New-York tribune., 1889-11-04
BARYE, THE SCULPIOh'
NOTES UPON A MASTER. HIS METHODS AND
SOME OF HIS WORKS

NOTES UPON A MASlEh, ilo nAA
SOME OF HIS WORKS
The exhibition of Antoine Louis Baryes WORN ~
bronze. oil and watercolors. which is soon 70 "e
r..d =, ,h. American Art Galleries represents
trshute 10 foreign artists memory WHICH, VIC
bc,,eve is witt out a parallel In thls oo"i"''
exhibition moreover, forms but part VI a" - -,
national tribute. since collection vi ""'S0N
was exhibited for the same purpose III '"'ls 40, |
spring This purpose IS TO raise iu""s " SUI
scr,r,iops and entrance fees for the erection oi
monument in Paris TO the memory OF n"s'o' """'o
sculptures are certain of place sInons '' 80,
NJ the worlds art. AT present oouoN0ss' '"o"-O
-. or,mercil considerations have more
or less 10 do with the eager search Tor baryc woA'
80 tho satisfaction OF knowing that the
com,ng exhibition does not represent belaied dis
coyery Thirty years ago an American oo''''i -
Mr. W T. Walters. whose acumen ana persis'en' 0'
tbusiasm are known to ALL recognized inc soni"' "
Rarve made the personal acquaintance Oh ''e
,,or aud beran 10 form a collection of his work
which today is unapproached by any private COZ
,oc,,on as regards fneness of quality and Illustrative
value. 1t may he questioned. lndeeu' WH0 - - -
collection IS as comprehensive as that OF Nii
~ We consider the frst-hand presentation o. o""'
acteristic qualities rather than the meiF ""uOV, ,, "
cxamnleS As trustee OF the Corcoran ""iieH'
Mr. WalterS in 1873 gave to Barye 0o"'''' ~,
for a copy os every work which he Dal po g..
bronze any <wn country has not "o"o ,,nod
mes said the sculptor in reply. over ono s ILL.,"
of Harye'S WORKS were opi"i'"
Gallery Messrs. S. p. Avery ana ONiS ONi.a 90
,cnco were among other earlier oo"oNo's
Baryc's works. and few Americans " xhnItion
or were represented at the poSthuin'"S - parra
and sals in 1873 If American apprecia'io" o' n,,or
80. no, General in those earlier years IL Is 49,
wa "o' r. ,.a. ,wo superb collections OF MS
- oro formed in this country oc'o'o n'
- rd that several Of our amateurs oes"! -
oouections long in advance Of the preson' ern.
T. 1874 The Tribune published le'toi 0 ard
nbasizing the superlative merit OIL Da'S .boripr
- a., 1850 we see American amateurs 80" -,
from All sides 10 pay the hisheSt no"o'' n,x.
,.u,. D,ou,orv The nearest approach ~ P
-. .or This demonstration was fnlhisho" ''
.o,,or NJ Mr.. W. I. walters four years Si"0O
that amateur-whose name must DC .ning the
.oc;a.ed with the of Barge Ill uiS -
- oxbldtion-gave commissions for copicS
eoi"iis ,, r~,ileriesr the alto relieve Lion vi
r.,,1o Col,mn. and the four Louvre groups Va
~, g peace Strength and "order' ""i
ho ss.n in Mt. Vernon Place in Baltimore ~
,hrse sculntures the great artist has s's uA"'''
chosen American monument
There have been many biographies OF barso ,. o 80
.,au presently show but some lhOen"N'e .to,r
Tho Rarve exhibition may need 10 ioi' - IN
,novrledre Of the artists life and WORN AO-" ,,n
,n, ., the close of the last century Barye
Iaris . q" ~ storv of mechanical labor when
.rh, M other advantage than thaI vi man"
,roininc Tie son of siversmlth' apPro" r.,
1900 10 an engravcr and diesinher bai?0 80, -
dra,rinc and modelling was forceu l" W"-'
,orrppitv until he succeeded IN entering INC ~ =, -
po.io In 1916, passing 10 the studio VI '
''s" " , For five wears he competed unsur-
