New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-04
DAVID OF A!SGERS.


our country inspired by higher srts,ical mpuses
They will find Il lesson how inborn talent reaehes
only through asiduous, arden; studies, uay, often
through sufferinss and prva;iOns that em.a.Bce e..
curing glory and immortality
T. T. David % Anger WHO died in Pare Jan. o.
1856 was born IN the city Of ABgers ia vend6e March
r. 1882 His parents were pOor-the mother seams-
,ress the father IN wood. When during the
rrea, revolution the population Of his province took
up arms in defense Of royalty David the father eu.
lated among the republican volunteers, and took 10
share his dangers the infant, scarcely i've wears old
There on the baitlc-elds, amid the roar Of firearms
among the rfoans OF dying republicans, in the mG,h
and the bosom OF the child was k;Idled that sacred
worship for a republic which inspired bin through hs
whole lie. At the end Of the war father ard son re-
turned home, the former 10 his lasors, wherein he
| reached some distinction. He worked a. the carv-
iDgs in of the churches in his naive city,
the child playing at bis sde The view OF
the work OF his father revealed the inhon talent OF
the boy. He began 10 make drawings, 70 execute
them exclaming and likewise shall be -cup or"
To this the father a. opposed having found by
the experience OF a poverty-stricken existence how
little an was remunentve. A violent and protracted
struggle sprang up between them-the boy refu sing TO
learn any other pursuit. The young David, being in
possession of three dollars, gathered together cent b
cent with great care one day ran away from hOme.
ius. uling to 90 tO Paris. The mother overlook him
and Welding to be entY1ae> aud tcar-, he returned
broken down and submissive. During the night
despair seized upon him at seeng his hopes thu
blasted and he took poison. lie was however, save
in time; the father yielded and young David was sen
90 the School of Design in Angcrs which he tequelte
during several years. 4 Mr. Delusse, his teacher
perceiyng that the talent Of his pupil was superior to
what he would Learn un Ter his tuition gave him &l0
being poor himself-anj sent David to Pans. He ar
rived there in 1908 with about s. in his pocket Thrown
upon himself he divided his time between MAMMAL labor
for living and the study Of his beloved art in all it,
branches. His expenses amounted to 20 cents day.
The remaining time devoted to study. 1t was the
spoges Of tho brilliant NapOleonc epoch. The tri-
umphal arch Of the Csousel and other works in the
Louvre were canied out by the two scuptors, Pcrcer
and Fontannes, and David was employed by them.
The great painter David taught him design Roland,
sculpture and Surgeon Beclard instructed him in the
anatomy of the human body After two years of
laborous and sudious existence he was admitted TO
contest for the prizes at the Academy Of Arts. His
works called forth general attention. The masters OF
the art and members Of the Academy appealed to the
City Of Angers to be.ow on David pension and thus
facilitate his artstical advancement. This the city did,
and the grateful artist took henceforh the name Of
David of Anger.. He won in succession several minor
prizes, and finally in 1911 the great thus keeping
the promise given to his mother taking leave from
her in lS0s-that in three years he should succeed
The winner of the great prize Of the Academy of
Arts at Paris becomes pensioner OF the Government,
and is sent to Rome for the continuation of his stdes.
David went there to study principally under Canova.
His whole soul was in his art, and he considered the
works Of the ancients the only types of sculpture
From them he drew his principal Inspirations. The
Gothic sculpture, however, he admired as being the
archives of pous but ignorant epoch.
David returned to Paris in 1876 and after short so
iourn left for England with tho intention or seeing the
fronton of the PanthenOn brought to the British
Mmeum from Athens. He likewise wished to make
the acquaintance of Flaxmann, the celebrated Engeh
sculptor But FlaXmann, incensed against the French
Revolution mistaking the name for that OF the great
painter and terrorist, David, eAed then from France
by the Bourbons with the prejudice of genuine
Biton refused to receive him. This example provef
contagous-aost every door was shut to the artist,
and soon he found himself isolated and without any
means to live upon. Notwithstanding this distress Ia
paioticaly refused the proposal to work at a monu
ment raised for the memory of the battle OF Waterloo
and left London the day selling his little luggage
to pay his passage
believing as he said, that "the sculptor is the re-
"corder for posterity, he principally devoted his art
and his time to making the buss of the celebrated men
of his epoch. TO accomplish this aim, he exposed
himself often almost to humiliation. In his Me
mors he says that I" as these gentlemen VIII not
" come to him. he must search them out hmsell ahd
often almost fell on his knees to obtanthe permission
" Of Modelling them He preferred to make the pro.
files by whom he was deeply moved, instead OF
the face in full as in his opinion the face shows 100
many traits and is therefore more difficult to anayze;
the profile is the unity" For this purpose ne traV'
eed in various countries Of Europe and visited years
after England, where he took the heads OF j. Bent
ham, of Walter Scott, Of Flaxmann, who had treaed
him 60 rudey, and of many others. To take that Of
Byron, he pulposely went to Lomberdy.
In 1891 he became member of the Academy and Pro-
iessor OF Arts in Paris, and poets sang his glory
He made fortythree full-sized or gigantic statues,
twenty y-fve of smaller dimensions forty-se ossre
liefs one hundred buss, and largo number Of medai
lions.
Politically inspired in the conception OF hs srt-a
lover Of classical antiquity for ts plastic perecoH
beauty as well as for the genius Of republican liberty
under which art was then blossomng, he dshked 70
cotbe his statues in the garments OF our tme'' ee
sitting and expressing the nborn expression OF oeauy
in the human tody In his conception, statue OIL
celebrated man was his apotheoss; the basreiei was
monumental inscription, which, therefore, should %
sober and concise sculpture, in his faith, could only
be iourishing and answer its sublime mission Hnder
republican institutions.
David greeted the revolution Of lSis as the reanza-
ton of his dearest and most fervent aspirations.
He leA the studio for the FORUM was member OF tne