Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-05-06
BlUSHfORTHEN NUDE
Far Statues Shock Unsophisti-
Gated WesternSrs
WHO ARE NOT UP IN ART
PAintanss OF the Nude I'm both seaes
Cause Men and Women to
tiee i'm Horror.

CHIeAGo. May a-One d the most
startling consequences " the opening OF
the fair is that the west is brought face
Ia face with the art work Of the nine
teenlh century, and 20 say that the west
Is shocked Is 10 put II mildly. The
great mass II western homes still dir
play the most sober English chromos- II
rot those old fashioned stand.bys best
exempiiied 10y the motto: God bless
our happy hoine." dons in mothers
hair.
But nov. with what seems 10 the west
a brutal suddenness the exposition las
thrust the nude on its great public. All
around the lower end Of the magnificent
Court Of Honor. tho roofs Of the Casino.
the penstyle. the music hall and ma
chintry hall are fringed with figures 81
nude men. They stand clear 81 the roof
against the sky. They are 81 heroic
sike and very boldly executed; not "a de
tail "a escaped the loving care Of the
Mn desiecle sculptors. who learned their
calling in Europe.
Heroic Statues.
The majority ~ the figures are Of civil.
lied men. and few are Of savages. The
few savages are sculptured with regard
for the feeling 81 the west, for each
wears a tiny piece u covering. just IA
our red Indians do This badge Of
nod,,sty IL what the COW boys call gee
string. and what IN the east ls known
a. a treech cloth.
But the civilized or white men are
guiltless Of all covering except their
complexions. They are forty feet up in
air. but are 81 large that they might as
well be on the level with the public for
all the concea.ment they make.
Their effect on the people from the in
terror IL always interesting. Some are
visibly panied and shocked and soue
are plainly indignant. Wives drag their
husbands away. and mothers and sisters.
after one startled glance. tug at their
children 10 lead them out OF danger be
fore they have seen the statues and ii In
too late.
Specimens Of Foreign Art.
Some ~ those who are more sophisti-
Gated. and others who are more sensible.
keep right on. regardless % their feel
ings; but they must think that veri-
table diabolism il in the hearts ~ the
managers. for as they progress they find
a number Of these enormous naked
statues of men down on the ground
under the peristylc. where they can
touch them with their hands. Some Of
these figures are ready to 20 mp, some
have workmen laboring 10 finish them,
and some are dismeulbered and in
pieces.
Elsewhere the examples OF the nude
represent both sexes All the figures in
MacMonnie's beautiful fountain are
nude. and none is stranger and more
surprising To the western eve than that
OF the goddess who is driving the char
lot and who sits bolt upright in an arm
chair with not stitch on her above her
waist
\ much more severe test u the pa
thence IL the western people will come
when the Art palace is open. The ar
fists 81 this country in the United
States galleries present more nude fig
ures than would have been expected.
and even the English collection IL full
81 studies o. undraped human beings
What must he seen in the German. the
French and the Spanish galleries can
be imagined as we'll as described.
A German Picture.
In the German gallery. FOR instance.
one large and most striking picture rep
resents ferocious giant Who mas cast /,
net into the SEA and drags out dozen
sea nymphs. They are simply females
Of our race. wholly unincumbercd with
raiment One Of these he has taken
from the net and is holding high above
his head. pinching her between his ri.
gantic fingers as an entomologist pinches
a bug that be captures.
~ private view given 10 few "a
yored persons at the palace Of art thi.
afternoon. man With two women. who
might have beer taken FOR his wife and
sister. had come in front of this queer
fancy ~ the German artist. and all had
reiterated from the gallery a. II they had
suddenly found themselves ~ the chol.
era ward 81 a hospital.
Tough ON Taylor.
The faces 81 the women were scarlet
and IN. mans eyes snapped with in
dignation. Presently he advanced 4
/ Charles j. Taylor. Puck's clever artis
who vac visiting there. and spoke e
/ him.
/ Sir" said he. can you tell me
T whether this next gallery is for gentle
/ men or FOR both sexes: Upon my word
/ can't tell which place 10 90 with my
/ lady friends and which places TO kecI
out ~ just got in a frightfuI scraft
/ taxing them iu tia; bal. over there
The treatment the people are gettir {
IL drastic aud cruel tat II will work
wonders in cutiyaiing and f.iinir
/ them. and they vii learn to lotr ti,,
b.s.sstfat ~ at. D.. 80
/ Try learned . Ia" rugs and interior hang
7 ings after seeing the PtIladel ph "A
world far seventeen years ago.