Хребты безумия
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Werealized,ofcourse,thegreatdecadenceoftheOldOnes’sculptureatthetimeofthetunneling,andhadindeednoticedtheinferiorworkmanshipofthearabesquesinthestretchesbehindus. Butnow,inthisdeepersectionbeyondthecavern,therewasasuddendifferencewhollytranscendingexplanation —adifferenceinbasicnatureaswellasinmerequality,andinvolvingsoprofoundandcalamitousadegradationofskillthatnothinginthehithertoobservedrateofdeclinecouldhaveledonetoexpectit.
Thisnewanddegenerateworkwascoarse,bold,andwhollylackingindelicacyofdetail. Itwascountersunkwithexaggerateddepthinbandsfollowingthesamegenerallineasthesparsecartouchesoftheearliersections,buttheheightofthereliefsdidnotreachthelevelofthegeneralsurface. Danforthhadtheideathatitwasasecondcarving—asortofpalimpsestformedaftertheobliterationofapreviousdesign. Innatureitwaswhollydecorativeandconventional,andconsistedofcrudespiralsandanglesroughlyfollowingthequintilemathematicaltraditionoftheOldOnes,yetseeminglymorelikeaparodythanaperpetuationofthattradition. Wecouldnotgetitoutofourmindsthatsomesubtlybutprofoundlyalienelementhadbeenaddedtotheaestheticfeelingbehindthetechnique—analienelement,Danforthguessed,thatwasresponsibleforthelaborioussubstitution. Itwaslike,yetdisturbinglyunlike,whatwehadcometorecognizeastheOldOnes’art; andIwaspersistentlyremindedofsuchhybridthingsastheungainlyPalmyrenesculpturesfashionedintheRomanmanner. Thatothershadrecentlynoticedthisbeltofcarvingwashintedbythepresenceofausedflashlightbatteryonthefloorinfrontofoneofthemostcharacteristiccartouches.
