The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-07-27
Yalentine,s Rnst Of Lee.

n
| railroad consultations, &C., &C., with which
OUR minds have of late been so constantly
flied, we have scarcely had either TIT
leisure or the space in our columns to turn
our thoughts from the severe materiality 0
postiyism to the more tranquil and perhap
| none the less enduring studies Of art ant
literature.
| In the studio of Edward Valentine, how
ever, we have recently seen the image
| che on whom fortune has not of late smiled
but who, amid the general wreck AROUND
| him, has stood as erect as ever, and borne
the same serene, godlike aspect, whether
| crowned with success or overshadowed by
| defeat. .1.s...t,sF ~:
| The life and character Of Robert Il. Lee
| need no comment at our hands. They are
written in golden letters, not of this earth
We would simply call the attention OF oul
readers to the bust Of him, in plaster, re-
Gently executed by Valentine in Lexington,
and brought thence to this city. Without
hesitation we pronounce it to he one of the
noblest busts Of modern sculpture, worthy
Of the highest niche in our national tenn
ple-our Panthcon-hereafter to be built
and to hold an equal place with Houdons
Washington or Galt's Jefferson.
The keen, penetrating eye, quick to com
mand, and yet ever ready to sympathize ;
the eagle beak; the full and yet finely cut
nostril; the firm, determined mouth; the
nobly- poised head the strong, manly neck
and massive shoulders-such as even the
son of lebanon might have cnvied
the well-developed forehead strong in the
bold outlines of deep thought, and not
enervated by too heightened an imagina-
ton; mark we'll and most truthfully the
man whose whole life has been sublime
sacrifice to principle-Who has ever been
the same, whether at the head of his victo-
rious legions or among the mountains of his
native State teaching the children Of his
beloved South
Z because rights right, to follow right
Were nisdom in the scorn of consequence"
In this bust of Lee, Valentine has, we
think, eXcelled any OF his former works, and
shown himself higher and more correct
master of his art than in any of his other
busts, if we except Mosby and one or two
others in his studio. He has not here
dwarled his subject by too great minute
ness. The bust Of Lee, like those by all
the great masters of old, stands out in all
it's mighty and godlike proportions. Greek
and Roman statuary was like the Greek
drama. The gods were eye-witnesses of
both. The Greek theatres were expressly
left uncovered that the gods might be
spectators of the scene; for great man
struggling with adversely was consi-
dered a sight worthy of the gods.
In their temples and their theatres alike
stood their sublime statuary. Hence in
their tragedy are portrayed bold, promi-
nent, superhuman, and overpowering pas
sions; and In their statuary strong and
commanding features that oyerawe all infe-
riors. In tragedy they never attempted to
delineate the fine, delicate, ephemeral fam
cieS of everyday life nor in their statuary
did they ever attempt that particular study
Of detail which may be examined with a
microscope in painting. These two kindred
arts scarcely belong to the same province.
The all-embracing field of the one, and the
sublime solitude Of the other, can rarely, II
ever, meet. In painting within q narrow
canvass we can at the same time look at the
sublime and the beautiful. By its unlimited
lights and shadows we can see In small
commas that s'dread and silent mount" II
sing forth from its silent sea Of pines, within
sight of the Swiss chalet, covered with
eslantine and the wild clematis. Not so in
sculpture. But one thought, at one time,
can occupy its mind, whether it be the
Laoco1n, the Niobe, the Faun of the capt.
toll, or Galts Bacchante. 1t can never
unite the different conceptions in one.
Among the Greeks the first two were con-
statuary. 1t 1t rare that we see in the Uf-
tizzi, the Vatican, or the Louvre, examples
of the two last. With the Greek and the
earlier Romans statuary always partook OF
deity. That fixed, never-changing aspect,
forever sealed in stone, must be above this
sublunary, changeful world. 1t must be one
grand, sublime thought, not divided or lost
in minutig. Even the young Augustus, at
the age Of twelve years, has upon bis brow
the stamp of deity. The twelve Cesars,
with all their crimes, still command in their
presence an awful silence, and the spectator
recognizes in them the majesty of imperial
Rome.
This oneness in statuary must always be
recognized and pursued if the artist ever
hopes for success. If his concept is noble,
grand, and mighty, be must not divide up
into o thousand minuti9 to attain what the
vulgar would call accuracy, Modern sculp-
tors too often sacrifice their first great ideal
to this common taste. How often have we
seen a noble bust rendered almost con-
temptible by the Partisan care with which
the hairand the beard are combed out? We
are glad Mr.. Valentine has AVOIDED this err
ror in his bust of Lee, and we trust that if
he ever idealizes it he win never take augh
from It's present majesty. Sculpture cannot,
like painting, represent the hair in its light,
waving, fleecy strands; II ean only repre-.
sent it in masses and if it attempts to give
it only its natural thickness it will appear
to lie closely pressed TO the head instead Of
being raised, and will proportionately
shorten the length Of the head. The old
sculptors knew well this error, and avoided
| it. We repeat we are glad Mr, Valentine
has done the same. 49,.
We have been thus lengthy in our re.
marks on this bust OF Lee rs we regard it as
noble work that belongs to the nation.
We understand it has given universal salts