s,,,,, Cor the Prix de Romc" with us coNo''N
nrivlcee of studying in Rome, out ID i0- -"
torccd hack 10 the workshop lie oD'anieu ''Hps
,nent from the goldsmith Fauconher' "i"
he remained eight years Neverthe.esS MS -" pr 20
a,rod unsbakcn All his available rlno was
~ ma
~ 40 studv of animals at the Jarcn deS fl'ai'oS'
IN attending lectures. in making measurements VI o
human figure and of animals, and IN dra"'e , -ion-
,,sa nd ,t the Louvre Recognition OF MS WorA
heran at the salon of 1881, where baiSoe
Dcvouring Crocodile made an impression as pio
,1 os hot due few years before TO the appearance
:, Coricault,s Wreck of the Medusa or OF Dela
rroiy's sarianapalus." The conditions are ie"lHS
understood The classicism OF dawn schooi " ,
boncessly sterile and decadcnt, yet II re'aicu
;,auonce sc,,lptors of this school were perim!o" "
model decorous lions and horses, OUT nos' u ~ -
o.tar animals especially beasts like the pear ana
ocodne were regarded wholly un~or'hS Vi
sculpture Moreover the work WHICH was uo'0
bascd upon inherited traditions roiniua'
thaories Of a blOOdless school, were suDs'4'"'oi %
,be study of nature and the untramneheu
30 action and emotion TO this school Bar!o was
., do,. nc ,conoclasts His relation to sculpture
SO ,be relation of GcricaJlt and of DelacroM 10 the
nan,inc of the figure, the relation OF Nh hoi' piH"P
certainly of Rou TO landscape art IL was tho TO
, 70 ngture which Baryo led IN sculpture pu nc was
more closely akin TO romanticis's IMAM ha'ui
Tho exact ascrption is of trining consequence ior
prvc, trutb TO nature included the free express
sIon Of the passions and his romanicsm" was based
upon exact truth OF facts.
It was the conservative opposition to the schooi
OF vitality and actuaty which Barye led IN sculpture
after 1881 that denied him the coveted oppor1'hiVS y
IN model the human figure IN the grand manner AZ
atp1
sculptor as anmael, ilouIl0I @ O ,,enc u ~
hut not serious artist In lo3. the lhiiuoih0 lih ,fa
ais arsnSt tbe the five groups representing non
flyer bear bull and elk hunts ordered Dy ,oe
Snt oDV goidsmh's work. After this curious diS,
play OF pedantc ignorance nothing hgpton NOR ~
when freely elected jury replaced cned tne linn
jurisdiction. During this ,ne 81 SSaSG aSm9 published
by himself and sold in his studio IN io4o Hg and The
Of his geatss Work nndT % the new admnlsra-
lion he began 10 receive official recognition IN t vaaO
and he was presenb WboS reprodaced in bronze
NAV be seen in Mt. Vernon Place III 80 honor the
WORK & waS - he great Napoleon. but 1t would be IN
possible enumerae even nn pn the recocnition
implied in the medals app0nfhen fnr vssrs % Of effort
IL the sculpture this century and his lnueee nv did
an awakening and stmGlang III godpect rTf inspiration 6u
q was the result Of most unremitting
az ana & oi Nc he was an interchangeable student at the
Jardin des Plantes, the dssectlng ~ rooms bs.rVcd
markets or wherever animals could De Wen oSS9 ret
W va student Of the human form OF Digef ai
sculpture and of Renascence art as Wen; an Thi.
bold romancist had thoroughly studied the poP0rd
tions both Of and Of animals: ne hd had HiseceG
All their bones I'm length and breadth; had lsSo ~
animals had modelled all their members sePsaacn para y
and reckoned mnutely the relation edch P'r' ~ TO- moi
The other and Of each part 20 the whole 80 II Is ~
strange that one enthusiastic French critic , wrote
3Rarye knew the exact dimensions OF The pohes ~
from