The Portland daily press., 1868-10-27
Miscellany.
scu,n,ure ia the United State

Scu tpture IN the Cnlteu StStess
In the last number of the Atlantic Monthly |
there is an article with the above title con-
corning the authorship of which thele have
been many "guesses" in local circles, all OF
them pointing to young man well known
and well beloved here, where his achieve
ments in his art have won for him universal
respect and admiration. But Irrespective VI
any interest that may attach TO the arllcle III
question from personal considerations 10 has
an intrinsic value which has attracted great |
atteation on account of the frankness OF its |
suooestions in regard to American art and
the critical acumen displayed in pointing out
existing defects and the best methods OF rem
edying them. A few extracts will be OF in
1erest to such of our readers as have not read
the whole article:
If modern sculpture, by patient following
of the antique, could attain its marvellous
perfection IN the representation OF the hui
man figure, could the art by such means hold
rank in our culture equal with that which
it he'd in Greece? II subjects worthy OF such
vast science and nice handiwork cannon De
found, the requirement OF this Dranch OF
technical power is useless. BY repetition OF
antique subjects, sculpture cannot re-estab-
lsh its proper relation to the people. Statues
of the gods cannot inform the American
mind, except through its symI athy with the
ancient Greeks and their mythology,-a re-
mote and vague influence. The masses re-
gard such marbles as workmanship or orna-
mentation, and art is mere than that Some
thing must be dore to carry the mind be-
yond externas. Zeus was a vital force to the
Greek, he is only shadow to the American.
The ancents saw the ruling god; the mod
ems, only the historic representation. These
themes belong to literature. This may also
be said of subjects chosen from the common
lie of the ancents 1t was no more worthy
than our own, and our people care infinitely
Less about it. There is at Newport, Rhode
Island, a splendid copy in marble of the Dy
ing Gladiator, very beautiful and signitcant
but its presence in this country is known but
by very few, and it is not likely to be appre
ciated by more than few connosseuls. The
line collections OF casts from the antique in
the large cities experience something of the
same neglect; lhe artists study them, but the
people look at them curlously, as they regard
objects in the galleries of Natural History,
and often with a real Dr. affected horror Of
their nudity.
Those who desire the encouragement of
classic art sometimes assume that it is folly
for the artist to try to MAINTAIN a direct rela-
ton to the general public, which cannot ap-
preciate fine art, and that he should model
or paint only for those whose culture and
taste fit them to be connoisseurs. Here di-
rect issue may be stated; for the realists, who
also claim the best culture, believe that it is
vain to model or paint Tor anybody else but
the people. They say that if art is but the
language OF the learned, or the toy of the
rich, il may as well die utterly, having become
useless luxury. History sustains this posi-
ton. No really greet art has existed, which
did not in some degree reflect the inner lite
OF the people; and no art can help us in
America, unless it is based upon the sympa-
thy and criticism of the public.
10 model OF paint for person of wealth is
comfortable, and to be conscious OF the SYM
pathy OF Few choice souls is very pleasant;
but to model or paint for nation raises the
artist to his true place OF great teacher.
This rank the modern sculptor does not yet
hold. When called upon to prophesy, he
has only old stories to tell. Many of these
ale stories of ghosts, and most OF them are
not 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 beyo nd narrow limit, or to
serve as models for future workmanship
But IL is apparent that such OF them as are
most real, most nearly literal prescriptions
OF lie, attract most attention from the public
whether such attention results in praise or
blame. The classic statues are severely let
alone.
The little groups by John Rogers, simplest |
realism as they are, and next to the lowest |
orders OF true art, carry more significance
than all the classic sculpture in the country,
and will possess historic value which we can
not overestimate. Though the classicists and
the realists are almost equally helpless in the
great ebb OF formative at,-the former in lack
OF anything to say, and the latter in lack of
ability to say anything,-their positions rela-
tive TO the future are different and opposng-
the reaists enjoying possibilities
1t is among the things hoped for that the
plastic arr may be and will be revived in
America, and that it will attain here as good
development as it had in Greece, under en-
trely different conditions, and, of course, in a
widely different direction. While the infu-
ence OF foreign art prevailed in Greece, what
was done 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 quarrles. Such transition from
foreign influence must OF course be made here
before the truth begins. 1t is only question
OF the time when the change can be made
Study OF Greek art, e pecially its history aud
relatlon 10 the people, must always ret in
great influence in the education of our artists
bEt the time will come when it cannot dera-
tionalize them The successful sculptors of
the future will carefully appraise the work of
the ancIents, but they will not try to repro
duce it. They will know the secret of its
power in the land where it was native. and
Will therefore be able to gauge their own work
by noble standard, worthlest 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 be- |
long TO painting or acting If truth requires |
the rendering OF harsh and uncomely cos |
tunes, they will patiently deal with these I'M
I'll the much-needed reform is accomplished: |
believing that, however ugly our garments |
may be, it is better to represent them as thew |
are, than to trick out our marbles with the |
shreds and patches OF antiquity. lhey dis |
crlminate between facts that are vital and |
those which are merely accessory; giving but |
Its due share of time to the work of the tailor
and shoemaker, yet taking care to tell the
truth about such work as far as they 90.
They will not spend their lives in copying the
work OF other artists, nor will they seek beau
" In systematic lines or symmetrical propor-
tons, but they will find it i'll the significance
OF nature. And, in order to realize it. they
VIII, II necessary, expend study ard labor up
on the smallest objects, provided those OBJ
jects are frst-hand; tor it cannot be doubted
That the great artists of the future will take |
their models from the best school, with whose |
woiks the whole people are familiar. These
works they will not blindly try to initiate
with their poverty of means; but they will
seek to represent truly, to interpret in arts
beautiful dialect, the glorious handwg iting of
nature. From the least matters of leaves and
flowers, and from the grandest lite OF the
world, the new school will strive to draw the
best meaning; and it will be conscious that
this best meaning, or foreshadowing, can only
pc attained from firm foundation of facts.
knowing that the essence OF all art Tor man
is IN form, the sculptor will reverence his art
as the simplest and most immediate interpre
tation OF nature; and though he may feel that
II. ~ some respects his limits are narrower than
those of the poet or the painter. he will he
conscious that in an upward direction he has
no limitation. ''