Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 2.djvu/477

Rh in the treatment, to which art, in his opinion, had never previously attained. Now he thought that on this occasion the opportunity for accomplishing what he desired was presented to him, and he devoted himself to his task accordingly with unwonted zeal and energy. The efforts he thus made are manifest in a figure of God the Father, appearing in the heavens, and in those of numerous children, which come strik" ingly forth from the picture, shown as they are on the dark perspective of the back ground; one part of this represents a coved ceiling, the curves of which are turned in such a manner, with all the lines vanishing at the point of sight, which recedes to a very great depth, that the whole appears to be cut in relief: there are besides angels hovering above, and scattering flowers as they fly, which are executed with infinite grace. Before hlariotto could bring this work to a conclusion, he painted it and then painted it oiit again, several times, now darkening the colour, now rendering the tints clearer, at one time adding vivacity and glow, but immediately after diminishing the effect, yet never satisfying himself or producing what he desired, seeing that he could not feel certain of having succeeded in expressing with his hand all the thoughts which he had conceived in his mind; he found it impossible, that is, to make the pencil keep pace with the imagination. He wished, among other things, to find a white that should have more brilliancy than could be given by any previously known; whereupon he set himself to clarify the existing materials, hoping thereby to enhance the effect of the high lights at his pleasure. At length, however, discovering that art is not equal to the production or representation of all that the human intellect is capable of conceiving, he resolved to content himself with what he had effected, since he could not attain to what was impossible. This work obtained great praise and honour for its author among artists, but he did not derive from it the remuneration which he had hoped for, having fallen into a dispute with the persons who had commissioned him to execute it. The price had indeed ultimately to be estimated by Pietro Perugino—then