the haughty outline of his eyebrows, and the
brilliancy of his eyes. Such was Rembrandt; and the character of the
figures he painted partakes of that of his own person. That is to say,
they have great expression, but are not noble; they possess much pathos,
while deficient in what is termed style.

An artist thus constituted could not but be exceedingly original,
intelligent, and independent, though selfish and entirely swayed by
caprice. When he began to study nature, he entered upon his task not
with that good nature which is the distinctive characteristic of so many
of the Dutch painters, but with an innate desire to stamp upon every
object his own peculiarity, supplementing imagination by an attentive
observation of real life. Of all the phenomena of nature, that which
gave him most trouble was light; the difficulty he most desired to
conquer was that of expression.

ALBERT DUeRER'S 'MELANCHOLIA'

From 'The Dutch School of Painters'

The love of the extravagant and fantastic observable in Duerer's first
pictures never abandoned him. He has probably expressed the inspiration
of his own soul in the figure of Melancholy, who, seated on the
sea-shore, seems trying to penetrate with her gaze into infinite space.
For my part, I have this picture always before me. How could it be
possible to forget an engraving of Duerer's, even though seen but once?
I can see her proud and noble head resting thoughtfully upon one hand,
her long hair falling in disheveled tresses upon her shoulders; her
folded wings emblematic of that impotent aspiration which directs her
gaze towards heaven; a book, closed and useless as her wings, resting
upon her knee. Nothing can be more gloomy, more penetrating, than the
expression of this figure. From the peculiar folds of her dress, one
would suppose she was enveloped in iron draperies. Near her is a
sun-dial with a bell which marks the hours as they glide away. The sun
is sinking beneath the ocean, and darkness will soon envelop the earth.
Above hovers a strange-looking bat with spreading wings, and bearing a
pennon on which is written the word "Melancholia."

All is symbolical in this composition, of which the sentiment is
sublime. Melancholy holds in her right hand a pair of compasses and a
circle, the emblem of that eternity in which her thoughts are lost.
Various instruments appertaining to the arts and sciences lie scattered
around her; after having made use of them, she has cast