The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-10-09
Powers' asasues.
nv ORvILLE DEWEY.

4 BN ORNlLLE DkWkN
cannot easily express the pleasure | have
had. in looking at these statues. ] should
be almost afraid to say how they impress
me in comparison with other works Of art.
The most powerful, certainly, of all the
statues in the world is the Apollo di Belve-
dcre. That is grandeur. If We descend a
step lower and seek for beauty, confess
that have nowhere felt il, as in these works
of Powers; in his Eve, that is to say, and in
the Greek Slave" | do not mean the
beauty of mere form, Of the moulding of
limbs and muscles. In this respect it is
very likely that the Venus de- Medici is
superior TO the Eve and the Greek Girl.
But mean that complex character OF beau
~, which embraces with muscular form,
the moral sentiment of work And look
ing at this last trait. iearlessly ask any one
TO look at the Venus and at the Greek Girl,
and then TO tell me where the highest intel
lectual and moral beauty is found. There
cannot be a moments doubt There is no
sentiment in the Venus but modesty. She
is not in a situation 70 express any sentiment,
or any other sentiment. She has neither
done anything nor is going to do anything
nor is she in situation TO awaken any NOR
al emotion. There she stands, and saws. if
she says anything; Il am all beautiful, and
| shrink little from the exposure Of my
charms - Well she may. There ought
TO be some reason ioI exposure reside. beauty;
like fidelity to history as in the Eve, or help
less constraint as in the Greek Girl. Nay,
according to the true laws Of art. can that
be right in statue, which would be wrong.
improper, disgusting in real life am so
bold as to doubt ii Art proposes the re-
presentation of something that exists or may
properly and beautifully exist in life. And
| doubt whether statuary or painting have
any more business 10 depart from that rule
than poetry. And suppose that an Epic
poem, for the sake Of heightening the
charms and attractions Of its heroine,
should describe her as walking about naked,
Could it be endured Nor any more do ]
believe that sculpture without some urgent
cause, should take a similar liberty. A
draped statue can be beautiful, and can an.
swer all the ordinary purposes Of a work Of
art; witness Canova's Hebe and the Po-
lymnia in the Louvre, an ancient work
And doubt not that ancient art would have
given us more examples of this kind, if the
moral delicacy had been equal to the genius
that inspired it. trust that Christian re-
iinement, breaking away from the trammels
of blind subsection to the antique. will sup.
ply the deficiency. But at any rate, the
statues of Mr.. Powers are entirely free from
this objection. She who walked in the bow
ers ofprimeval innocence, had never thought
Of apparel-had not yet been ashamed to
find herself devoid of it; and she is clothed
with associations which scarcely permit 9TH
ers to think Of the possession or want of it.
She is represented in this work as standing
Her left hand hangs negligently by her
side; her right holds the apple; and upon
this, with the head little inclined, her coun-
tenance is fixed; and in this countenance
there are beautifully blended, meditation,
sadness, and an eargencss. When !
first saw this statue, Or model rather, the
last of these expressions was not given. |
said to the artist, 81 see here two things; she
meditaes upon the point before her and
she is sad at the thought of crring." lie
said, ''les; that is what ! would express,
but must add another trait" feared to
have him touch it; nut when | next saw the
work, that expression Of eager desire was
added, which doubtless fills up the true ideal
of the character.
| do not wish to speak Of this work in
any general term Of commonplace praise
The world will see it, the skilful will Judge
Of il, and have no doubt about their yer.
dict.
Much as admire this statue, confess
that the Greek Slave interests me more
deeply. ! have spoken Of the want Of
sentiment in the Venus. The form is beau
tiful, but the face is confessedly insipid. |
The Greek Slave is clothed all over with
sentiment; sheltered, protected by it from
every profane eye. Brocade, cloth of gold,
could not be more complete protection
than the vesture of holiness in which she
stands. For what does she stand there
To be sold to be sold to Turkish harem
A perilous position to be chosen by an ar
tist Of high and virtuous intent! A peri
lous point for the artist, being good man,
to compass. What is it! The highest
point in all art. To make the spiritual
reign over the corporeal; to sink form in
deality; in the particular case, to make
the appeal to the soul entirely control the
appeal to sense; to make the exposure of
his beautiful creature foil the base intent
for which it is made; 10 create loneliness
'uch that it charms every eye, and yet that
las no value for the slave market, that ha,