The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-02-25
SCULPTURE.

Interesting Lecture by Mr.. Allen
Hutchinson at the Y. NJ. c. A. Hall.
There was not a large audience at the
Y. NJ. G. A. Hall last Friday on the &C.
casion of Mr. Allen Hutchinson's lecture
on Sculpture, but those who were for
tunate enough to be present, enjoyed
rare treat, especiallyin seeing Mr. Hutch
insonmodel portrait bust of Professor
w. L. Brigham right on the stage.
Punctually at z 80 O'Clock Mr. Hutch
inson appeared on the platform and at
once commenced his lecture. He said
that in approaching subject so vast as
that on which he was about to talk, he
had seriously to consider where to begin.
Wrapt up as sculpture is with the dark
ages, very little is known of prehistoric
times. From the rock hewn temples of
India, from those hoary monuments of
Egypt, one can read little of the past,
and faithful as she has always been in
portraying the spirit of the age, sculpture
from the rudest Chaldean figure up TO
the summit of Greek art, has always been
true to herself, insomuch that she
| is incapable of lying, or conveying an
erroneous expression of the time of
| which she speaks. Thus since she
has travelled side by side with history
through the varying fluctuations of lit
erary excellence, the rise and fall of ma
tons, she has shown in her productions
an UNMARRIED consistency by analogy,
therefore, we are bound to draw the
conclusion that she is a reliable historian
of prehistoric times. To the historian
therefore of the dark ages, she is as sure
| an evidence of the past, as she is in later
| times a confrmer of more recent history.
| He would endeavor to explain some of
the practical elements of the sculptor's
art. The beginning of all work, which
is worthy of the name of sculpture
is conception. On the conception
alone, depends the merit of the re-
suit which is to be reached. This
consideration above all components,
which go to make the sum total of what
| is called work of art. Conception is
spark, the germ of life, thought, the
birth of all that follows. 1t may be pos
sessed by many individuals, and only
lack the opportunity of being developed
into execution to enable the individual
to become either poet, painter, sculp-
tor or musician. But conception is one
thing, execution is another. The former
is thought, the latter is the language of
a thought; it may be in writing, it may
be on canvas, it may be in clay or it may
be in music. 1t is but the expression of
the thought which gave it birth Many
of us have beautiful thoughts we cannot
express, so have we ideas we cannot
render; but the greatness of the
| conception remains, unspoken, though
it be. The sculptor having once ex-
pressed on whatsoever material he may
select, those lines and shadows, those
delicate blendings of light and shade are
the Interpretation of his idea. Clay is
most often used by the sculptor in pro-
| ducing his model, on account of the
ready way it lends itself to the finger
and the tool. After referring to the pro-
cesses through which a model has to go,
Mr.. Hutchinson exhibited bust por-
trait from the living model which he
saw Mos. LIE eros the great painter and
sculptor, paint in the space of one hour
and a half. He did not intend that
evening to compete with such a master
as LIE Gros, nor must they expect him
to carry his work SO far owing to the
many difficulties in scul pture
Mr.. Hutchinson then asked the audi
ence to name gentleman as model.
All eyes were turned toward Professor
Brigham, and that gentleman kindly
took position on the platform and sat
in the most patient manner as a sculp-
tors model. Mr.. Hutchinson then went
to work with large lump of clay, and
after about three-quarters OF an hours
work, closely watched by the interested
audience, he had partly finished por-
trait bust of Professor Brigham, which
was most decidedly clever and faithful
piece of work. 1t was surprising to all
present how quickly the Jumps of clay
were brought into shape.
When Mr. Hutchinson had completed
the bust far enough to fully satisfy the
audience of his wonderful ability as a
sculptor, Prof. Brigham made few in
teresting remarks and thanked the
sculptor on behalf of the audience for the
pleasure the lecture had given them. 1t
is to be hoped that Mr.. Hutchinson may
be prevailed upon to give another lee
ture, when there should be large audi
ence.
Big Schooners