The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-07-16
9esrriptire Artirles.
HOW sCULPTORS WORK.

sculptor Of New York, and watched him
at work on his colossal statue, the Conti-
mental Soldier. was the only visitor, and
MIR. Mcdonald talked to me as he worked,
explaining in detail the various stages by
which the sculptor's idea is worked out OF
a shapeless mass of clay into form and
beauty. Let me tell you about it; l am
sure you will find it interesting.
Mr. Mcdonald is not worker in mar
BILE he confines himself to statues of clay,
which are afterward cast in bronze, and it
is that branch of sculpture which | pro-
pose to describe. The first step in the
work is to make model of the intended
statue, say two feet high, but always by
scale, which he calls the intellectual. and
to it he gives long and careful study.
Every feature must have life and express
sion, every limb strength and character.
When it is finished he prepares for the
statue by building strong skeleton frame
work of iron, and on this he lays the clay,
making rough outline of the figure. To
fashion this unsightly trunk into the shape
of a man he begins at the feet and works
upward, calling into service nude living
model who poses hour after hour, with
necessary resting periods, in the desired
position. Every muscle and tendon in the
model is reproduced in the clay, for the
statue is always nude, whether it is to be
clothed when finished or not. Over GER
tain parts of the body whose proportions
must be carefully preserved the artist
spreads thin layer of highly colored clay,
so that in subsequently working down the
drapery with his tools he will not cut into
the fgure-the colored clay warns him to
stop.
When the nude figure is finished, dra-
perry of clothing is put on the living model
precisely as it is to appear on the statue,
and he is made to pose again in the re-
quired position. The sculptor now pro-
ceeds to drape the statue by laying on clay
where drapery is necessary and working
it into shape as deftly and easily as you
would write a paragraph, except in the
matter of the time consumed. If he
could get along as rapidly with his work
as I do with the description of it he would
make oceans of money, but colossal statue
is the object of close study, hard labor
and tender solicitude for from eight to
twelve months. Night after night as work
is suspended the figure is carefully covered
with damp cloths, and sort of sentry box
made of strips of wood and oil cloth is put
over it to keep the clay in proper condition
for work the next day.
But the modelling and the cutting, and
the scraping come to an end at last, and
the huge, dark-gray figure stands before
its maker all radiant with life and genius
His eye kindles and his heart throbs with
pardonable pride as he looks upon its beau
tiful proportions-th work of his hands
and an irresistible feeling of sadness comes
over him as he thinks that in few days
it must be knocked and battered into
shapeless clay again. But l must not gel
ahead of my story.
The sculptor's idea is materialized in
the finished clay statue, but it is to live IL
imperishable bronze, and the mechanical
part of the work now begins. His assist
ants apply liquid plaster of paris to the
figure with brushes, beginning at the bot
tom and carefully filling every fold and
crevice The plaster hardens rapidly, and
coat after coat is put on until it is about
two inches thick. This plaster forms the
mold in which the model for the bronze
foundry is made is to be cast, and it must
be made in sections, so that it can be
readily removed from the clay figure when
done. To accomplish this, rows of little
wooden pegs are inserted around the fig
ure, where it is desired to have the joints
in the mold, and on them is placed striI
of clay half an inch thick and two inches
wide. The plaster is put on up to Thu
strip, tie upper edge of each section Ii
doubled, the pegs are removed and the
plaster allowed to harden. The strip o.
clay is then taken off and the edge of thu
plaster covered with shellac to prevent thu
next section from adhering as the brushes
apply it. This work is continued until th'
whole figure is covered, and after standing
an hour or two to harden, the mold is re
moved by sections. 1t separates easil.
from the clay figure, and the latter, havin!
served its purpose and given the sculpto
matrix for his plaster model, is broker
into shapeless fragments of clay to be use'
again when needed.
The sculptor now covers the inner sur
face of the mold with shellac to preven
the plaster from sticking, fits togethe
nicely and firmly all the parts belonging
to the figure and the plinths the statue
footpiece, except those for the arms, which
for convenience are cast separately, ant
pours in liquid plaster of Paris by tn
bucketful until the mold is full. In TIVE
days the plaster hardens and the mold i
taken off. 1t only remains for him to joiI
the arms to the figure, and he does this b!
wetting the surfaces to be welded ant
holding the arms in position little while
when they become firm and solid. Th'
original clay figure has now been produced
in plaster of Paris, the latter is sent to th'
foundry where the bronze statue is to be
oost ond tho scnlntor's work ia DONE Bu