Part 2

The Trojans believed every word of this, and ordered the huge horse brought within their city, even though they were obliged to take down part of the wall in order to make the opening large enough. That night the treacherous Sinon opened a door in the body of the horse and let out the armed Greeks who were hidden inside. They quietly slipped to the ground by means of a rope, killed the watchmen, and opened the gates to the Greek army which had returned and was waiting outside. A terrible battle followed, in which nearly all the Trojans were killed. Helen was taken back to Greece.

In Homer’s _Odyssey_ he tells the adventures of Ulysses, King of Ithaca, during the return journey from Troy. Ulysses had been one of the bravest of the Greek leaders, and was one of the heroes concealed in the wooden horse. The poem is full of vivid description and noble sentiments, both pathetic and sublime, and it stirred the hearts of the Greeks with pride and joy.

It is easy to see the interest in the faces of the listeners in the picture. Partly robed in a rose-colored garment, the reader sits on a chair of marble, holding on his knees a roll of papyrus, from which he is reading to a group of four persons before him. A wreath of bay leaves crowns his head, and as he leans forward his face expresses enthusiasm while he tells the thrilling adventures of the hero of Homer’s story.

In the center of the background we see a woman. On her hair is a crown of daffodils, and in her left hand something resembling a tambourine. She half sits, half reclines, on a marble bench, a resting place which the Greeks always preferred to chairs. On the floor near her, in an attitude of careless ease, sits a young man who is very likely her lover, since he is holding her hand. His face expresses his interest in the story. In his right hand he holds a lyre, which suggests that the company has been listening to music, and that they will enjoy it again after this recital.

How intent their faces are as they follow in imagination all the adventures of their sturdy ancestors! Near the center of the picture and stretched out gracefully on the marble floor is a youth who appears anxious not to lose one word of the story. At the left we see a man standing. He wears a crown of flowers on his head, and wraps his long cloak closely about him. His face is wild and sad. His appearance seems to tell that he has duties elsewhere and ought to leave, but is being held by the story.

The people are all dressed in typical Greek costumes. The dress of Greek men and women was very much alike. When they appeared on the streets they wore a cloak which consisted of a large square piece of cloth so wrapped about them as to leave only the right arm free. It required much skill to drape it gracefully, and the manner in which this was done decided the taste and elegance of the wearer. The women and men of the higher classes wore what they called a _chiton_, or dress which consisted of two short pieces of cloth sewed or clasped together and fastened over the shoulder, leaving open spaces for the arms. It was fastened at the waist with a girdle. A man usually wore this _chiton_, although he was considered fully dressed in the cloak alone. It was the lower classes who wore the tanned skins, so the young man lying on the floor is probably a servant.

A touch of bright color is added to this picture by the flowers in the girl’s hair and those scattered on the bench beside her.

The flesh painting in this picture is claimed to be the most perfect that Alma-Tadema ever did, and the painting of the girl and her lover, one of his highest efforts. The reader is the center of interest in the picture. The light, the lines, and the position of the figures make this apparent.

The painting of these five large figures occupied the artist only eight weeks, but the preliminary studies before he began painting took eight months.

Alma-Tadema excelled in his painting of marble, and this picture gave him every opportunity to display his genius, since nearly the entire background is of marble. The delicate colors of the young girl’s costume, with the few bright touches of color in the flowers; the darker, richer colors of the men’s cloaks; and back of it all the clear opalescent colors of marble and the deep blue of the sea beyond give the picture a distinctive beauty which is most pleasing to the eye. A close student of Greek history, Alma-Tadema has been particular to see that every little detail is in harmony, and consistent with the age and country.

=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= What is the center of interest in this picture? What lines in the picture direct your eye to the reader? How does the light do this? the position of the figures? Tell something of Greek life; of Homer; of the siege of Troy. Why did it take the artist eight months to get ready to paint this picture?

=To the Teacher=: Each pupil may be asked to draw one Greek ornament from some history, encyclopedia, or dictionary.

SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITIONS

A Day in a Greek Home. A Greek Library. Homer and His Writings. A Description of “A Reading from Homer.” The Artist.

=The story of the artist.= Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, of Dutch parentage, was born in the little village of Dronrijp near Leewarden, the Netherlands, in the year 1836. When he was very young his father died, leaving his mother with a large family and small means, and it was decided from the first that Alma-Tadema must learn a good trade or profession. His progress at school caused his mother much anxiety, for the boy cared for nothing except Roman history, which he began to study by himself. Having secured some quaint old coins in the neighborhood, he spent much of his time copying the heads of the emperors on the coins.

