The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-19

or paint for nation raises the artist to his true
This rank the modern sculptor does not vet
hold. When called upon TO prophesy, he has
only old stories to tell. Many OF these are
cheerful. The people are seldom wiser or
happier for them, and do not care to listen.
Among the dozen locally notorious portrait
statues at Boston, there are none likely to
attain fame beyond a narrow limit, or to
serve as models for future workmanship.
But 1T is apparent that such of them as
are most real, most nearly literal tran
scripuons of life, attract most attention from
the pubic, whether such attention results in
praise OF blame. The classic statues are severely
let alone The extraordinary effigy of George
Jupiter Washington at the national Capitol, is
very classic aud fine and heroic; but these
qualities cannot compensate for the utter con-
fusion oil ideas involved in IL. Nobody can pet
from 1t any notion of Washington as he was,
and the inscription alone will show pos!erlty
what the marble intends. Take any good speci-
men of modern classic or Roman plastic
art, by an American arIst and set
it quietly 10 the Park at New York
or Boston, without any advertising, and
it will encounter very little criticism, and excite
but the most transitory admiration. Give the
| tull history OF the subject In the public prints
and biographical sketch of the sculptor. and
! II would attract much more attentions; vet the
influence ., The figure cure upon popular thought
! would be iDapprec,s, e. and would lessen year
by year. This is not H. with the humbest
mo-, ng rom lite of the patent nSblic
kind. If the subject is public man, the 'o'iG
is Immediately sympathetic and correcV
critic 1t Is the same d the subject is taken from
our common I've. The little groups by John
Rogers, SIN pest realism as they are, and next
TO the lowest orders OF true art carry
nIore significance than all the -, classic
sculpture in the country, and Will pos,
sess historic value which we cannot
| overestimate, Though the classicists and the
realists are almost equally helpless in the great
| ebb of formative art-thc former in lack OF any
thing to say, and the latter in lack OF ability to
say apything-their positions relative to the
future are different and opposing-the realists
| enjoying possibilities.
It is among the things hoped for that the
plastic art may be and will be revived ia
America, and that it Will attain here as good de-
velopment as it had in Greece, under entirely
different conditions and, OF course, in widely
different direction. While the influence
of foreign art prevailed in Greece, what was
dcne was comparatively insignificant; it was
not until the transition had been made, and
sculpture thoroughly nationalized, that the
| marvellous gods came forth from the mines and
| quarries. Such a transition from foreign in.
huence must OF course be made here before the
| true growth begins. 1t is only question of the
time when the change can be maze. Study of
Greek art, especially its history and relation to
| the people, must always retain great influence
in the education OF our artists; but the time
will come when 1t cannot denatlonaize
them. The successful sculptors of the
future will carefully appraise the work of the
apCients but they will not try to reproduce it.
They will know the secret OF its power in the
land where it was native, and will therefore be
|
standard, worthiest after that Of nature and
contemporary criticism. They will admit the
limits of the plastic art, and not attempt to
combine with it forces which belong to painting
or acting II truth requires the rendering Of
hash aud uncomely costumes, they will
patiently deal with these until the much
needed reform is accomplished; believing that
however ugly our garments may be, it is
better to represent them they are, than to
trick out our marbles with the Ishreds and
sGsen of sds Gs 1Rsy aIe VITAL T and o
share of time to the work of the tailor and
shoemaker yet taking care e0D to tell the truth
not spend their lives in copying the work of
other artists, nor will they seek beauty in syste.
matt matte lines or symmetrical PROPORTIONS, but they
in order to realize 1t, they will, if necessary,
pend study and labor upon the smallest
objects, provided those objects are first
S10 the great artists 0 Of the future viii taRe Res
their models from the best school, with
whose works the W whole people are familiar.
with their poverty of means; but they will seek
TO represent truly, to interpret in arts beautiful
dialect the glorious handwriting of nature.
From the least matters of leaves and flowers,
and from the grandest life of the world the new
school will study to draw the best meaning; and
it will be conscious that this best meaning, or
foundat OF facts. Knowing that the essence
OF all art for man is in form, the sculptor will
reverence his art as the simplest and most i'm.
mediate Interpretation of nature; and though he
may feel that in some respects his limits are
narrower than those of the poet or painter he
will be conscious that in an upward direction he
has no limitation.
Results 20 remote from the tendency of pre-
yaing art, it is easy 10 see, will not be attained
in little time. The experiment of realism in
sculpture has not been fairly tried since the
Christian era, but the opportunity seems to be
with US. 1t is not impossible that the present
generation may see the beginning of good
formative art Two thousand years of subjec-
ton to classicIsm has not produced half dozen
great sculptors; and when the grand old Torso
has been warmed by the life OF the greatest
artists, little real advancement of art has been
achieved. The Inevitable consequence OF Buona-
rotti is Bernini; OF Bernini, Borromini. 1t
cannot be a vain hope that the transition
from the old school with its spasmodic revivals
to the ever new school of life is at hand The
American people are capable of giving realism
IN art fair trial. They are comparatively
untrammelled by established styles Loving all
kinds of art ardently, and eager to avail them
selves of its help, they fill their dwellings with
cheap daubs from auctions and with plaster
casts, rather than allow them to be vacant; but
the tendency is in itself sufficient to insure the
final success of art in a country whose thought
and criticism are comparatively independents
and whose mechanical means are unlimited