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

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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

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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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30. THE' HIGH' -S.cH,ooL . PEGIS- ' , 3 1 1 T ,lEdivus and the SDDFIIX- ' MAY E. WALKER- , , A I 4 J V is , r ANY thousand years ago in a land beyond the'5ff3 there1iVed a-'man' named CEdipus, the rulerjof-'thiS,a,1'C-?l1fIl Of P99--Cel and PICUW' He Was I a peaceful, humane, and conscientiouS 913911 3 1111321 Qf'.U111C.h1Vll15d0U?, and well versed in ancient lore. the 'fiU1e,OffW111Ch I 1W1'1Fev'l?1S, home, Thebes, was troubled by a monster ,calledfa Sphinx, who infested the higlr- ways and was terrible to behold. It layton the top of ,El 11959, .f0Ck fflild StOPP1Ug every traveler, gave him a riddle with the condition th,at,those who ,could fsoluven it might pass unharmed, but those who were so unfortunate as to fall must dieq No one had yet succeeded in guessing the riddle. - QEdlpl1S determined to E1,Sk his life, and without hesitation boldly advanced to theutrial., ,,The,Sphinx asked him, What animal is it that in the morning goes on four feet, at noon ,on two, and in the evening upon three? CElip,us replied, Man,,5:who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood walks erect, and in old age goes with the aid of a staff. The Sphinx, finding her riddle had been-fsolved, threwher- self from the rock and perished, j I V a I I- V 5 A 1 , 1 ' V , - Q ' This is just a simple tale, tbutbelownethie simplicity lie great questions of life. ' Each of us starting. on life's ,journey has obstructions: toovercome, has greatiand, vital questions to solve, and on the- solving of these bprobably depends our future, for from morning tonight we are scattering the seeds, the harvest of which ,we cannot -fortell, and, the-soil in which they fall isfthe human heart, as soil ,so rich that of alltthose, seeds none utterly perish. There is trouble, sin,qand sorrow all aroundiusg, thehhorizon of the future is black -,with clouds, andfour sole duty is to endeavor to lift some of the- burdens and solve some ofthe manv Sphinx riddles and thus be of,s,ome benefit to humanity, 4, I ' , , p D Each one of us has some particular duty 5 jeach has hisfown calling. The time of the politician is not taken up considering questions,-that concern the art-ist, nor is the artist concerned with the problems that present themselves to the politician. The artist ,is not pondering over the advisability Of enlarging our foreign policy ofh acquiring new' landsg .norlis he concerned in the controversy between Frailceiand England, nor the outcome,gog,.the,...Chinese Question ig noir the probable trouble of the United States and Germany over the Pliillipineg, These questions are not vital to him, are not essential, but he is probably rrrnum- ing because of the seeming decline of art, and probably thinking that -until the merchant is banished ff0U1 aft it will remain in the present condition. The painter of to-day paints to please the rntltitude, the sculptor does likewise g the