He soon began to show remarkable talent for painting. A portrait which he painted of his sister was exhibited when he was only fifteen years old. But his mother wished him to become a lawyer, because she felt it would bring the best financial returns. He tried to please her, but a serious illness was the result. When the doctor advised the mother to let him become an artist she gave her consent, and it is said the boy recovered with astonishing rapidity.

He studied at Antwerp many years, winning such success that he sent for his mother and sister to come to live with him. Then he began to make a special study of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. After his marriage to an English lady he moved to London, where he lived the rest of his life.

His love for marble and the polished surfaces of bronze, gold, and other metals is clearly shown in most of his pictures. Even his portraits usually represent the sitter as glancing in a mirror or in some way reflected in it.

Perhaps no other artist has ever made so much use of flowers in his pictures. The flowers seem to add the one touch of bright color which beautifies the whole picture.

Alma-Tadema gives us a clear understanding of the home life of the Greeks and Romans, and so has become known as the “Painter of the Ancients.”

Alma-Tadema became a British subject in 1873. His home in St. Johns Wood, in the northwest part of London, is described as a most interesting place. The first glimpse of it, seen through the trees, shows the gilded weather vane in the form of a palette; later, the stone pillars of the Roman porch. In all its details the house is carefully and beautifully furnished: the brass knocker on the door, the entrance into a sort of sun parlor paved with tiles and bright with beautiful flowers, and the sound of a fountain near at hand. A flight of marble steps leads to a hall in which beautiful painted panels (the gifts of friends) are the chief decoration. Great tiger skins cover the floor.

Mrs. Tadema also is an artist, and has her studio on this floor. In her studio and the living rooms she has given full sway to her own fancy for the sixteenth-century old Dutch, most of their contents having been brought from the Netherlands. Alma-Tadema’s taste is purely classical, and his studio is consistent in all respects—marble pillars, carved wood-work, chairs, and cushions. Here he lived and worked with this motto before him:

“As the Sun colours Flowers So Art colours Life.”

=Questions about the artist.= Of what nationality was the artist? Why was his mother so anxious to have him learn a trade or profession? What did he like to study? What picture did he exhibit when he was fifteen years old? What prevented his becoming a lawyer? What countries did he prefer to represent? What materials did he excel in painting? For what has he become famous?

AURORA

=Questions to arouse interest.= What goddess does this represent? Whom is she leading? Upon what do they rest? Over what are they passing? What has Aurora in her hands? Toward whom is she looking? In what is Apollo riding? How many horses has he? What has the cherub in his hand? Which way does the flame blow? why? What makes you think they are moving? In what direction do their garments blow? Who painted this picture? Why do you like it?

=Original Picture=: Pavilion of the Rospigliosi Palace, Rome, Italy. =Artist=: Guido Reni (gwē’dō rā’nē). =Birthplace=: Bologna, Italy. =Dates=: Born, 1575; died, 1642.

=The story of the picture.= Imagine yourself in that far-famed city of Rome, driving through its white streets to the great Quirinal Palace to see the original of our picture. The Quirinal, a very large and very ordinary looking building, has been the scene of many interesting events, and is always used as the meeting place for the cardinals who elect the pope. Our drive ends here, but it is only the beginning of our journey. After a delightful walk through a courtyard so completely surrounded by high stone walls that we should never have guessed its existence, we come to another palace. This palace is much more beautiful, although not so large. It is called the Rospigliosi Palace because it has always belonged to a family of that name. Then we pass on through a beautiful garden of magnolias until we reach the pavilion or casino of the palace, where we find our picture.

There are several rooms in this pavilion, but it is the middle room which holds our attention, for it is up on the ceiling of this room that we see Aurora, goddess of the morning, leading the way for the fiery steeds of Apollo, the sun god. As we enter, such a glow of color fills the room that we know instinctively this must be the place. First, we see Aurora herself, flying ahead, scattering the clouds of night and showering roses and dewdrops over the sleeping earth. She looks back toward Apollo, the sun god, to see if he is following her on his journey around the heavens in his chariot of the sun. The horses are restless and eager and it takes a steady hand to guide them.

Some idea of the difficulties attending such a journey may be gained from the Greek story of Phaëthon. According to this story, Apollo had a son named Phaëthon. One day the boy came to him, complaining that the other boys made fun of him when he told them who his father was. They said they did not believe that a boy who could do nothing at all could be the son of the mighty Apollo. This made the father very angry, and when Phaëthon asked him to let him do something that should prove to the world that he was Apollo’s son, Apollo told the boy he would give him permission to do whatever he asked.

The boy quickly asked permission to drive the sun chariot for one day. But this request alarmed Apollo, who said, “None but myself may drive the flaming car of day,—not even Jupiter, whose terrible right arm drives the thunderbolts.”

He urged his son to take back his request before it was too late, warning him it would prove his destruction. But the boy was only the more anxious to drive, and held his father to his promise.