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25S THE LEADS B. [Sj^trsju^
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A STRONG-MINDED HEROINE. Grace Zee. A Ta...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Art Of The Ancients. Torso Kvmt, Kun...
¦ After aeaeeBk ^ onmSLeatGowi < at tn * progress Greek art from-Itedalus to Phidiw ^ and firom Phidiasc * o : Had « iani and on the criteria of relativeantl 53 i 5 v * fie a «» bericoi « Bienc ^*«» descriptirefsairver <> f the principal remains o ^ H 4 Iteim s « s !* tOTe >» -4 hre & 7 ot the « ucceaswe epoefe ^ Tfce Gateiof Laons atMycenae , and the reliefs at Sa > - mothracerTOrBBeutii ^ Agamemnon seatedon -a throncaccowpanied l > y two < heralds * be * rr strong ; traeea of the abstract Egy |> tian mannbr r ' -the one herald ^ for example * bomg thea » pe 6 ti » n of the 0 ther * So do the Lyeian ^ nHlotaue * . cottHBtmffdfrfiroiaaixtT to seventy- ; statues , mLa . sittwff . posture , tne 4 eet
which formed the aronB ^ tova , templ e * the perfect paralbstism ofc » the stiff postawe of the aran ^ the atorightlioes of the . deapery , everything is Egyptian in style . A yet more important apeeunen of Greek art , discovered ^ M'ffimLjr about ihirtgryears ago * ax » the remains of a templeon the citadeLof Seliana , a . cky >* iuch wasbtafciby Doaaaa Greeks 608 r 3 M > ., and deatawedfcbyVtaeGartBaghnaaB only 200 years later , so that the period of thweL « eidp *^* is « b 8 oliitefy deteTinaiedii Here we have anilUproportioneci Her « ules « carryingr * coupleof h 5 s = fawns 8 ntora : sIiaBgon a pole over his shoaltier , ami Peraeos ,, protected . byMinenrayslayingr Hedasa . ; The _ upper part of all the fi gure * vide face , the legs de-profit--againarc Egyptian fashion . The Medusais * hideo us , caricature : h » w \ far . from the temble beauty ot
th * Mednsa RondaninLl Aichapter oit temple pedhnentsand their sculptural ornaments introduces thftiCEainetan sculntuMS , the oraginals- © £ wfcieh are < at Munich * , and * cast of ^ hich-inay heseea at the Crystal Palace . They doubtless adorned the templeereetedb ythe wealthy CEgmetans to Minerva—atemple belonging to the earliest works of Doric architecture , and probably built in the time of Solon , for they were found ia the accumulations of rubbish overgrown ¦ w ith brushwood which surrounded its ruins . The remarkable point in these sculptures is the high degree of truthfulness and beautyjn the limbs , and the uniformity and utter unmeaningness of the faces . This , inequality Stabfc regards as the remains of the earlier hieratic influence , the tendency of which was . t » keep up traditional . and conventional forms ; but perhaps he is
nearer the true reason when lie says ^ that on comparing the GEginetan sculptures < witbltlie works of the early Italian masters , Giotto and Pietro Perugino , we observe a . striking difference between them in this respect : the _ early Italian , masters were animated by the spiritualistic idea that the body was but an . unworthy : dWelfingJbr the immortal soul , and hence they threw all thaufpowerintothe face , where-the soulmight be saidto look out from its tabernacle f whereas fti the conception ! of the Greeks , a fine body was the primary , condition . of -A- fine . mind ~ Jirst the body , and then the soul by and throwhihe . lodyr viz 2 , 1 &< i ocder of their ideas . Hence , in Greek- art , the expression ofthe 3 acer would naturally Tbe the last in the order of development . The chapters on Pludias and his ^ works , include a surveV _ of the sculptuTe & oftheJE ^ arkhenoniXby us modern barbarians caU ' edth « Elgjn marbles ) .
