Chapter 26 in Italy

On the way to the hotel by car in Italy, Huiyin became excited.Especially when passing by the places where she and her father had stayed, she pointed them out one by one and asked Sicheng to look at them—this is the beautiful Niades Fountain, and this is the Matthews Orleu that Professor Gray talked about. This is the obelisk of the Mars Square... The architecture of ancient Rome presents a shocking magnificence, expressing their love and desire for possession of the real material world. St. Peter's Church is the largest church in the world. Construction began in 1506 and was completed in 1626. It took 120 years to complete.

Many people come here to visit, including many devout believers.In the hall, the toes of the statue of St. Peter have been kissed by believers for hundreds of years, and the candlelight flickers under the altar.Countless people were muttering prayers, clasped their hands, and had tears in their eyes. This cathedral is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. In the Middle Ages, the art of ancient Greece and Rome was regarded as heresy.St. Peter's Church, which was built in the heyday of the Renaissance, used the architectural art of ancient Greek and Roman temples to replace the strong religious color of Gothic architecture.The main features of ancient Greek and Roman temple architecture are centralized plane and domed roof, simple style, concise logic, full of commemoration, and Gothic churches adopt Latin cross plane shape, towering spiers everywhere, and complex and changeable style. different.

Sicheng quickly sketched the famous dome of St. Peter's Church in the sketchbook: the dome is more than 100 meters high from the plane to the top, and it is elongated into an ellipse by the designer, with strong ribs around it to emphasize it; The pillars of the shaped base correspond to the arch ribs one by one, and the relationship between them is clear; the large dome is surrounded by four small domes that echo it, highlighting its commanding position.The entire dome is full in shape, showing a high-spirited momentum. Huiyin sighed while watching: "What a pity! Such a magnificent and beautiful shape is blocked by the annoying hall."

The poorly designed hall of St. Peter's is a famous example of inappropriate proportion in the history of architecture. Huiyin and Sicheng spent an afternoon visiting the Sistine Chapel, which is famous for Michelangelo's ceiling paintings.Although they had seen some or all of these paintings from albums more than once before, they couldn't help but feel a strong shock when they stood under the ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel. This is a set of ceiling murals based on the story of "Old Testament Genesis". The mural is more than 20 meters high from the ground and consists of nine theme paintings with continuous plots.

The scale of the murals is unprecedented.For four years and three months, Michelangelo climbed onto the high scaffold every day, bowed his waist, raised his neck, and looked at the zenith to paint.After this big project was completed, he couldn't straighten up for a long time, and kept walking in a strange posture with bowed waist and head raised. Huiyin took Sicheng's hand, raised his head and moved slowly in the hall. ... The universe is vast, God created man, Adam awakened, the great flood, male and female prophets... The majestic picture presents the temperament and strength of heroism.

Later generations say that the image of the prophet Jeremiah in the fresco is a portrayal of Michelangelo himself.His hair is disheveled, his white beard hangs down his chest, his head is lowered, his chin is supported by his bony hands, he seems to be looking down, and he seems to be thinking, looking old and gloomy.People seem to feel his pain and sorrow pressing down like a mountain... Huiyin and Sicheng exchanged feelings.They understand why the Renaissance originated in Italy, where the soil of classical culture is too deep.