The Portland daily press., 1895-12-27

MI. Chas. l.. Fox Explains Adam and Eve.
To the Editor of the Press:
A painter shrinks from criticising his
own WORK; and the more he approaches
the sources from which his inspiration
has sprung the greater the shrinking.
Not that he is unwilling to acknowledge
his indebtedness to others, not that he
believes that the inner sacredness should
forever remain hidden; but rather be
cause of the very depths that are moved.
However, if any word of mine can
make the truth more clear or can add the
least of the rays of light to the technioa
department. Of painting gladly offer that
word
I speak of the decoration of Adam and
Eve, and write first of its technical
language; for the method of it's speech
seesm to be a stumbling block to many
to most people think.
On the technical side I am indebted,
not to Cimbaue nor to Botticelli, nor to
any of the Pre- Raphaelites, but to man
whose vigorous and spirited and mas
sive carving has excited the highest
praise from skillful and thoughtful
mod ern critic allude to the "Horsss
of the Madelaine" engraved upon bone
by Neolithic man, though possibly done
by one of the preceding age.
Upon these rough. vigorous and spirited
lines have based the general work of
this decoration, as sculptor builds a
In the construction Of Adam and Eve
l have used the Neolithio Cowlam
round barrow skull' because Of its
sim ilarity to the above lines and because
it seemed contain sufficient intelli-
gence to .have turned from the ruder
huntsmancraft to the cultivation of the
soil.
In the Jewish record of the Creation
find the same rough and vigorous draw
ing; and uhroughout have placed Adam
and Eve in the Neolithic Age, accom-
panying them by such data as I have
been able to secure, notably in stone hut
building and stone implements. In the
case Of the thistles have been obliged
to adjust them from the thistle now in
existence. They ara tout of drawing"
when compared to the thistle as it now
exists; but Sin drawing when COM
pared to the lines upon which the decora-
| ton is constructed
This leads Inc directly to the disturbing
principle in this decoration, the principle
which I have voluntarily violated, the
principle Of Beauty as popularity under
stood.
To me Harmony is greater than Beauty,
and dignity far wider in extent and more
massive than was ever cut from the
marbles of Paros or Carrara.
| In the bone labor Of one man, sin
cerely and earnestly performed, see, not
only the building Of world, but the
divine awkwardness Of strong youth
which accompanies it,
| I would like to dedicate this work to
| the world builders-to the average man.
| The work is accused of being bad in
drawing. To me bad drawing is an ig-
norant change of scale. I feel that upon
| careful examination the different parts Of
each figure will be found to correspond
in proportional weight and length, each
after its kind, and upon the base of tenn
permanent.
| 1t is not "bad" drawing to place the
action Of the figure at its outer limits
when the energy of the subject demands
it.
| 10 me the mission of art is too world
W ide to confine itself to Beauty alone
for Character and Harmony each claim
the divine right to its own utterance,
and how much broader and deeper ane
! richer the word of art when they also
speak. How embarrassing and how monot
onous the world when deprived of them.
| CHART, RS LEWIS FOX