Oakland High School - Oaken Bucket Yearbook (Oakland, CA)

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23 THE HIGH SCHOOL IEGIS.. Piacenza. In the painting, green curtains are drawn back on each side, disclosing, as a central figure, the Madonna, who Stands on a bank of clouds in the midst of a great glory composed of a myriad of cherubs' heads. She 100kS out of those sweet but sad eyes with a combined expression of love, majestyifild innocence. In her arms, the Child Jesus is resting in a simple, childlike attitude, but with a look of divine sweetness on His face, which touches. the heart of the reverent gazer. Below, at the left, St. Sixtus kneels, robed in a white tunic and gold-covered pallium bordered with purple. He is praying for his people to whom he points, while he gazes up at the Madonna with a look of ecstasy. St. Barbara, on the other side, is looking down in compassion and love upon the assembled faithful, while, leaning upon a balus.trade at the bottom of the painting, are two cherubs of heavenly beauty and innocence. The whole wonderful picture has such a rare simplicity and unearthly beauty about it, that when one is looking at it, the soul seems to be drawn upward by some unseen power. It was after gazing fixedly at this- great masterpiece, that Correggio exclaimed exultantly, I, too, am an artist! as if the most noble of all man's work was that of looking beyond the natural and giving to the world glimpses of divine glory. A The Sistine Madonna is all the more marvelous because no sketch of any kind has ever been found, leaving us to believe that the great artist put it directly upon the canvas, as it' by inspiration. In 1754, it was bought by Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, for nearly thirty thousand dollars, and was taken to Dresden. There it was received with great pomp and was laced i , P U the reception room of the Elector's Palace, the throne being displaced in order to give the painting the best possible light. Another of Raphael's paintings of which we have a copy, is the famous picture of St. Cecilia at the moment of inventing the organ. In ISIS, a noble lady of Bologna imagined that she heard voices from heaven commanding her to build a temple in honor of St. Cecilia. She built the shrine at the Church of San Giovanni in Monte, and Raphael was asked to paint for it a suitable altar piece. He thereupon painted the beautiful picture' of St. Cecilia g but, before it was placed in the chapel, he requested his friend Francis to criticise and correct it. Tradition tells us that when Francis saw the wonderful production, he fell 'down before it and expired, broken-hearted because of the thought that he could never attain such perfection. sr. cecuia, clad in the cloth bf gold, Stands iooking upward with her f an ' - - ace ed with ecstasy, while she listens to the harmony of the angel voices, singing in the heavenly city. Strewn about her on the ground, are musical instruments . ' D while-St. Paul, St. john, St. Augustine, and Mary Magdalene bear her company. It has been well said of this picture, it is full of a calm devotion like the solemn long-drawn tunes of old church melodies. These three pictures, Aurora, The Sistine Madonna, and St. Cecilia are perhaps the most famous of those hangin in ' ' g our sch 1- , fb' Winged Victory and the b 1' OO rooms W Ile the u , as-reiefs copied from positions of the Parthenon frieze, are the most interesting of the sculptures in h ll our a s. The Winged Victory is full f ' ' o interest. Away back in the fifth century, B. C ca tb t0 a . an wl gr ma re: cei fig shi hel in of the wo ligl fI'0. yea the wa fav pic Atl waj Thi cari ma: seen moi regi the spit hav the its coll: app:

