Andrea painted in oil as well as in fresco.You remember，don’t you，that the early Renaissance painters used to mix their paints with egg or glue？Then some one discovered that it was better to mix paints with oil，and soon all the painters were using oil paints except for fresco.In the old egg or glue way of painting artists had to paint ona board covered with a kind of smooth plaster called gesso （jes’so）.With oil paints they could paint their pictures on canvas or boards without using gesso.This was much easier and it also made the pictures look better.
Andrea’s most famous oil painting is a Madonna.The baby Christ is in her arms，on one side stands Saint Francis，on the other Saint John，with two little angels between them.The picture has a peculiar name.It is called “The Madonna of the Harpies.”Do you know what harpies are？Harpiesare make-believe animals—birds with women’s heads.The Madonna in Andrea’s picture is standing on a block or pedestal which is decorated with two little harpies.That’s why we call it “The Madonna of the Harpies.”
The Madonna in this picture is supposed to look like Andrea’s wife.He painted her likeness in almost all his pictures，but when poor Andrea finally caught the plague and became very ill，his selfish wife was so afraid of catching the disease herself that she left him alone and uncared for till he died.
Andrea del Sarto was named for his father’s trade.Now we come toa painter who was named for his home town.You remember Perugino，who was named for the town where he lived？Well，not a great distanceNo.15-1DETAIL OF THE MADONNA OF THE HAR-PIES（《有鸟身女妖基座的圣母玛利亚像》）DEL SARTO（德尔萨托作）from Perugia is the town of Correggio where there lived a painter known everywhere by the name of his town.We don’t know much about Correggio’s life，but we can admire his pictures.Like Andrea del Sarto，Correggio painted both in fresco and in oils.All his frescoes are in the city of Parma，in Italy，where he worked on the cathedral and the churches.
The cathedral in Parma has a round tower on top called a cupola and Correggio painted a picture for the inside of the cupola.The picture was circular so it would fit into the ceiling of the cupola.As it could be looked at only from the floor below，Correggio decided to make the angels and other figures in the picture look like real figures flying through the air and seen from underneath.If you should look straight up and see anangel flying above your head you would see the soles of the angel’s feet nearer to you than his head.You would see Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art just the opposite view if you looked down on the top of some one’s head.
No.15-2THE MYSTIC MARRIAGE OF ST.CATHERINE（《圣凯瑟琳的神秘婚礼》）CORREGGIO（科雷吉欧作）
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of ArtTo paint a figure seen from below was something that very few artists knew how to do.Correggio first had a sculptor make some models in clay so he would know how people would look in these strange positions.The way he painted them we call foreshortening.
Correggio did other foreshortened cupola pictures.People who saw them didn’t quite know what to make of them.It was such a new way of painting that at first it wasn’t liked very much.One man said such a painting looked like a hash of frogs.But the painter Titian came to Parma and when he saw Correggio’s cupola picture in the cathedral he said，“Turn the cupola upside down and fill it with gold and even that will not be the picture’s money worth.”
Correggio’s oil paintings are noted for their wonderful light and shade.He was what we call a master of light and shade.The people in his paintings are graceful，smiling，pretty，and happy-looking，and so almost everybody likes them.The main fault people find with them is that they do not seem to mean very much.Correggio was not a great thinker like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Another one of Corregio’s paintings is called “The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine.”Saint Catherine dreamed she was being married to the baby Christ and this picture shows the Baby playing with the wedding-ring that Saint Catherine had seen in her dream.
Just as famous as this painting is one called “Holy Night”or “The Adoration of the Shepherds.”It shows the Baby in His manger with His mother and the shepherds around Him.A wonderful glow of light comes from the manger where the Baby lies，and lights up the faces of those who worship Him.
A strange story is told of Correggio’s death，but whether it is true or not we do not know for sure.According to this story，Correggio was paid for one of his paintings all in bronze coins.You know that if you pay in pennies for something expensive，it takes lots of pennies.And this payment to Correggio took so many bronze coins that it made a very heavy load.Correggio started out to carry this load of coins home.It was a hot day and the heavy load made Correggio so hot and tired that he became ill，had to go to bed and soon died.And that was the end of this master of light and shade，but his paintings have lived on after him to give pleasure to all who see them.
【中文阅读】
如果你叫安德烈，爸爸是个裁缝，又被称作“裁缝安德烈”，人们就会不停地问：“会画画吗？”这是因为“裁缝安德烈”是文艺复兴时期佛罗伦萨一位著名的画家。当然，意大利人不会给这位画家取英文名字的，他们叫他安德烈亚·德尔萨托，这是意大利语中“裁缝安德烈”的表达方式。
说来也怪，裁缝的儿子长大后，娶了一位帽匠的遗孀。这位寡妇长得倒挺标致，但总是骂东骂西的，而且自私自利，挥霍无度，她花钱的速度和安德烈挣钱的速度一样快。
安德烈的两幅画被送到了法国。法国国王看到后，就想叫画家到法国为他画画。于是，安德烈去了法国。国王对他的作品十分满意，付给他高额报酬。但是没多久，安德烈就收到妻子的一封信，叫他回意大利。国王要安德烈答应一定尽快再来法国，还给了他一笔钱，让他从意大利买几幅画带到法国。
接下来，我们知道，安德烈的绘画比他本人好得多，因为他正是我们所说的那种“懦弱”的人。安德烈回到意大利家中后，妻子要他为她建一座豪宅。当他发现自己的钱不够建房时，竟挪用了国王托他买画的钱！毋庸置疑，他做了这样一件昧心事后，再也不敢去法国了。
在意大利，安德烈为修道院画过一些湿壁画。还记得我讲过什么是湿壁画吧。画家在灰泥墙还没干的时候就开始画，使颜料渗透到墙里。如果画家在画湿壁画时错了一笔，就没法擦掉，因为这画已经成为灰泥墙不可分割的一部分。所以，大多画家在灰泥干了后再进行润色。不过安德烈从不这么做。他画得很好，所以画完后，根本不需要做任何修改，因为实在没有错误要修改。
