Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-02-18
David of Angfrs

which in our country are inspired o. nigh
er aristical impulse. They will find it
lesson now Unborn talent reaches, only
through as~iduous, articles, nay, often
through suftrings and privations, that EN-
inence; securing glory and immortality
P I. David of Angers, who died in Paris
Jan 6, 1856, was born in the city OF Angers,
in Vendee, March II, 1889. His parents
were poOr-the mother seamstress, .he
father a carver in wood. When, during the
great revolution he population of his pro-
vince took up arms in defense OF royalty,
David, the father, enlisted among the re-
publican volunteers, and took, to share his
4-a=se+e5 the infant, scarcely ive years old.
There, on the battle fields, and the roar OF
firearms, among the groans ot dying re-
publicans, in the mind and the bosom OF the
child y as kinled that sacred worship for
republic which inspired him through his
whole life. At the cad of the war, father
and son returned home, the former to his
labors. wherein he reached some distinction.
lie worked at the carvings in one OF the
ch Irches in his native city, the child play
ing at his side. The view of the work OF
his father revealed the Unborn talent of the
boy He began to make drawings, TO ex-
ecute them, exciaiming, land | likewise
shall be sculptor" To this the father at
E6nce opposed, having found By the expert
kence of a p0verty-stricken existance how
little art was remunerative. A violent and
protracted struggle sprung up between them
the boy refusing 30 learn any other pur-
suit. The young David, being in posses
sion of three dollars, gathered together cent
byeceas with great care, one day ran away
from home, intending to go to Paris. The
mother overlook him and, yielding to her
entreaties and tears, he returned broken
down and submissive. During the night
despair seized upon him at seeing his hopes
thus blasted, and he took poison. lie was,
however, saved in time; the father yielded,
and young David was sent to the School OF
Design in Angers, which he lrequented
during several years. A Me-. Delusse, his
teacher perceiving that the talent of his
pupil was superior to what he would learn
under his tuition, gave him Sl0-beng poor
himsell--and sent David to Paris. He az
rived there in 1908, with about 50 N his
pocket. Thrown upon himsel', he divided
his tine between manual labor for living,
and the study oc his beloved art in all its
branches. His expenses amounted TO 90
cents day. The remaining time was de-
voted tu study. 1t Was the apogee of the
brilliant Napoleonic epoch. The triumphal
arch of the Carruusel and other works in
the Louvre were carried out by the two
scnIptors, Prrcier and Funtannes, and Da-
vid was employed by them. The great
painter David taught him design; R"laud,
s-ea ,ytsF,e; a:sa S.-=gann RecIard instructed
him in the anatomy of the human b'dy.-
After two years of laboTiOuS and studious
existence he was admitted to contest for
the pr zeS at the Academy o; Arts. His
work ca led forth general attention. The
masters OF the art and members of the Ac-
ademy appealed to the City OF Anglers to
bcstow on Ddvit prnsion, aud thus fucili-
tate his arristical advancement. This the
city did. and the grateful artist took hence
forth the name of David Of Angers. He won
in succession several minor plizes, and flu
ally in 1911 the great oBe; hus keeping
the promlsa given to his mother on taking
leave from k,r in 1SOS--thaI IN three years
he should succeed.
The winner OF the great prize of the Ac-
ademy of Arts AT Paris becomes pensi 'ner
of the Government, and is sent to Rome for
the continuation OF his siudes.' David
went there to study principally under Can
ova. HIS whole soul was in his art, and he
considered the works OF the ancentS as the
only types of sculpture. From them lie
drew his principal inspirations. The Gothic
sculpture, however. he admired as being the
archives of pious but ignorant epoch.
David returned to Paris in 1916, and ater
short soiourn lett :or England, with the
intention of seeing The (ronton OF the
Fanthenon brought TO the British Museum
from Athens. He likewisa wished to make
the acquaintance of FIaxmaEn, the cele-
brated English sculptor. But Flaxmann,
incensed against the French Revolution,
mistuking the name for that of the great
painter and terrorist, David, exiied then
from France by the Bnurbons, with the
coars prejudice of genuine Briton, refused
to receive him. This example proved con-
tacious-almost every door was shut TO the
arti.., and soon he found himself isolated
and without any means to live upon. Not
withstanding this distress he patriotica'ly
refused the proposal to work at monument
ra sed for The memory of the battle OF
Waterloo and left London the same day.
selling his Little luggage to pay his passage.
Believing, as he said, that 'iscnlPtor is
the recorder for posterity," he principally
devoted his art and his time to making the
husts of the celebrated men of his epoch.
To accomplish this aim, he exposed himself
often almost to humjiistion. In his "Me-
morris he says that "ss these gentlemen
will not come to him, he must search them
on, himself, and oten almost fell on his
knees to obtain the permission of modelling
them" He preferred to make the p-oiies,
by whom he was more deeply moved, instead
nf the face in full, as in his opinion "the
face shows too many traits. and is therefore
more difficult to analyze; the profile is the
unity" For this purpose he Travelled IN
various countries of Europe, and visited
years after England, where he took the
heads Of J. Bauham, of Wafer Scott, Of
Flaxmann, who had treated him so rudey,
and o! many others To take that of Byron
he purpuseiy went to Lombardy.
In 1921 he became member OF .he Aca-
DENY aud Professor of Arts in Parls' and
D ,ets sang his glory.
He made forty-'hree full-sized or gigantic
statue, twenty-five Of smaller dimensions,
forty seven bas-relie S, une hundred busts,
and a large number of medallions.
POLITICALLY inspired in the conception OF
mis- art-a lover Of classical antiquity for its
plastic perfection of beauty, as well as for
the genius of republican liberty under which
ar, was then blossoming, he disllked to
clolhe his statues in the garments of OUT
times. rs siiHing aud depressing the inborn
,rh Ia, in, IL hu,, hnd