A Selection of Fine Sketches from Around the World. Volume 2

Author: Wu Xiansheng, Pan Wenxun (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Following the traces of temptation, we cannot help but be amazed by the creative spirit of the masters; they followed tradition but never blindly adhered to it. The masters excelled at observing with their own eyes and expressing with their own hands. Leonardo da Vinci moved with ease in his colorful world; Michelangelo's paradise overflowed with the passion of life; Raphael's bright brushwork made Adam and Eve in his paintings appear so pure and innocent; Holbein's tone was like that of an old monk chanting scriptures, calm and composed; Rubens' mythical stories were bold, and he vividly depicted the charm and sensuality of women; Rembrandt, carrying the cross, wielded his tattered cloak, telling us about human suffering; Ingres' serenade was graceful and moving; Delacroix's symphony was grand and majestic. Sometimes we see Degas' ballerinas leaping lightly, and then we hear the heavy footsteps of the Volga River rowers by Repin. They are a unique group in the human world, a unique link in the long chain of human cultural tradition. The masters are not followers of tradition, but creators of tradition.