214 TREES IN NATURE, MYTH & ART 



of mass, are within the atmosphere, and are 

 clearly distinguishable as cypress, olive, palm, 

 etc. Masaccio, also, here as in other re- 

 spects, shows an advance in naturalism. Fra 

 Angelico's pupil, Benozzo Gozzoli, in the frescoes 

 of the Riccardi Palace, and elsewhere, intro- 

 duces trees which, if still conventionally formal, 

 do get up in height above the figures, and 

 attain much more nearly to their proper place 

 in the landscape. This is even more true of 

 the work of Botticelli. In the ''Primavera," 

 Venus and her train are passing through a 

 wood which does seem to overshadow them. 

 There is a distinct feeling both for mass and 

 intricacy. This is also true of the wood in 

 *' Venus Rising from the Sea," and also of the 

 one in " The Adoration of the Shepherds " in 

 our National Gallery. The same thing is 

 observable in the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel 

 at Rome. There is also a distinct feeling for 

 atmosphere ; the light shows strongly between 

 the stems of the trees, which are placed so as 

 to conceal portions of the landscape, and leave 

 open other portions, thus recognising what has 

 been previously noticed as one of the great 

 sources of pleasure in a wooded landscape. 



