. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science;. to use—and, in Leonardos case, it is difficultto say which would be the more exact—is apparent even in the detailsgenerally sacrificed by the most famous artists. Looking at thehands alone, says Burckhardt, we feel as if painting had slumberedhitherto, and had suddenly awakened. Since the time of Giotto, thegreat dramatist, no such important attempt to translate the passions ofthe soul by means of gesture had been made. Leonardo, indeed, doesnot make us hear the cries of mothers, whose infants have been tornfrom them by Herods execution
. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science;. to use—and, in Leonardos case, it is difficultto say which would be the more exact—is apparent even in the detailsgenerally sacrificed by the most famous artists. Looking at thehands alone, says Burckhardt, we feel as if painting had slumberedhitherto, and had suddenly awakened. Since the time of Giotto, thegreat dramatist, no such important attempt to translate the passions ofthe soul by means of gesture had been made. Leonardo, indeed, doesnot make us hear the cries of mothers, whose infants have been tornfrom them by Herods executioners, or of the damned, tormented bydemons in hell. His subject demanded treatment less violent thanthese. But with what consummate art he renders all the intricacies offeeling! How full of delicate gradation and reticence is his pantomime,entirely free though it is from artificiality ! How fully we feel the artistsmastery of his subject, nay, more, his perfect participation in the Head of S. John. An Early Copy from The Last Supper^ (WKIMAK MISUUM.). BLENDING OF IDEALISM AND REALISM 195 sentiments with which he endows his characters ! For the Last Supperis more than a miracle of art. Leonardos heart and soul had as greata part in it as his imagination and his intellect. Without such partici-pation, can any work of art live ? ^ While affirming the principles of idealism throughout the whole ofhis work, Leonardo has nevertheless endeavoured to give his composi-tion all the appearance of reality. Fearing to fall into abstraction, hehas multiplied the details that give an illusion of life. With what carehe has painted all the accessories of the frugal banquet ! The table islaid with dishes, bowls, bottles, glasses that give an opportunity for theplay of varied light, rolls of bread, fruit—pears and apples, some witha leaf still clinging to the stalk. Making a concession to the conven-tions of his day, he has not forgotten the salt-cellar overturned byJudas. He has treated the
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