New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-25
or c1UpEYsS "FARRAG UT"

r lac n, enterprise which has been accom-
q a. "a progress by the high hopes and cordial
80 .,sbes Of all those in our community VINO are
- .,,ested IN art Is brought TO end-thc bronze
80 NJ Admiral Farresut, by our townsnai' AnsS'ue
- canaens 10 placed upon sts pedestal and S'"'"'
- 40 ,.r criticism In the light OF the puDhe spuhe.
-. work Of art this monument to tnrraeut o',o'9
- ..,,r+ant respect from most OF the works OF nHe
IN that have been erected In our country
- ,o.rs and the pedestal on when u placeu NAM
-, n harmonious composition; they aie no' u"
saa IN be two separate things-they "ere ucNis"eu
:. ,o tossther, and the architect ana Tue Sepo' .,
$3.50 together In much the same spii''
rs.n the composer sets "noble music unto
". -ord.p At the same tme with healthy instinct
,ssal IL not allowed TO obtrude itseif' nor 10 ui'
,a,he suectators interest with the statue Inc S."'
= a.. uork; the pedestal however necessary az S'i
80, feature Is made to keep Its place ss an ScoesSoy "
- -,,.se desgn aud 1t may not be- rash 10 preoc' %
-. ,.uts criticism may feel itself obliged To ma
- .srtan features Of pedestal the statue tSe %
-..p,v and simple. alive and 30 sell oo'seu =" -,
usrally accented as OF the best WORKS III ITO A
sAat our times have produced ,.o
The statue Of Parragut stands upon oioox oi sso".
nth t.ners Nh sishtly from its base. and Is nshcd Ut
,,,ort ary Of the con ventiona forms u cornice
r,s,n, "A General notion Of the whole composition
~ he had from the sketch In Seri6ners Id7aS' To-
lima. n. 1921 On either side this pedestaFoooA '
struct,.re extends, curving gently Out III -,
along the front OF when runs ""
...,irS,v followed out in the thickness OF INC
=, zach end the wall returns" aud IL stopped
g. t ~ arm thus the whole pedestalstructure taxes
hat the shepe Of the classic ezedra, oil when eA
r,ss familiar TO those OF who have trdVcueu 80
NAV be along the Street OF Tomns ia
Here too the visitor may sit, and as the rushing NV
fife goes by may and give thought 10 inc go0u
man and brave soldier whose image stands above MN
rhs he,ne the general Of the PEDESTAL CONSIDER
en-. design of s decoration. With youthful conhuence'
fhe architect and sculptor, working together 10 sP
that makes their shares in the result ~ III eAto"oo
,Aoae Of Beaumont and Fletcher in their plays "no'e
atm secn ears can hear think they hear the voice no"
AZ one and now OF the other poet, have thrown 'nc
.,vos with ardor into the time and letting Greece
Rome Italy go by, have rested In treatment "luoN'
ba,d IN its paturalism From the STUDY OF All 'uo i'
and all the symbollsn OF the past. they nave 'urno"
AWAY. ,,,.,o, ,ow
To',norrow 10 fresh woods and pastures new
The ,Sea Of flowing water-"a wet sheet and howihS
sseap-s the Foundation of the dec0rauOn huu "n wv
forms OF the stones OF which the pedestal Is eohposu
are .ugeestiye either OF the lines Of waves or OF the
rounding aud smoothing action OF water Inc race 0,
sAs central block which the statue STANDS Is eroSSeo
nv wayelInes flowing and curvng upward with swing
ing movement from the right and breaking III 'e Top
into spray Tho slope Of the walls on ether Size inc
rede,ta Is not the same but follows though not Cd
riyely the general direction Of this wave that washes
,nste the arms OF the seat take the form of dophius
ulunging dow ward aud seen. now HID in the swift
sr- raer In front Of THIS wall with Its curving seat
the floor is composed OF small beach pebbles set ihoa
rouRh mosaic on which is inlad large bronze crab
whatever success may have rewarded their Efforts
artaip the artists OF this monument have prayed tha'
THAR symbolism might not swamp them, ana
sveu that the separate notes Of their instrument
might sound clear Of all admlxture. for, iooEeu
ct - whole the pedestal is not wave but SNIP ana
the statue Of Faragut stands erect upon her victorious
prov. That without too much assisance-without our
feeling Obliged even believe that this In the scup
tors mnd-it should nevertheless be the first ana
strongest impression made upon the mind OF the be-
holder Is to thinking high praise OF the work as an
Imaginative creation. aud places 1t at once above all the
ctAeq monumental sculptures with which well meaning
Phistnism has stocked parks and squares Here
no gesture and action. and yet the meaning of the
statue reads itsc 70 the passerby Who can tell what
the gesture Of the Washington in Union Square
fmportsf Ia Il warning. OF command or bened'cuon
for the very good not the spontaneous
choce OF the scnlpOr-it was not part OF the idea OF
SIed upon after much discussion with the artists
friends But the FarIasnt must t haSe s, shi1
as she ewing line OF battle and steadily mindng the
Nave stood In the scnlptors mind when he int con
frouted formlcss clay. There Is stamped nlsn the
Hf Ens Il se we S @ore and studied
upon the symbolism OF water would have turned these
@ore water nymphs-" sabrnas fair, under the
tlear translucent waves, knitting the loose
trains of their amberdrOpping hair" And, therefore,
kbough they are part Of the whole scheme OF wave SYM
besTu they are kept apart from the active expression
n n the central stone and only held TO II in an
Imaginative way by the flowing movement OF tneif
nrapery nobly unduating lines Of the forms OF
fkeif To thinking more force o gesture
would have been weeome-was indeed 10 have been ex
pocted-in these figures Of Loyalty" aud Courage
IN spite Of the largeneas OF their forms ana
The somewhat peasant strength OF their
kuild-tbe simple grandeur Of the heads re-
minds us Of Of Milets womenin spite OF these
eharacterstics there iswe hesitate 70 say the word
An underyftazed look about these two figures But let
u be thankful there 10 no p.ettlnesS about them.
We leave for to-day the questions that arise In connec
ton with the muchmOOted lettering" OF the inscrlp
tioas aud with some 81 the minor symbolism. the
~sgord that the waves on the central block
and the "crab In tho pavement. While
these nro, In a way, minor matters, they are
yst Of no little Importance especially "a they illustrate
On important public monument certain tendencies OF
she time have hes.tafed to crticise when We have
say frankly that they the only things on tds nonu
disposed 20 quarrel with, and think we
have good reasons for not being content with them As
II Is must leave the consideration OF them until
pther day; resting for the present with the expression
OF our cheerful faith that the settng-up OF a
from everything VI the sort thus far erected In our city
vora not Of genius, yet OF extraordinary talent,
way akin 10 the conventional progeny ~ the studios
IN gsneramarks clearly the birth OF new time Is al
eaest of better days for art not only In city, but
n the whole co6ntry This Is "a statue that VIII make
hasten the day when better taste and higher respect
Sr the grcet gone shall force to replace them
Nssh monuments werthier of their fame
=