The morning call., 1893-03-02
DOMINANT VENUS
Artists Do Not Favor the
Beauty Contest.
They Say a Copy After the Greek
Venus Would Not Be Charac-
teristic of California.

The proposed beauty show does not seem
to meet with favor in the opinions of the
artists.
In the first place they claim that it has
little more than immodesty to recommend
il, and in the second place they say there is
not sculptor in California capable of
doing the subject justice in the short time
at his disposal should one of California's
fair women be willing to come forward and
practically pose before the public in n semi
nude condition. Again. a copy of Venus
would not be characteristic of California,
they say.
THE more l think of the California
Venus scheme" said Arthur F. Mathews,
''the less like il.
Why should the feminine beauty of our
State pose before the world at Chicago in
the character of a Venus? Venus the
goddess of many things, is not particularly
characteristic of our women except In
beauty; Venus, the Sickle, the inconsistent.
whom we are led to infer our women Ie-
sembe more than Juno or Diana. They
were also beautiful.
when / read the first accounts of this
new creation to be, in which only modest
women we're invited to submit their photo
graphs for inspection and saw upon the
accompanying drawings where modest
forms were displayed through ganZy dra-
peries like telegraph poles in q mist, as
though Ii were desired TO characterize a
peculiar state OF California atmosphere as
well as California beauty, my soul revolted.
81 knew from instinct that another lay
man had an artistic idea which must be
developed at whatever cost to artistic or
public feelings, but wondered If this leader
of new art impulse thought for a moment
that the mOdesty Of California women was
the immodesty of the female votaries of the
GreclaD baeehanalian feasts.
1T may be Imagined how | felt for the
women and the sculptor whose idea, [ was
sure, must have been mutilated in being
placed before the public. How the women
and the sculptor must have felt when they
read that they were surely going to pose in
the act Of niucking the golden fruit fro III
the hand of Venus.
81 hope our new pattern Of art will take
sober, sincere thought and allow the
sculptor Ia cut in marble some pretty Cali
f0rnIa girl to lend little grace to that
room of California art, aud that this pho
tographc Judgment OF Paris will be
placed upon a footing with pugilism and
sat upon"
"What woman with any degree OF mod
esty would come forward draped in a few
yards of cheesecloth and display her charms
before the pubiic?" said c. E. PeixOtto.
LAS l understand it the women are to
have their photographs taken in a semi-nude
condition, and these pictures will afterward
be placed on public exhibition. No woman
would stand that.
"lf only a model is wanted there are
plenty OF professional models to be secured,
and from them a perfect form of woman
hood could be obtained.
The object of exhibiting some tyne of
California beauty at the Worlds Fair is
e0mmendable, but a copy after the Venus
d. Milo would not be in the least character
istie of this State or Of any other State in
the Union"
Another artist said:
The notion of modelling a California
Venus for the Worlds Fair by securing a
model by competition among the numerous
beauties OF our glorious State has been taken
notice Of in THE CALL. and couldn't have
been considered anything else but passing
joke. To place it before the public for any
length OF time shows rather bad taste, If not
something worse.
Sculptor Rupert Schmid in the issue Of last
Sunday that defines his position in the mat
ter, assuring his earnest devotion to art.
The idea Of modelling a figure of the
California Venus cannot enter an artists
mind. Venus is type, the type of female
Greek beauty, CT lated by a Greek sculptor
OF everlasting fame. II California has de-
Yeloped sculptor of such masterful genius
as TO be able to typify California female
beauty he surely Will not name this figure
Venus.
'As to the idea Of public competition of
beautiful California women, | may suggest
that one Of the greatest charms Of beauty
will suffer through lack OF modesty.
IF an author publishes his inten ton of
writing book we suppose that he knows
what he wants to write, and surely the
artist should have made his studies before
tile public could be expected to take inter-
est in bis enterprise.
The friends of art are we'll aware Of the
lmpossibility Of producing such a work of art
in the time that is left for 1t. They know il
could not be studied enough to do great
honor TO California. We know that the fair
visitors from California 81 the Worlds Fair
will easily win the prize of beauty over any
piece Of sculpture California may produce"