most admirable of tailors when the occasion re-quired. The way in which he has wrought thesandals and leggings is inimitable; yet he couldonly approach and not equal the drapery of theHermes of Praxiteles. What firmness there is inthat marble knee; and his right foot planted onthe ground as if an earthquake could not moveit ! All else yields, however, to the expression of theface, which is radiant with moral power. Moseshas descended from the mount with the tables ofthe law in his hand, and sees before him the proces-sion of the Golden Calf. The unknown writer ofExodus says he waxed hot with wrath, and
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Keywords: ., bookauthorstearnsf, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1911
