The Washington critic., 1885-08-01
THE GARFIELD STATUE.
One of the Worst works of Art 20
be Seen at the CAPITOL


The Garfield statue has been set up in
the hall of satuary at the Capitol. got
study of it the other day while II photo
grapher was getting views, for which pur-
pose the "veil" had been temporarily re-
moved Governor Hoadly of Ohio came
ON here to "rcceive" the alleged work of
art. don't know what lIoadly thinks of
it, but any Judge of sculpture will turn
away from il with horror and disgust. 1t
would be difficult to make II statue
of man with the strong character
istics of Garfield without the work show
ing the counterfeit resemblance in some
degree. This shows it sufficiently, with
the assistance of the inscription
JAMES A.
GARFIELD,
TO help out the Imagination of the sight
seeing public. As work of art, it may
be classed with the worst of that expensive
and extensive array which decorates (?)
the Capitol The artist is Niehaus of
Cincinnati, living abroad.
"Iou Just ought to see that statue"
said / to Cincinnati journalist whom !
met on my way up" "and dish it up for
your readers. 1t is the worst of the bad
lot. I'll bet the artist never saw Gar
field, and"
"Hold up" said he-"why, | gave the
job out myself"
ooh, did you? Well" said l, laugh
ing at his coniusion (it is so funny to see
u newspaper man blush y "go down and
see it, and then beg for somebody to kick
youw
"You see Niehaus was a Cincinnati boy
and friend of mine, and besides that, his
model was adjudged the best of any pre-
sented. He never saw Garfield, it is true,
but an artist doesn't have to see his subject
in order to put it into stone. But tell me,
are there really dries in the marble? Pm
told so. Too bad. Good morning"
The martyr President is represented
standing erect, heroic size, his sright thumb
in his coat between the third and fourth
button, his left hand resting on bit of
manuscript ON what looks like an umbrella
stand. The left leg is also attached to
the umbrella stand by thin film of
marble Clipped through in spots.
The Prince Albert coat and doeskin
trousers look as if they might have
been of paper, so stiff and deep the
wrinkles, and so fiat and expressioness the
smoothness. The back appears to be Il very
90 cd back, but who looks at the back Of u
statue unless it is the Greek Slave? The
artist seems to have made his drapery by
photograph, which always intensilies the
folds of black, shiny cloth, and turned out
the most aggravating piece of stiffness
ever saw in clothes. The posture of the
| figure is stiff, the figure lacks the proper.
tionate breadth of chest and girth of waist
of the original, while the head is equally
crude and unlifelke. Neither as likeness
nor as work of art does it approach the
Lincoln statue by Winnie Ream. The
comparison is made because the Ream
statue of Lincoln has been more severely
criticised than any other statue in the
hall. Winnie Ream's subject was notori-
ously stiff and angular. Lincoln's clothes
always sat awkwardly upon him, his face
was sharp and homely and the whole figure
ungainly. Garfield, on the other hand
was heavy, road-chested, lazy and easy, il
not graceful, as nearly all lazy people are
He had a peculiar pitch of the head
which nobody who saw him when speak.
ing could ever forget. The artist has moi
caught the spirit of his subject, with which
the critic would lose sight of the poor exc,
cution. There are 'dries' III the marble
one just across the right leg like a garter
1t is mounted on queer, Dutchy pedestal
iluted and carved and trimmed with brass
knobs and scrolls-an absurd outfit for an
heroic statue or any other kind Wash.
ington Cor. Pittsburg Dispatch.