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St Matthew and the Angel
There is no greater obstacle to the enjoyment of great works of art than our unwillingness to discard habits and prejudices. A painting which represents a familiar subject in an unexpected way is often condemned for no better reson than that it does not seem right. The more often we have seen a story represented in art, the more firmly do we become convinced that it must always be represented on similar lines. About biblical subjects, in particular feelings are apt to run high. Though we all know that the Scriptures tell us nothing about the appearance of Jesus, and that God Himself cannot be visualized in human form, and though we know that it was the artists of the past who first created the images we have become used to, some are still inclined to think that to depart from there traditional forms amounts to blasphemy.
在欣赏伟大的艺术作品时，最大的障碍就是不肯摒弃陋习和偏见。用未曾想到的方式去画熟悉的题材往往遭到责难，然而最振振有辞的指责也不过是“它看起来不太对头”而已。对于一个故事，我们越是经常看到它用艺术形式表现出来，就越是坚信它必须永远依样画葫芦地重复下去。特别是涉及到《圣经》中的题材，情绪就更加容易激昂。我们都知道《圣经》中根本没有告诉我们耶稣的外貌如何，上帝本身也不想被想象为人的形状，我们也知道那些习以为常的形象是处于往昔艺术家们的创造，虽然明知如此，还是有人以为背离那些传统的形式就是亵渎神明。
As a matter of fact, it was usually those artists who read the Scriptures with the greatest devotion and attention who tried to build up in their minds an entirely fresh picture they had seen, and to imagine what it must have been like when the Christ Child lay in the manger and the shepherds came to adore Him, or When a fisherman began to preach the gospel. It has happened time and again that such efforts of a great artist to read the old text with entirely fresh eyes have shocked and outraged thoughtless people.
事实上，往往是那些捧读《圣经》最虔诚、最专心的艺术家才试图在脑海中构思神圣事迹的崭新画面。他们努力抛开以往看到的一切绘画作品，开动脑筋想象小救世主躺在牲口槽里、牧羊人前来礼拜他的时候，想象一个渔夫开始宣讲福音的时候，场面必定会是什么样子。一个伟大的艺术家总是竭力用崭新的眼光来重新解读古老的经文，而这样的事，却一次又一次使那些无知之辈感到震惊与愤怒。
