New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-06-07
ART IN ITALY.
.rR1cAN STUDIOS IN FLOR. nee.


WORK ON HIS vENUs-M ADS LINCOLN MoNU-
,,rNr-AMERIcAS PAT rERs.
,rRox AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF The TRInUNEl
FLORENCE, APR. iO-l am suddenly called upon 10
leave Florence tomorrow, and must therefore give
uoncl hrifer report than WISH of the works of our
>r,sts hire Asin Rome the sculptOrs still FREEDOM
mate and for the same reasons, there are perhaps
moro and better skilled Italian wOrkmcn than in the
canital and the living models If not SO plenty are
hardlv inferior in those qualities which sculptors
srek.-eood general proportions, definite muscular
outlines clean articulations, and that natural, IN
conscious grace of pose which seems TO be porn
Rift chiefly possessed by the Southern races lshah
therefore begin with our sculptOrs, and with tneI
veteran chief Powers, whose new studio on the NH
outside the Roman Gate, is one OF the shll"eS ~
which all American travellers flock. Powers m"'
made no new ideal figure. since the lndiah ulll-
Last of the Race-whch described IN a Ie'lel "
THE TRIR1-,I, five wears ago; but many admrauie
busts testify that his eye has not lost It's cier per
reption of character nor his hand It's former cunnE
His head Of Iongfellow, especially, is work when
tbo coming generations will prize both for the poet
and tho artists sake. Longfelow's head though so
simnle and grand in its Outlines-in TACT sort oI
,,ilder .Iove-is full Of subtle and delicate minor
traits in the Selling Of which Powers has again eX-
bibited his mastership as a pOrtrat-Sculpt0r lake
this head. and Launt Thompsons Bryant, and set
them side bv side and You will see that the ancient
Homer aud SOphocles have no more grandeur and
less of fine individual Characterization.
For eighteen months past, regret to say, Powers
has been an invalid His trouble is bronchial, and
not pulmonary, but it obiges him almost entirely 10
suspend his artistic activity l trust his naturally
vigorous and elastic constitution viii restore to
him his powers and to US our Powers. In the mean
time his second son, Mr.. Preston Powers has de-
voted himself to his fathers art, for which he
showed strong inclination as a boy. His begin
niugs in portrature give good promise, aud heartily
hope that Cations theory of the transmission OF
genius NAV prove itself in him. Next door to Pow
ers on that sunny slope, which is now 50 bright with
new villas and gardens is Ball. studio. His Eve"
which had seen in clay, is more beautiful marble
The attitude and expression suggest forgetfuneSs OF
self in the wonder Of self-existence-which is sep
arated by the mereSt line from the expression OF
vain selcOnscousneSs, and it is Mr. Balls greatest
triumph that be has not overstepped this line. am
glad to find nv original impression renewed on
seeing the statue again after such an interval OF
time. still think it the sculptors best work, al
though his last, a "St. john INTENDED, l believe
for Mount Auburn will probably be equally adj
mired. especially 10y womankind.
The St John is "A simple. absorbed figure listening
with pencil and scroll in hand, 10 the words of the
Master. The reverent attention of the uplfted
face and the grace of arrested movement in the
figure are excellently given and like the bodness
with which the artist has introduced two heavy,
nearly parallel folds of falling drapery in contrast
with the undulating outlines of the oins and thighs
The face is rather effemnate but then all types Of
St John are more or less So 1t might be the face OF
MARTYR. but hardly of a reformer. Women viii
love il for its soft semi-intellectual beauty and
aspir,nq sentiment rather than men for its yrile
plde and candOr
Our modern artistic types of the Apostles are
mostly limitations of those OF the Middle Ages, when
the conceptions of their character were certainly
different from ours. Even most Of the heads of
Christ except Htan's, are rehnements Of the earlier
Byzantine models. and all-sngularly enOugh-have
a family resemblance TO the bronze head OF Plato,
found at Herculaneum. 1t would be an interesting
study TO trace the origin Of these types but in the
meantime / do not see why the artist should be
fettered by conventional rules, though never 50
boarv with age To be sure there is the temptation
Of producing figure which is readily recognizable
and the world always likes in art, that which, beng
recognized, fatters its own perception. My OLD
friend Mr. Hart whose whOle-soued faith in his
art makes one wonder how tifteenth-century
,oture couId ever have been born in Kentucky, has
not vet finished his Venus l. for one, though toll
Grant Of all patient development of an artistic IDEAL
believe that the power Of conception is weakened
DIV too-proonged CESSATION, and that no artist
whether in words colOrs or marble can adequately
,epresent his powers in a single work Mr.. Hart
shonld say TO his Venus: Fulfill thysef and me|
and then give us a cotemporary Apollo 1t is rather
singular. by the bye, that since sculpture must have
tbe nude form-without which, indeed, it cannot
find its highest expresson-most of our artists seem
20 shrink from the representation of masculine
heauty Is it in accordance with some freak Of the
popular taste OF do they really fear TO undertake
The higbestf Crawford's "Orpheus" is mainly
dramatic and Powers's her-BOy" is only ado
iescent: Miss Hosmer in her "Faun," made an
attempt which shows both courage and skill; but
we have really no mature male form, with all ITS
exquisite blending Of power and grace, except
Wards Indian Hunter" Yet the GROWING tn
umph Of sculpture is in the representation OF Man,
~ Phidias, Lysippus, and Michael Angelo knew.
Mead is still busy with his Lincoln Monument,
which will predict, take a very high rank among
works of commemorative sculpture. One can hardly
Sudge Of the general effect from the detached groups
hut the latter are modelled with great care and also
with great freedom and vigOr. The head OF Lincoln
has much of the character of MarshaIs portrait
How much of its detail viii be lost at the elevation
which il will receive cannot judge the firm, frank
sad expression will surely remain / am glad TO find
that Connolly is restricting himself to subjects which
more properly belong TO sculpture than some OF his
former works 1t is pretty phrase, to speak OF
poem in marble" as many persons do, but poetry IS
one thing and sculpture another. COnollys figure Of
Mystery holding the lamp of Life" was only
woman with lamp neither Mystery nor Life las
an essence can possibly be represented in marble
But when be gives us q foreboding Thetis, with
sturdy baby Achilles on her lap, with the grace
fhastely tempered and the sentiment subdued, am
thankful. The figure is altogether charming His