wiich ^ alas I are ~ the only works immediately and unojaestionawy , na now remnuungi a description , of what the Patthenon was inatfi glpry ; and'the nis-4 ory of ; it » sad fate . It is exaspei » tu > g to tfeijik'that after sur ^ mg tb . p bigpfccy of eady C » rw * ianlty , the inroads of northern , barbarians , the crursaUte aJivfintureia . of the middle ages , who as nukes of Athens made ± ne Aetopqua their citadel , nay , th & Turkish ,-conquest under Qmar , the Parthenon , was at lasty nearly at the end of the seventeeth century , blown into fragmectaia a siege cunduoted by Konigsmark , the German general of the Venetian army . T & a Turkish Pacha had deposited all his treasures and . ammunition ia the Parthenon , which had hitherto served him as a mosque ; a bomb fell into the powder magazine * and the temple , which had stood in ? ta hp « if . T anon vears . was a heaD of ruins ! Besides the fragmentary relics
of the Parjthenpn , we possess , as we have said , nothing that can be regarded . as the immediate work , of PJiidiaa ; _ butjvye ^ knpw ^ thatjhe g lorious ideals of the Zens and Athene were of his creation , and the descriptions of his works , wluchcare peeuerved to . us , assure us that , on looking , at the Jupiter Otncoii orAe Paitoa Velletri , we are xeally looking at a product of the mind of Phidias , even though these may not be direct copies from his works . With Phidias are connected the Colossi on the Monte Oavallo—two groups representing , Pastor and P ^ ollux * each controlling a , restive horse— -from the tact that . oiia . af themia inscribed with his name , and that Plin ^ r speaks of one . ofthe two naked Colossi ¦ " aanaving . been the woxk of Phidias . " The reault of the scanty evidence on the subject seems to be , that one of the colossal , gfoupa is a . cony of aa origjnal . work of Phldfaa in . bronze . The other is . inficc & ed with , toe name of Praxiteles .
Next in interest to . the remains of the Parthenon are those of the temple of Apollo * in th . eicatj of Phigali » ^ in Arcadia ( the Phigalian marbles in the British . Mnaeum ) , the worjp . of AJkamenes , the pupil of Phidias , and discovered ia 1811 * . The tempife , itself » with , its suc-and-thirty marble pillars gleanun £ throng ^ . tiie dark green , of the mountain forests , had been long inown ^ TSuta atartled ; fox , fitst revealed , to a company of English and'German artiafc ^ and connoisseurs * the only aperture in the heap of ruins and ac-<; umculotad rubbiah whXch fflflted the interior to the . height of sixteen feet .. On . Iooking . il > , they found that the little , animal had made its bed on a ^ nlen did ,, reuief * , and . after invnenoB labour , twenty-three compartments of * Ee j & ieze were bcouffht forth to- the IXgH : an invaluable addition to the small amount of Greek s ( mlptu » e , the loaalily , date , and originality of which
are beyond all doubt .,, The two greatest contemporaries of Phidias were Polycletos and Mvron . Xo the former wet owe- the Juno ideal , of which the Juno JLudovisi is the fijTgfcqiifc preseatation ^ . and the conception of Mercury aa the Greek youth iu :. the culmination of blended beauty and strength , the Hermes JSnagonios , preawKn ^ over Palcestra . Myron ' s genius waa moire realistic , and was chiefly directed to the xepri > ductioa of athletic and gymaaatio subjects , and of animal life . The well-known Discobolus is , in fll probability , a copy from a bronze original . By him . To thi 8 ^ reat tri ad of sculptors who adorned the ago of Pericles , succeeded in . the . following , age , the fourth century o , c , another triad , Scopas , Fraxite ^ fl > . apd Lyeippus ,. whose style Wjnctehnann characterises ns the beautiful in ^ dlatmotion from that of Phidias , which was the sublime . In the second period , the severe bronze which had hithorto been the favourite material , gave way to the more liTe-lite ; warblo . To this fact , that tho artists of the
Phidian age wrought principally in bronze , we must attribute OUr aimost total loss of their productions , metal in every form having been au object of Barbarian-greediness . Scopas was one of the most fertile of th « ancient masters ; he created whole species of idealTaeings , as attendants on Bacchus Neptune , Apollo , and Venus ; yet not a single original work of his remains ' not even one ofthe seven which were dragged away to Kome in the days of Greek htirailiation ^ The Mars Ludovisi is probably a copy from aiv oviginal of his , and he transformed the ideal of the Eumenides , the personified terror of conscience , from the hideousness assigned to it in the earlier poetry and art , into an appalling beauty . Praxiteles , " The Master of Beauty , " is the one among . all the artists of this age who has been brought nearest to us by the remains of his creations . To hhn we owe the Venus-ideal of which the Aphrodite of Gnidos was the culmination , the conception of Eros as tho lovely youth ^ the voluptuous beauty of the Bacchus , the graceful strength and freedom ofthe Diana , the benignant repose of the Ceres , and the famous
Satyr which an ancient art legend describes him as valuing together with his Eros , above all his other works . Even so early as the time of Pliny , it was doubted whether the great Niobe group , discovered at Rome in 1583 , and now at Florence , were the work of Scopas or of Praxiteles . But we at least know that the statue of Niobe , was one of the finest works of Praxiteles , for Gtfeek poetry , which has proved less perishable than Greek scul pture , makes Niobe say : " Me living the Gods turned to stonej but in stoae Praxiteles has made me breathe again . " To the chapter on Praxiteles follows a long and valuable one on the Social Position of the Artist in Greece , and another on the relation between Art and Freedom . Then comes a highly interesting survey of ancient Portraitsculptare : and finally , this first part of the work Closes with the consideration of the Colouring and Nudity of Greek statues . We are glad to find Professor Stahr insisting , that in the highest period of Greek art the colouring of statues was not guided by the barbaric idea of producing illusion , but by a fine sense of relief in colours , an opinion which we have advocated in these columns . ¦ . ....
