Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-04
ITALIAN ART.
A Tennesseean in the Studios of
Florence.
How the Chefs D'Euvres of
Sculpture are Produced.
characteristics of the Ancient
and Modern Schools.
The Venus de Medicis and the
Venus Of Milo.

impression AElANCA HULL lAI44CAI hAollG "
the studies in and around Florence may be
most appropriately expressed by three
WOrds-Sculpture male easy. Each SOUP
tor has a number Of wire frameWOTks, rep
~resenting the outlines of the human figure
they are something similar to the two in
the Nashville MISUNDERSTANDING the veins
and arteries, though much more rudiment-
airy. The sculptor decides upon a Venus,
a Cupid or other subject NEUROLOGICAL or
historical. He daubs the wire frame all
over with moist clay, turns and twists the
whole until the proper position has been
attained. He adds clay here, takes it off
there until muscles, flesh and all look like
nature; gives to the face the expression of
simple beauty o. human feeling and then
his work is done. Strange to say a modern
sculptor seldom takes the chisel in hand or
touches marble. This clay model is hand
ed over to assistants to be reproduced in
the more durable form Of. plaster. A
thin coating Of plaster IS placed
over the clay, which soon dries,
and when taken off bears on the inner side
the exact form of the figure. This hollow
shell, after being thoroughly oiled, is filed
with plaster. In a day or two the thin
shell is pealed of, leaving the exact image
Of the model in plaster. As soon as the
sculptor sees that this operation is a sue
cess he gives the work no further thought,
but Immediately begins the making Of
some other clay figure. The plaster cast is
placed before q skilled workman, who is
expected to cut the same from a piece Of
marble. Each sculptor has in his employ,
according to the fecundity Of his genius,
from two 10 a dozen skilled workers in
stone. These men have such trained eyes,
and are so habited in the use Of the chisel,
that if yOu give them a sufficient block Of
marble and place before them the plaster
model, in six months time the marble will
have assumed the exact shape of the model.
So perfect is the copy, even TO the minutest
details, that at a slight remove n cannot
be distinguished from the other. Bymeans
of these valuable assistants, a sculptor rich
in invention can have half a dozen great
works under Roadway at the same time.
They are sent forth to the world,
bearing his name, but the humble
artisans work is all that we ever see. A
modern artists triumph is like a victory in
War-the general is immOTtalized, the sol
diers who won the victory perish without a
name. Yet, 1 would be impartial; the
sculptor does the head-work, the artisan
the hand-wOrk; to the former is all the
honor and most Of the pay. If the artisans
position were as easy to fill as that Of the
all workers in stone would be
sCulptOrs. Such a process gives US beauti-
full works of art-ft ornaments for public
buildings or private palaces. But you can
not say Of them, as the old painter Apelles
said Of his work when a critic complained
that he was too long At it: "Yes," replied
be, sit is made to last a long time" Nor
any modern sculptor nope for the re-
ward Of Pygm lion, who, as the story goes,
so long, so tenderly, and so loving
ingly upon his marble Galatea that she
to life beneath his touch. Imagine
a prOfane band pOlluting the offspring Of
the genius Of Phidias or Praxiteles-those
old masters would have died Of sheer dis
gust. As our eyes turn from a modern
work, such as 0LincOln Freeing the Slave
"a Mother and Child" or "Eve after the
Fall" and rest upon some legacy Of
THE ANTIQUE SCHOOL,
Whethnr winged Mercury, laughing Faun,
Of Venus, how shall l describe the change
Of sensations? 1t is as a cool breeze Of
spring to the feyereG brow, or a sweet
after long w~akefulness. The
mOderns puzzle US with their hiddenmean-
ing. What signifies that brow, heavy with
Why thai sad smile Of the
.Ocker? Whose bust is that? A thou
sand like queries press upon the mind
until we turn away weary n dissatisfied.
How different the impression made upon
rs by an antique treasure. Here IS no
Chinese puzzle-Only a head Of sweet re-
pose, upOnia body symmetrical and Of the
most accurate pTopOrtiOnS-an open page
Of ancient life, which needs no Interpreter.
Even where the subject was more difficult,
Is the LAGOON Group or the Dying Glad
.atOr, the sculptor has caught in one in
the repOse Of despair, in the other, /
he repOse Of death. There is no anxiety, |
10 fatigue in such studies. We look, 20
Eway, and come again to gaze our ELL Of
)aauty, until the whole is craven, as it
we're, upon the minds eye, while the name
f 4 modern work may possibly suggest
hat We have seen it. Comparing
THE TWO METHODS.
1 would say that the artistic life Of a peO-
be is an Outgrowth of their general civili-
Simplicity in education andin art
the key note Of Greek civilization. To
De an excellent gymnast, speak in the
aAO 4NlhA LULU "a YIN HNAaA " ]
heir ambition. Hence their nation of
men, with clear heads and smiling
aces. To reproduce this beauty in art,
vas the sculptor's lifelong study. Over
md over again, he worked the same figure
Until ideal beauty was transfiXed in stOne
The circle Oflife and Of art was contracted,
put it was complete. The precious relics
which they have left us should be preserved
-sFL, -,Ts-s-r,z ao-a For v-hEn nu11 Ia=f-~v- ]
ID they can never be supplied.
Modern civilization, with its multiplicity
IF pursuits, demands a general knowledge
# everything and a complete mastery Of
)ne-mOre than man can accomplish. The
'esult is, many beautiful fragments in man
md in matter, and but few perfect wholes.
The modern artist, OGtgrOwth of this civ
l~izatiOn, has so many ideas to reproduce,
md is so distracted between different
of art. that all his works are neces-
arily crude and imperfect. When Greece
ell, she threw away the mould Of beauty;
when mCdeIns erase from their minds the
ecOrd Of twenty centuries, rechriSten
as Olympus and worship Venus in
beautiful woman, then will they re-
it, but not till then.
Descending from ~eeneralities to partiCu-
ars, let me close with a few remarks upon
TWO VENUsEs.
The Venus sMedicis is in the Ufzzi
at Florence. The Venus Of Milo
holds her court in the Louvre at Paris. The
Ormer has long held Undisputed sway as
queen Of the marble world. Artists come
far and near to study her, ~cOnnoiseUrs
o criticize and admire, barbarians to gaze
n dumb worship. Though it were worth
pilgrimage to see her, and words Of praise
viii only Islander, l shall make the attempt.
The figure is l~ifs-size, and rests upon the
eft foot. That leg is almost straight, while
be right is thrown gently forward. The
wO hands are separately disposed, where
ascent mOdesty would most naturally
,rOmpt. The head is slightly turned over
he left shoulder; as if in admiration Of its
sweep. 1t only remains to add
the whole is nude. Her shoulders
lOpe gracefully, her bosom is budding, her
waist is slender, her hips swelling, her
taper gradually to the knees, her
are plump and full, her ankle small,
Ter instep high and the whole foot aTistO-
This s~aCriligiOus description will
give the reader a general idea Of
he appearance and position Of the figure.
From the neck downward this statue is
,eyond all criticism. Any additiOnOr de
ractiOn. even the SLIGHTEST change. WOuld