300 ANDREW J. SHIPMAN MEMORIAL 



What shall I say of painting, whether that upon the great 

 wall spaces, in fresco, or that upon canvas which is not so 

 enduring? Painting in modern design came later than these 

 other arts and has been developed perhaps more than any. 

 And the Church has, ever since the first master touched his 

 inspired brush, been a consistent patron of the best that man 

 can do to tell the story of the gospel, the saint and the martyr. 

 The story of Italian art would take long to recite here. In 

 those days there were giants, indeed, such as Michelangelo, 

 the beloved Michelangelo of the Florentines, a painter, a sculp- 

 tor, an architect, a military captain and a poet, all in one. 

 The Church claimed and fostered the best of everything that 

 these masters produced. And that youthful genius, Raphael 

 of Urbino, who conquered the world of architecture and paint- 

 ing, dying at the age of thirty-seven, left behind him in church 

 and palace more than many masters accomplish in a long life. 



Nor has the Church ever ceased to evoke and inspire the 

 best efforts of hosts of painters to tell her wondrous story 

 and the conquest of the world for Christ. In many lands, 

 among people of every race and tongue, the sacred story, the 

 saint, the hero and the champion of God in every guise have 

 been pictured by the deftest and the most creative hands the 

 world has ever known. The art of painting, more than that 

 of other arts, speaks directly to the heart, is more easily un- 

 derstood, and preaches almost as eloquently in the churches 

 as the pulpit itself. The Church has used and will always use 

 it in greater profusion than any other one of the allied arts. 



But the Church has not contented herself with these arts 

 alone. The art of sculpture, both creative and decorative, was 

 at all times lavishly employed. Those who have studied 

 Gothic cathedrals are amazed at the wealth of detail and 

 thought in every part. We have our machine-made buildings, 

 nowadays, but in the Middle Ages every figure, every face, was 

 unique and characteristic, with a personality of its own. Con- 

 sider the Cathedral of Milan, with its 2,800 statues, each one 

 representing a distinct personality ! The English cathedrals, 

 where they are intact, the French, German and Austrian 

 churches show a wealth of sculpture in every part. Even if 

 other adornment were omitted, the wealth of sculpture and 

 bas-relief is so lavish and great that we wonder at the genius 

 that produced it all. 



