The Renaissance is the last and pictorial stage of the second era in art history. Michelangelo was its supreme embodiment, the Sistine ceiling its clearest expression. Renaissance architecture was plastic, not constructive—a decorative sys tem. The simple composition, the clear outlines of the painting of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries have also a plastic underlying basis. At this moment we have hardly enough per spective to see clearly just where the Renaissance merges into modern art. but one thing is cer tain, modern art carries the standard of painting in the van. It has not yet crrated its own types of architecture or sculpture; in these spheres it lives mainly on models of the past. But in paint ing it comes to self-consciousness and is truly original. This prominence of the most material of the arts is in harmony with the prevalence of the industrial ideals in science and all other forms of civilization. When, under utilitarian and rationalistic impulses, new forms of archi tecture and sculpture develop, it is safe to s;i'y that they will be governed by pictorial standards.
The details illustrating the historic develop ment of the fine arts are given in both general and special articles. First. there are three gen eral historic sketches on ARCHITECTURE, SCULP TURE, and PAINTING. Then enure two classes of genera] articles: those on special styles broader than nationalities. and those on national styles. To the former belong Byzantine, Gothic, Moham medan, Renaissance art. which spread over sever al countries. Within such styles there are. of course, the national subdivisions; but these are subordinate to certain general laws or character istics of the style. Thus French Gothic and Renaissance are very distinct from 'Italian and German: Armenian and Coptic Byzantine from Hellenic: Persian and Spanish Mohammedan from Egyptian. The second class, of national arts. is especially important in ancient times be fore the Greeks had drawn the East and West so close together. So. Egyptian art and 2\ssyro Babylonian art possess distinetly national MIME nationalities like the Hittites and Plaeni Hans are, it is true. strongly influeneed in their art by elements borrowed from these two great civilizations: but not Silnirienfly so as to east national traits into the shade. In ;thy case, whether national or stylistic traits predominate, it has been thought best to trace the history of art separately under each principal vountry.
The next group of articles gives classes of gem eral subheads: (1) of styfe—as. for instance, of Doric, Ionic. and Corinthian under AacitiTEC TuEE: of Early English Decorated and Perpen dicular cinder DEconATEn STYLE; PERPENICU LAR: (2) of branches of art from the point of view of material: for instance, CARPENTRY 111111 MASON RY, as branches of arehitecture: BRONZE, TERRA COTTA. IVORY, anal woou•ENtiltAvixo, oomusmou's woutc, ENGRAVING and ENAMEL. as 1)11111(.11PS Of sculpture; FRESCO, TEMPERA, MANU SCRIPTS, ILLUMINATION OF, TAPESTRY, and STAINED GLASS, as brandies of painting: (3) of elasws of monuments from the point of view of their use. Under ARCHITECTURE, the general headings of religious, Inilitary, where these themes are treated histoHeally, are each subdivided: religious architecture into such heads as TEMPLE, CHURCH. CATHEDRAL, MONASTERY. BAP TISTERY; civil and domestic architecture into such as CITY, FORUM, PALACE, BUILDING, VILLA, MAUSOLEUM, THEATRE, AMPIIITIIEATRE, CIRCUS. BATH, TOWN-HALL, ARCH TRIUMPHAL, AQUEDUCT, BRIDGE; military architecture into such as ACROPOLIS, CITADEL, CAMP, CASTLE, Certain sub titles are somewhat more special than these; such as the names of structures confined to a certain style, like OBELISK and PYRAMID in Egyptian art, or those confined to a religious sect and style, like A LCAZAR, CARAVANSERAI, KHAN, MINARET, and MOSQUE in Mohammedan art, or the CATA COMBS in Early Christian art: such also are subordinate buildings Or parts of buildings, like CLOISTER, CHAPTER-HOUSE, and DORMIToRY, which are parts of a monastery, or KEEP, BAILEY, TOWER, BASTION, and BARBICAN, which are parts of a castle; APSE, CHOIR, NAVE. TRANSEPT, CRYPT.
CLEARSTORY. which are parts of a church. Similar classes of works obtain also under sculpture and painting. For example, in sculpture come PUL PIT or AMBO, TOMB, RELIQUARY. CHALICE, CROSS, IIERM. etc'.: in painting are such terms as FRESCO. TRIPTYCH. etc. Next, class (4) includes works of sculpture curd painting classified ac cording to snbject, the general rules of which are bill down in two general articles, one on MYTIMLOGY IN ART, for the ancient world, and one OD Christian ICONOGRAPHY, for the period be ginning with the Christian era. The history of the artistic- treatment.of each such important theme is given under separate heads, which are enumerated in these two articles. Such are the myths and types of the Olympian gods. the ehief exploits of personages like IlEacm.Es, TnESEI'S. aDd PERSEUS, and the heroes of the Iliad and of creek tragic poets, not to mention great historic personalities. Similarly. for Christian art .t he types and events of the life of Christ, the Virgin and the Apostles; themes like the NATIVITY. CRUCIFIX and LAST JUDGMENT. Other general articles in this series are PORTRAITURE, LANDSCAPE, ete.
Class (a), technique of the arts, comprises the number of separate heads. A few of the articles are of some length, such as COLUMN, DOME. ARCH, VAULT. MoLDING, iueludjug definition and history. lout the majority consist of brief deliniticms, as in the case of such arehi tectural members as ARCHITRAVE, FRIEZE. 01111 CORNICE, composing the classic entablature, as well as DEATH., FASCIA, CoIIONA. MUTULES, de tails of this entablature, and CABLE MOLDING, PALMETTE, and other moldings and ornaments of the same. Reference to the comprehensive arti cles will secure complete references to the smaller units. The great majority of such tech !Heal terms belong to the lield of architecture, and include all the building implements under such beads as ANE, DRILL, HAMMER, CRANE, DER RICK, DRESSING, STAGING, QUARRY. The processes of sculpture are explained under CARVING.. FOUND ING. RELIEF SCULPTURE, ALTO-RILIEVO; those of painting under DRAWING, PERSPECTIVE, ENCAUS TIC PAINTING, TEMPERA, FRESCO, etc.
Class (8) consists of articles illustrating man ners and customs in which art and artistic forms of industry have at least an important part. Some are general, historic, and descriptive, as cosrumE, FURNITURE, BURIAL, BRICK, ARMOR, JEWELRY, and under such headings will be found references to the more specific headings; in this field especially it is impossible to distinguish between art and archeology. The next series, Hass (7), consists of a fop/if/mph/co( treatment of monuments. In the ease of every city or town containing monuments of unusual importance and significance in art-history, the conventional guide-book information. which is sufficient in ordinary cases, is abandoned for a systematic scholarly treatment, Such is the ease in cities like VENICE, ROME, ATHENS, CAIRO, FLoRENCE. It is the same with places like POMPEII. which il lustrate any period with great fullness. Ancient sites that are now mere ruins—like BAALBEK.