New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-26
ART AT THE WORLDS FAIR
XII
SUMMARY OF THE SCULPTURE IN THE
GALLERIES.

TUE FRENCH FIRST AND THE AMERICANS NEXT
IN THE sCALE-DUBOIs, CHAPU AND THEIR
scHooL-THE COLUMBUS OF ST GAU-
pExs-poOR SCULPTURE FROM ENG
LAND. GERMANY AND ITALY.
IRON A sr.-Y CORRESPONDENT OF znE TRlBryr)
Chicago. July l5-Plastic art has the advantage
a, the disadvantage as its weaker exemplars might
think. of simplifying to the last degree tire
question of an artists ability. He is stripped
., nearly all relative and certainly Of all ADVENT
,;ous aids TO success II he is deficient in
ESSENTIALS it is extremely difficult to overlook this
tor the sake Of other merits An inspired colorist
NAV sometimes be forgiven bad drawing.
sculptor Of ideal ideality is mpotent If he is an
,mperfect modellcr. Thy standard by which
sculptor is tried Is for which the nature
~ his mode Of expression Is in a special sense
responsible. In spite OF the absence of color
nom his work the latter is the closest repre-
sentation of life which art attempts. 1T aims
70 give us the living, breathing form In ITS
rounded fitness, bathed in light which searches
ont its every detail. 1t lacks nothing but the
warm hue of life to repeat form as form lives
and breathes and has it's being among us, anu
there are few allowances to be made when the
,enstiton falls short Of the original. The nation
xyh0
time maintains its proud position because II Is
strong in technique. The spirit of the french
sculpture Of day is rarely such as to give the
HIGHEST delight 1t is mainly sculpture which the
host work Of antiquity will outlast, and which
CLIO nurified symmet rical work for which we look
IN the future is certain TO displace. Dut a'
nresent French sculpture is the finest emooaimeh'
Of the test by which contemporary sculpture
in other countries must stand or fall Inc hfs'
question which the great quantity OF plastic arr
81 the Fair has TO answer is not whether IL Is
Lonn;r conceived. or executed with fine feel
ing but whether it is executed with SIKH. rlc-
toral art cannot escape that question, out II
can often answer it with qualifications and not
lose half as much Of it's force as sculpture VIII
under the same circumstances
THE FRENCH COLLECTION.
Tho French have sent far more representative
collection of statues than of paintings TO Chlcago'
This is partly because a number OF casts 1roui
sone of their most celebrated pieces We're oruere"
for the Art Institute here. Whatever the motlVe'
the collection formed-one OF ABOUT loo worAS
is a tolerably complete presentation OF tue ''nT'
school and its ideal The school Is clearly
assembled under one flag The presence OF one
Dowerful man not in sympathy with the pre-
yailjng note does not cause division. honih
,s remarkable genius. The brilliancy OF MS
;maoration his mastery technique ana his
up;oue STYLE make him magnetic among scuiptors'
Two works by him are at the Fair. one Oh 'ie
figures from his great group, 1.-The Bourgeois OF
calais. and his bust of Dalou, distinguished
sculptor, by the way, whose own WORK Is ho,
renresented here Both the standing inquire an"
the portrait are fascinating as orlglhai' '.n"o
productions in the field of imaginative reaiisih
But the French genius is not perfectly expressed
in Robin any more than it was IN the famous
author with whom he has much in common anu
for whom NE has designed one OF 'hc mus
csandiosc monuments of the century, Victor
Hugo Like Hugo, he is violent, forgetfui Oh
measure and balance, and apt to subvert sym
,notrv for the sake of spectacular, highly pct-
uresoue, imaginative and effective point. ih
misses what the typical French sculptor at his
h.s+ always obtains-a serenity of pcise whlch
roc,Is -fba antique In that is the most IN
terestng characteristic Of the French schooi' anu
IL survives even when the spiritual tendency Is
downward The rejuvenescence OF sculpture III
the France of the nineteenth century pe"rs
our;ors resemblance 10 the plastic revival IN the
Italy of the Renaissance. Then the schooi winch
drew so much of its strength from the stray ol
The antique was nevertheless, irreslstnlN olrec'e"
by a National altogether contempordhcons' ln
,Y,sa This impulse could not sink the Italian
genius for indivi1ualsm In any such a"s''dC.
ranoraIizno art as that of the Greeks 1t could
srmnathize with and take example from the
naoan love of sensuous beauty, and II coui"
emulate the shave exalted naturasm of pagan
souln,pre But il could not divest itself oil per-
son,litv nor could it give up human vitality Tor
n,ha. MIGHT I've called superhuman vitalty, the
o,mosnhere of Madonna of Mino's, Tor inc
a,mo.nbere Of Venus de Milo French sculpture
has nassed through an almost parallei expert
enco II is imbued with classic feeling, put l.
cannot forcgo the modcTnity which is also III 'ne
very core Of your true Frenchman IL procee"'
not to q compronise. exactly, Ibetween the
Academy and the spacious independence Oh inc
reslists. but to bold synthess OF the prihcipic'
held on both sides. Possibly in the result IL J.
The Academy which comes most perSs'ch'N "
the surface If it does it is because the Acauci''
idea is prominently the idea OF the na''oh'
DUBOIS AND OTHERS.
Duho;s 10 tho incarnation Of the French school
In its sanest and most perfectly developed ph"sc'
Tn. Art Institute was wise in its choice OF the
works by him to be reproduced In plaster anu
se,, On Ch;capo The series OF four figures
from the tomb of General Lamorlcicre has oech
set up in the Art Building All OF these arc
examples of an elevated realisIn-a realism 'eh-
nored by classic reticence and repose. One OF
them, hgufe OF d sc"N" ""''
military courage, carries French sculpture as
high as il has yet gone in the present century
The technique is superb. The ideal is one OF
ncs;,ive nobility expressive OF spritualHcd
strength Dubois has eaualled this statue in dell
rate charm lie did 50 in the beautiui niue
Forentine 6pure which stands In the Luxem-
boure and il would have been We'll II inc
Art Institute had secured copy OF thht aiso'
II shows better than the MILITARY Courage .hc
benefit of Renaissance SCULPTURE TO DUBOIS pu,
1t could not show SO well the largehess anu
dignity. the profound beauty of which the rreno'-
r..n - oanahL, There are very few Others