_ „ , , Our space will not allowing to dwell longer on the contents of this de lightful work . Let the readers of German and the lovers of art , procun ifc for themselves .
25s The Leads B. [Sj^Trsju^
25 S THE LEADS B . [ Sj ^ trsju ^
A Strong-Minded Heroine. Grace Zee. A Ta...
A STRONG-MINDED HEROINE . Grace Zee . A Tale . By Julia Kavanagb . Smith , Elder , and Co . When will the literary ladies get tired of strong-minded heroines ? Here is Miss Kavanash misapplying her powers of delicate observation , her refined feeling , and her graceful style as-a novelist , foe the sake ^ of creating , one of thdse > monster model-ferhales who are downright libels ort womankind ; Who ' can - * in wo-ntfan ' s adriiiraeten arid excite nb woman ' s sympathy . What nave the rt « fdrfwa » fe ; lofds of the creation done to give offence to the authoresses ? - —o * Eeiicej apparently of such a mortal kindj that it is hardly BQg sifeletp i ^ cal to _ m i . ndVa siftgle lad £ s novel , written of lat © yowfc , ;» j Ulvl . it is not . more or lessrthe perpetual" mission of the heroine to " put down ?
the men—just as it used to be Sir Peter Laurie ' s perpetual mission to put d own" ' suicide ? The stro . ng-minded heroine won ' t naarFy when she is wanted to marry ; won't candidly let a man kqow that she likes him ; won ' t get th <* , worst of it in argumeni ; with a man , on any pretence , at any time whatever ; won ' t shrink , blush * faint , kiss , sink , on bosow , and grow hysterical , when all naturally-constituted women ( and heroines ) invariably perform one or other , or sometimes all . together , of those interesting ceremonies . We have already protested , in this journal , against the new race of heroines—the blustering pebticoat-bullies , who turn all the natural relations of the sexes tapsy . . tuBvy- ~ and we now protest again—in a general way , agams . fc the whole roce ^ -ina partiqular way , against -Miss .-Grace . Zea . ^ few characteristics of this
Let ua cite * in defence of our indignation , a very intolerable woman . Grace Lee is , to begin with , Monte Chnsto in petticoats . She has boundless wealth , boundless power , boundless superiority over ail influences which affect ordinary human beings . Of course she is not pretty —prettiness is a soft , winning , feminine quality—but she is a grand creature —fitt ^ ey ea , dark b * ir--buatt arras , and general development to . correspond . She travels everywhere atao * being " twenty-three , wealthy , and fearless . She kneels at tbe Holy Sepulchre—she baaka in the sun at Rome , with a narrow-striped scarf carelessly tied around her ebon hair . " The men-all weak-minded in various ways—are also all in love with her . A i ™ prince proposes— and . is put down I A French dandy—put down ! A 1 olisii Count—put down ! ( with a thumping subscription , however , in this latter case , for the regeneration of Poland . ) Having sufficiently overthrown the men and eclipsed the women at Rome , " Miss Monte-Chnsto" returns to Eno-land . She poea to see an old friend in the country ; meets and captivates
his nephew , who is too youn £ , however , to venture beyond meek flirtation , and so escapes beinc put down along with the foreigners . From the country she . goes to London ; takes a superb house , splendidly furnished , in larklane ; becomes an enlightened patroness ofthe Fine Arts ; " gets immortn books dedicated to her ; engnees a matchless cook ; " excites universal admiration by her " middlq-age costume" at a court ball ; anonymously makes the fortune of charitable institutions ; carries a " shaggy Newfoundland" about with her in her carriage , to keep her company - > and rules tnc most beautiful , tbe most perverse , the most dangerous of spirited Arabians , who has " upset the Premier , " but cannot po 3 sibly upset " Grace Lee . / ls for the men she encounters , it is hardly necessary to say that she mi B marry any of them—but of course won't . „ However , a time-is near at hand when the virgin energies of Miss uiact Lee , hitherto directed to the occupation of putting down men in genen i , are to be air concentrated on the business of putting down one . mani "i sarcastic
particular . " Mt . John Owen" is a disappointed barrister—ug ly , , misanthropical , sufficiently near the old Corsair type , when in low spirits , to fold his arma and . fling himself supine in solitary pl aces—otherwise , when in society , a merely disagreeable bore , sulky and silent , auspicious of men , and unapproachable by women . He and " Miss Lee ma i « London , pn solitary Welsh mountains , now in one p lace , now in «» ° "Y ; J ; He folk -in love with her , of course } despising himself for the anuaui
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 17, 1855, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_17031855/page/18/
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