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fllniiill it Scrrooi P' Aiorsy Q7 astonishmentw It clatteredi up-the street, and stopped before thief door of the little house by the church. ' A light was still burningjyshowing that Father Philippe was still up. Before he had opened the door, a crowd of his' people had gatherediaround the little gate, and as-f'Toi'nette sprang up the path, they stared' insurpri-se. Y I , 1 ,rv 1 li l 2 1 .- L QQ-A The door opened and theaoldf priest came out,ihis face- haggardiand drawhi with anxiety. f'Toinette sprang into his arms with aiglad cry,and sobbed out the Whole story. And, tshe ended, - you can stayfhere all your life, and it wasnl't'Cod s will afterfall, but the Bishoplsf' - Then, like any ordinary girlti she faintedfawaay 'in 'the arms of Paul 'Marle Qwho kissed lherj, while cheer after dlheerrrentr the air, and Father Philippe murmured, God is good. ' ' A ' .112 fini . ' ' ,L , , . ' Q Li R , ' . ,f SL- , . s M , Che. flrt Creasurgs of tp? High, School. gf-rm fi, 4 , . . J' fi ' -.'. Qqtrsqilggl .- ,SADIE H:fiR.OBINSO'N,- I l s 5 4, cifimigreat masters ofvart and literature have left behind theml not simply a ' iianie, bufG'2som'eJthfing.ofwfar.greater-fimportance-that undying influence?- 5 ifilJf,vsfh.ichswi1l'fbe.5feEt1thlroughou.trQtheragesg l.'4i 'When welook at. the 'copyf of JE,1.Raphia:elgf2andffobserve'-gtheifextpressrioniof.,'formland the harmony. of color-25 whehf-'lwielg readl Eherafwgrdsi diiraf ,,., MGflIto'n,ii.0f:.listen to the notes of a Handel, Wei Cannot fhelp5li5'ei5r1gi1i1plifftedl agri1elire.firie'tl,.evlei:1'fthoufgh we catch but a spark from! the master's inspiration. There is so much in- art to refresh the spiritual side or? 01g1lg1lh,afufefth:gjt ,Wg-yghg-u1'd.105e gb :0.pp6rt'u'nity, fhovveverFsmall,' of familiarizing odi4se1.ves Wfitli really good pictures. - And yet, how few among our High School-, students realize that here in oiur halls and in our class-rooms we have a collectionf dir pietures and sculpture vvhiichiare really art treasures, and Worthy of thought' . . .fry wif . .Q ' A f ff' L V fe S' 'T'he'carbon photograph: offfAfuroreJ,f' in ourassemb1yFroom, is acopy of the! fafmous pfaintingfby- Guido- Reiri,!whf01l1ived and flourished in ' the -latter part' of- tlielsixteent fcenftfu-ry. ' It was painted for Cardinal Borghese on the ceiling of thei siulinmeir-houselofl the Rospi'ghoisifVil1a in Rome, and travelers may still see it-A in. all its wonderful brilliance of color. -Q ' V ' T4 U -P51 'In the picture, Aurora, -goddess of the dawn, is represented as floating on the clouds ibeforei the chariotof Apollo. She scatters flowers upon the earth,5f which -is seen sleeping-peacefully below, waiting for the suncto bring the cares aftiid'atoi1fs' of a 'new day. L Happy maiden- hours dance alongside of Apol-lofs chariot, drawn by four prancing horses, while Cupid liies above, holding ai lighted torch. Aurora and her gay com-panions are robed in the soft 'tintsvofithef rosy morning, and seem to send forth?-a glow which scatters the dark' clouds of niQht,'and'prepares the way' for the brighter light' of theapproaching sunrgodfi rg1orA.n5tHerf aft. treasure off' the -High' School is an engraving - takeurfromf Raphael's famous Sistiiieflvladonna. 'fThis'painting,. which is the most famousl-in? alllofliNortAhernfEurope, vvasf-painted about I52Cj for the convent of St. Sixtus, at

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THE HIGH SCHOOL A-Bois. 29 C., there was, on the island of Samothrake, a shrine to the strange divinities called Kabeiroi, to which came princes, kings, and queens to be initiated into their mysteries. With them they brought rich gifts of statuary, and each tried to surpass the other in erecting temples to the Great Gods. The island was like a veritable fairy land, with its buildings of white marble shining in the sunlight, and overlooking the blue waters of the Egean. At the end of the valley in which these temples were situated, in clear relief against the ever verdant growth of the hills, was the imposing figure of the Winged Victory. Stately, majestic, with sweeping robes, she'stood upon the prow of a ship,,as though ready to rush down into the valley on her swift errand of victory. Many centuries have passed since then, but still is preserved to the world this collosal figure. Not as she appeared -in the palmy days of Samothrake, when, perhaps, she stood with both arms upraised, one hand holding a trumpet, and her head held erect as if looking into the distance, but beautiful, majestic still. It was in 1863 that M.,Champoisean, the French consul, while strolling over the ruins of the island, noticed a bit of white marble emerging from the earth. Scraping the soil away, he found that the marble was part of a statue, so he called the workmen who were excavating among the ruins, and they very soon brought to light the fragments of a winged figure. A dispatch boat was sent in all haste from France, and carried back with it the precious freight, and, at last, three years after, the pieces were Htted together, and the whole statue was set up in the Louvre. The whole frieze of the Parthenon represents a vast procession making its way to the festival held in Athens every five years in honor of Athena, the favorite deity of the city. Along the eastern end of the temple, the frieze pictures a religious ceremony in which a veil is offered up to the fair goddess, Athena, in the presence of twelve duties. Two processions are making their way toward this spot, along the northern and southern sides of the building. The one on the northern side is composed of chariots, mounted guards, citizens carrying olive branches, or playing upon musical instruments, and graceful maidens carrying jars. Although this company of more than a hundred figures seems to be in great confusion, still every line is distinct and the whole seems to move onward with a rythmic motion. The southern group advance in a more regular line, for they are the trained cavalry of Athens, bringing the sacrifices to the altar of their goddess. On the western side, noble youths are bridling their spirited horses, and preparing to join the procession. The bas-reliefs which we have, picture d-iierent parts of the festival, some showing the cavalry and some the Attic youths. In this hasty sketch, we see that each piece of art has its own history and its own hidden beauty, therefore let us be faithful in studying our small collection, so that when greater opportunities come, we shall be ready to appreciate them. 2