The Portland daily press., 1894-03-03

L.
who is at present in Portland, has re-
ceived some very elaborate notices of his
work of translucent sculpture. From
one of them, an illustrated article in the
New York Morning Journal, we take
this extract:
Mr.. Shaw is an American who has been
known for a mum Der of years as a sculp-
tor Of ability and standing. He is an
habiuual exhibitor at the Salon, and IS
better known in Europe than here: For
a dozen wears lie has had his studio IN
Florence Though exhibiting more
abroad than here, he has for half
dozen wears or more shown figures at
Tiffany's. Among them the statue that
provoked his remarkable artistic dis
covery has become particularly we'll
known, as it has been reproduced
number of times. 1t is The Tempest
a Young female figure enveloped in wind
tossed draperies, and with suggestion
of storm tossed clouds under her feet
The draperies fly so free from the figure
that the light comes through them, ana
it was seeing this that set Mr.. Shaw
thinking and experimenting. He says
his struggles, mishaps and technical sue
cesses would fill book.
He soon saw that there were great and
varied decorative possibilities in trans
lucent sculpture, but as to the more
purely conventional forms of decoration
he felt less interest than in the higher
pictorial work, and he did but little to
bring them out until the pure art value
of his discovery was established by the
nIacina of "Sylvia" IN the Paris Salon.
if Mr.. Shaw commanded only the ordl-
nary methods of stone cutting he would
get comparatively little benefit from
translucent sculpture, because of the ex-
pense. Mr.. Charles B. Lamb, of the
League, in first seeing the window on ex-
hibition. instantly appreciated its great
artistic significance, but he said:
otis not practical; it can never COM
pete with stained glass, it must be so
much more COSTLY"
1t is not more costly, and that it is not
is due to an American invention,
pneumatic tool which strikes as high as
5000 blows per minute. and which can
be regulated with the most exquisite
precision.
The work in such window as this be-
gins with the modelling of the design in
| CLAY; this is done in relief, and must re-
verse the intention of the completed
work as to left and right; if it is intend
ed that the nymph lift her hair with her
! left hand, it must be the right that does
it in the clay model.
A mould of the model in plaster, in
which left is right, and what is in relief
becomes intaglio, is the model for the
stone cutters, and with the pneumatic
| toolsthey go to work. All conventional
designs can be reproduced by them abso-
luteIy, but here, as in all work of sub
tlety and feeling. when it comes to such
picture as "Sylvia." the last work on
the figure must come from the artist
himself.
On the slab itself he cuts and chisels
as painter uses his brush. the pure
| light being his pigment. The brig htest
| lights in this window are where the inch
| thick slab is cut half through. rms
still leaves the structure much stronger
| than one would expect; though IN hand
| ling it great care is required lest IL break
with it's own weight. Once IN place, III
| is vastly less liable to accident than
glass; chisel thrown against 1T In a
way to shatter glass falls ringing BACK
| from the marble without Having IL.
Nothing can ever rival glass in its own
way. and it is a carelessness OF speech to
speak of translucent sculpture compet-
| mo with fl: competition will exist only
till the new art has made place for
itself. and demonstrated its own posi-
bilities. 1t is another resource, and
there are many places 1t Ca can m MI , neeser
| or another glass is out OF the question,
as when colored light would Interfere
| with interior decoration, or where glass
| is too fragile.
| The preference of Vermont marble for
| pictorial work is because OF the delicious
tints the light brings out in it, but I'M
der some circumstances the Carara is
preferable because it transmits the light
| more freely and can be cut thinner. and
so is preferable where the light is weak
| or diffuse; it shows only variations, on
green-blue tone, agreeable . but not oo SC
rich. In conventionaliy decorative WORK
ali kinds of colored marbles, particularly
the rich red Georgia, give wonderful
! effects.
Mr.. Shaw has done some friezes to be
electrically lighted from behind, and
| that are also beautiful III themselve'
when unlighte1. OF course in such
work the marbles are chosen for theil
| color harmony with the general scheme
| of the room. In windows the outside
aspect of the marble is as of groundg lass
with q white shade pulled over it.
Standish.