Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-12
'WEDDED TO HER ART.
"A Talk with Mrs. Brooks the
Butter Sculptress.
What She Has to Exhibitin Fine Arts
Building at Chicago.
She States Her visws o. grtists asd Their
sufui fsspsasisiIiiy.

l -f4As- 13EttAI4E -l2e-H Butter
, Sculptures OF the Centennial" as the
, world knows her complains that she can
get no concession from the managers, no:
even TO sell photographs, aud therefore
cannot finish the great historical and ale
gorieai group Of which the Isabella was
meant for beginning, The general regu-
lstioas bar her out in some way and so
her wonderful work in the Arkansas
building is but labor OF love. "And so
it ever has been with the artist" she said
as we stood in front @. the beautiful alto
relieve of the Spanish queen. What Is IL
that Hogarth says' All, it is like this:
What various woes the painters life as
sail
Pride. envy, want. the patron and the
jai.'h
1T Is better now, very much better
especially for great painters. But sculp-
tors never get rich. They all lack the
boarding faculty. And they are so gener-
Gus. Why have been in Italy now seven
years and could tell you such moving
things about their generosity to each
other and the unfortunates who fail
What pity could not finish that group
here-what a pity. You see Isabella was
to be TIE central figure. Above should be
allegorical figures Of America, India. tho
ocean or what might be suggested as the
idea developed. Then Columbus to her
right, and to her left--who, Well. well, 1t
might be Ferdinand. And the supporting
back was to be model OF the Alham bra
| ah, the Alhambra, such beautiful set
ting for the grand queen who wept for the
conquered Boabdil and then pledged her
| jewels for Columbus. l wanted it to re-
main here in nrarble-my pride, my joy,
in Chicago always"
"But do you make the copies in marble
| Of your works"
''Only the finishing. That is necessary
for the artist who coneeives the design. 1t
| is not possible for one to convey ones COM
plete idea to another and then there arc
many difficulties. A German will make n
German face, an Italian an Italian face
and so of all. And the Italians put sucha a
| look of distress on the faces of their
women. See! Those women in that group
| look so very sad"
| Il had often remarked that of the Rus
sian paintings, but did not of the Italian"
"Ah, You will see it more and more as
| you go on. But l want to say something
| particular now and | can't make you un-
| derstand it. IL is not many who have such
| command of language-(at this point the
| reader must imagine this writer as blush
| inG)! There Is an idea, a conception of the
| face which the artist gets and can never
| give it to any other one. There was Gen
eral Graut-ah, that firm. noble face, 1
| got the COZ eption Of it all in 4 Cash aftcs
sitting ard hearing him talk few min
utes. Once you get that it /, never lest.
But sometimes you cannot get it. 1t just
won't come Then the figure will be !:
failure. 1t is in vain to carve the merr
| form Of the features. That is only chisel
work. 1t is not real art. The result is .
| failure If the grand conception is not there
and sometimes it just will not come"
| All this time ladies were coming and
| going, interviewing the sculptress or bid
ding her goodby. One of her friends was
| leaving for Philadelphia, another for Paris
and quite group for Florence, as they
| had done the fair; but all talked English
| and in answer to many questions, Mrs.
| Brooks said:
II am in the Arkansas building because
] am an Arkansas artist, and pronl Of it.
It was on our plantation in Phillips coun-
| ty just nine miles from Helena. that /
made my first nine pounds of butter and
modelled it into the figure that gave me
fame. Aud the people there called it
| The Butterheadn Now like that name,
but didn't then. Ny daughter, Caroline
Brooks Greenland / tAnk she Is very
| talented--was horn in Helena. Ny hus-
| hand who died few years ago represented
the county in the legislature, but our
plantation life was the great thing. Town
| the plantation now, but cannot say that
/ have a home at present. had previous
| ly modelled in rything workable, in
| clay, sea sand, mashed potatoes, putty and
SO on; but | have never found anything
equal to butter-you can do any thing with
| It. Yes, | began my best work in butter,
and with butter shall end and now l call
my Iolanthe the 'Butterhead, because that
name was given by the people,"
Did YOU not have n regular course Of
| Instruction."
| "In some things did was thoroughly
| grounded in anatomy and made, 0. hun
| dretls of models of the skull When was
child l drew pictures and made rude
| paintings before could read. Ny teacher
| ia oils was John Frankenstern, of Spring
| Geld, o., and believe i was the only pupil
| he ever had. He was my master. lam y
native OF Cincinnati. Ny best work? Well,
it is as the public decides, isn't it? The
| Vanderbilt group is much admired 1t
| was motieied in butter and finished In
| marble with the chisei entirely. But we
| will not talk Of best work yet. There are
| so many POI is in art have not mastered
| that feel " eak. l have not attained the
| height where an artist should sit. And
| cannot now till take good rest and be-
| gin anew with enthusiasm. / have worked
| inceSstutly for seventeen years. Now I
must take a good rest. Then will come
| new powers. new conceptions and then
| ah. then have hopes"
There is an awful res ponsibility in art.
| just see how many American women
come and hold - their little children to
| see that Isabella and tell them about who
| she was and what she did for us-how i'm
| pnrtant it is that the true idea should be
| conveyed by IT, Ny works are scattered
| to the ends of the earth and the thought
| of the responsibility is overpowering, if an
artist really knows and feels the divine
/ central truth. Thousands. O, tens of
thousands o. people look on statue and
| get an impression that affects them while
/ life lasts. That impression IS often 4 bias
/ for life, too. What tremendous respons-
/ ihility, Columbus and Isabella
| are both from portraits, but / lad to
/ search long to find portrait of her that
! fell in with my conception. | naturally
( expected to find her picture Ia every part
/ OF this fair. hut came to fad none, At
| any rate. noHe I could Use. How very
strange ihat tine butter sculptures Of the
| Centennial should hare 10 eogne ell ths
! way from Italy to make bust Of Isabella
| And nnie it In five days. But am TAX
| ing more time for the Columbus as my
agreement here is to work before ..-s pub
lie at least an hour every day."
-
| Following the directions of Mrs. Brooks
and the catalogue found her best groups
/ in marble, and found also. somewhat to
my dispieasure, that she was credited to
New York And so Ii goes all through
the building. The work and the artist are
| eIassed, not as from his state to which he
may be a great honor. but to some city in
which he worked or studied Her marble
productions there are four: ssTbe Dream
| ing IClanihe," No. 81; Lady Godiya,"
No. =; Lady Godiva Returning" No %,
and Vanderbilt Group" No "a 1t is not
In my line to describe them, and it has al
ready been done TO safety. but was par
ticulariy charmed with No. 23-.he pose OF
Lady Godiva, the action shown in the at
| titsde of the horse, the outlines and gen
ersi arrangement all looked beautiful to
me. But shall nos try to tell why l like
ii as my education In art Is not 20 far ad-
! varced.
Irnzst have progressed little. however,
so, q, ~ rs-aral boa ,tif,.J st.4rrs. x~h;<h