Show HAS INSPIRED GREAT ARTISTS subject of the resurrection always one that has called forth their best eff efforts orts HO christian artist about the T THE fourth century when he made his first hesitating attempts to treat the subject ot of easter carefully refrained from showing the risen lord at the moment of resuscitation with a proper reverence for the scriptures he refused to show what they did not reve reveal al he depicted an empty tomb watched by the roman guard or visited by the holy women A sarcophagus in the museum simply shows a or roman standard under which the keepers are fast asleep even the tomb is only suggested the louvre has a bas relief in silver gilt which formerly belonged to the abbey of st denis where we see an angel showing the saviors empty tomb to the two marys A more realistic representation Is thomas touching the saviors wounds which may be seen upon an early sarcophagus cop hagus preserved in the church of st celso at milan this chaste reserve which was content to depict only what was described by the gospel narrative was maintained by christian art until the thirteenth century when under the influence of the renaissance men began to paint the actual resurrection itself with a conscious striving tor for dramatic effect there is an early represents tion which shows the upper halt half of tho the saviors s body appearing above the grave and also a representation ot of his appearance to mary alary magdalene by ducalo of siena 1255 1319 who with giotto of florence first attempted to find a new artistic formula in the observation of life it is to giotto that we owe our first representation of the resurrection in a small picture which formed one of a series of panel decorations upon a press for sacred vessels in the sacristy 0 of st croce florence now in the florence academy ho he shows us the risen christ lightly standing with the cross and banner of victory in hla big right hand up upon on the heavy slab which covers the still closed tomb the angel does not appear but the roman guards are sleeping beside the tomb the saviors feet barely touch the tomb and the whole impression is that ot of an ethereal body no longer subject to the physical laws which attach us to this earth this now becomes the charac characteristic terl feature of all resurrection pictures taddeo badde gadal adheres to this in hla his magnify magnificent ent fresco and so BO does perugino among the many disciples of giotto there was but one great artist the painter monk monh fra angelico Angell co of fiesole Fie sole there is an indescribable sweetness in his virgins and angels enhanced by his exquisite drawing and delicate luminous color but his very sweetness often palls upon our modern modem taste As reinach says we long for a few wolves in this impeccable sheepfold fra angelico Angell co treated tho the resurrection subject several times in one of his pictures he still has the pre renaissance reserve he shows us the wondering women and the angels at the sepulcher in another he combines the old version with the new in the third picture he shows the actual resurrection scene fra Bartol opeo the teacher of andrea del sarto though not a master of the first rank treated this subject with great success in his picture which Is now in the palace florence rafael also painted it in his picture the keepers are not sleeping but they are witnesses of the resurrection annibale carraco goes a step further he was not satisfied satis fled to prove by a witness that christ really arose from the dead he sets out to show that he arose in a miraculous manner he not only paints a closed tomb which is correct for the gospels describe the great earthquake and the rolling away of the stone as taking place after the act of resurrection but carraci places a sleeping guard lying full length across the top of the altar like tomb there can thus be no doubt that the savior who soars above must have miraculously passed this double barrier it Is a relief to turn from the contemplation temp lation of such euan ridiculous ties to the strength of martin bauers engraving albrecht Juer ers resurrection la in his smaller passion series of wood cuts Is rather empty his larger passion shows us a much more worthy and noble composition rembrandt also treated this subject As usual with him the great problem was the treatment of light he does not show the savior but he selects the moment of the great earthquake ani and the appearance of the angel as the subject for a most wonderful etching wherein he be again as couture says with black and white makes color whenever the risen lord Is shown in these resurrection pictures he appears as the victorious conqueror ol of death and the grave this conception has also into hymnology tor for the lutheran hymn writer paul gerhard sings they in a grave did sink him the toe foe held justlee before he be can bethink him lo 10 christ agatia Is free and Vict victory oryll he cries and haveth toward the skies his banner for the field la by the hero held perhaps the most natural and therefore the most common representation of the resurrection Is the picture of the women at the empty sepulcher like the rings kings who came to adore the infant savior their number Is always three we find them in the very earliest resurrection ur pictures and carvings as well as in the richly illuminated gospels of the tenth and eleventh centuries duckloe Duc cloe clos treatment of this subject ts Is fine especially the expression of awe in the wamen women and the action ol of the angel who points to the empty tomb christian herald |