Download or read book Transactions of the Department of Archaeology, Free Museum of Science and Art, 1905, Vol. 1 written by Pennsylvania University and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Transactions of the Department of Archaeology, Free Museum of Science and Art, 1905, Vol. 1: Part 3 It is only in the wall paintings that we realize the awakening genius Of the painter and get a lively idea of his work. Figures are drawn with prefect free dom and are full of character and expression. The idea in the mind of the artist is forcibly worked out and his object is remarkably well achieved. Groups are disposed with excellent appreciation of order and the demands of decorative art. Battle scenes and religious processions are reproduced with a great deal of realism, and while we can distinctly recognize the restraining influence of plastic art, it is equally clear that painting was preparing to free itself from the disabilities of that relation and had already made some progress in the exercise of its legitimate powers. With such beginnings the art of paint ing might reasonably be expected in due course of time to avail itself Of all its resources and to stand alone in perfect freedom and self-accomplishment. The paintings and sculptures of Mexico and Central America exhibit no definite knowledge of the laws of perspective, but, realizing vaguely the exis tence Of such laws, the artists were slowly feeling their way toward their proper interpretation, supplying the place of such knowledge meantime, as best they could, by means of compensating measures and symbolical expedients. It is evident that these artists like their Babylonian brethren had considerable feeling for perspective but no scientific knowledge Of it. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.