The Newtown bee., 1879-10-22
A Blind ScuIptur's Wonderful Work.

Appleton's Art Journal gives an inter-
esting illustration of the wonderful
compensation nature provides for the
loss of one sense by intensifying the
senses that remain. Louis Navatal,
known among artists as Vidal, was a
pupil of Barge, famous modeler of
animals. He was born at Mines, in
1881, and earned the reputation of being
an intelligent pupil and artist. At the
age of twenty-one great misfortune be-
fell him. He became totally and hope
lessly blind. His disappointment and
Encouragement under the terrible af-
Fiction were pitiful to behold. After
few weeks of intense mental and physi-
cal suffering, he took courage, and de-
termined to do what he could while
shut out forever from sight of the outer
world. His experiments at first were
failures, but his perseverance and reso-
luton won success at last. Vidals
sculptures are familiar to all Partisan
artists. His works have been exhibited
in the Salon at Paris almost every year
since 1855, and in 1861 and 1863 he re-
ceived medals for them. Animals are
his usual subjects, his favorites being
lions, panthers, wounded stays, cows
horses, bulls, dogs and cats. The French
government has purchased several of
his modelings sculptured in marble and
bronze. A visitor gives curious ac-
count of this remarkable man, his meth
DDS of work and personal peculiarities.
At the time of the visit, M. Vidal was
bestowing close attention upon a fine
greyhound, carefully studying its form
and features while caressing it. 1t took
but short time for the skillful anato-
mist to produce the outlines of the dog
in the clay; then with def and rapid
fingers the skeleton and muscles took
form, and finally perfect semblance of
the greyhoun was developed before the
eyes of the astonished observer. M.
VidaPs work is not always modelled
from nature. He is so thoi oughly ac-
quainted with anatomy that he needs
only call upon his imagination for aid
to produce any animal form at pleasure.
Thus. at the salon of 1875, he exhibited
the model of lion the size of life. He
does not confne his work to the model
ing of animals, for he has produced an
excellent medallion likeness cf himself,
and probably possesses the power of rep
resenting any object which he can study
freely with his fingers. This artist gives
excellent criticisms upon the sculpture,
| simply by the extreme delicacy of the
sense of touch. Sometimes he will say
of one piece of sculpture, "There is
thought in that and of another, ''This
is more chic" Vidal finds his chief
amusement in going to the theater, can
generally distinguish the exact position
of each actor on the stage. and gives ex-
cellent judgment of the merits of the
play. He is very fond of exercise, walks
at rapid pace, and prefers going out at
| night when the streets are quiet, for
he can detect intuitively the interven-
| ton of any obstacle in his path. He
| prefers, also, to work in the night, be-,
cause there are fewer disturbing ele-
ments. Instances like this give an idea
of the capacity for cultivating that lies
hidden in the senses, and seem to prove
that those who possess them all in nor
NAL condition do not make the most of
them, or appreciate their value until
| they are deprived of them.