The Actual Living Form Of Christ On Earth Was
Still Not Christ, It Was But The Image Under Which His Disciples
Saw Him; Nor Can We See More Of Any Of Those We Love Than A Certain
More Versatile And Warmer Presentment Of Them Than An Artist Can
Counterfeit.
The ultimate "them" we see not.
How far these chapels have done all that their founders expected of
them is another matter. They have undoubtedly strengthened the
hands of the Church in their immediate neighbourhood, and they have
given an incalculable amount of pleasure, but I think that in the
Middle Ages people expected of art more than art can do. They
hoped a fine work of art would exercise a deep and permanent effect
upon the lives of those who lived near it. Doubtless it does have
some effect - enough to make it worth while to encourage such works,
but nevertheless the effect is, I imagine, very transient. The
only thing that can produce a deep and permanently good influence
upon a man's character is to have been begotten of good ancestors
for many generations - or at any rate to have reverted to a good
ancestor - and to live among nice people.
The chapels themselves at Varese, apart from their contents, are
very beautiful. They come as fresh one after the other as a set of
variations by Handel. Each one of them is a little architectural
gem, while the figures they contain are sometimes very good, though
on the whole not equal to those at Varallo.
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