technique, their technical perfection is aggressive and imparts a formal coldness, a lifelessness, and a metallic quality, which doubtless explains--in part--their decline in popular favor during recent years. [Illustration: TORRE DI MALGHERA Antonio Canale] [Illustration: DIOGENES Chiaroscuro woodcut by Ugo da Carpi] Before leaving the South, we must yet cast a glance at an interesting though minor manifestation of the graphic arts, the _chiaroscuro_. Repeated allusions have been made to the demand for color on the part of the general public. In response to this ever-present craving for the joy of varied tones, the _chiaroscuro_ takes a step in the direction of painting by translating color into several graded tones giving the effect of a semi-colored wash-drawing. The process was used in various ways, in various countries and at various times, but the golden era of _chiaroscuro_ is the sixteenth century in Italy. The example selected, “Diogenes,” by Ugo da Carpi, is one of the finest of the period. It is impossible to render in this monochrome reproduction the rich glow of superimposed tones of golden and greenish browns, which constitute its greatest charm; _chiaroscuros_ must be seen themselves to be appreciated. One can then see what manner of success attended the wood-cutter’s endeavors, the endless possibilities of variety of tones become apparent, also the difficulty attendant upon the accurate placing (register) of the paper on the three or more successive blocks printed from, one for each tone. A few scattered experiments in Germany, during the period of extensive production in northern Italy, and thereafter a short-lived appearance here and there, such is--briefly--the history of the _chiaroscuro_ woodcut. V GERMANY