The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-12
A NUS FROM CARRARA,
Rupert Schmid Has Com
pleted His California
"Poppy."
A Californian Artists Pictures Are
Greatly Appreciated in
Germany.

Rupert Schmid has just returned home
from a long European sojourn. most of il
spent in the quarries of Carrara, where he
put that newest type of beauty, the Cali
fornia Venus into pure white marble. He
has also made number of busts and
medallions of California celebrities.
1t was seventeen years since Rupert
Schmid had visited Europe before, and
many things struck him on his flying visit
to Munich, Paris and Vienna. In fact he
does not quite know which disguised him
most, that in Southern Italy Old World
customs still finger. or that in the rest of
Europe the picturesque peCuliarities of
dress and speech that distinguished one
nation from another, are fast vanishing
away before modern improvements.
Its like going back 1000 or 5000 years to
go to Carrara, be said. "They still use OK
teams to haul the marble, and urge the
ca tile on with goad. They prefer it, too,
for actually railroad was built for the
marble, and it is never used. [ did not
like it at all. That sort of life may be
picturesque, but give me American COM
fort "
And then, apparently to show that there
is no rose without a thorn, the sculptor
expressed his regret at the loss art is sus-
tanning elsewhere in Europe. "All the
ing, and every one is beginning to dress
alike. You can no longer tell what country
you are in from the costumes; in fact. the
picturesqueness is going out of the life
with modern Improvements"
So profoundly did Mr.. Schmid appear
to be impressed with this result of i'm
provement and rapid communication that
nothing but grays to depict the universal
sameness."
Munich, the sculptor considers, has ret
regarded since he was there last, but Berlin
has gone forward by leaps and bounds
toward a knowledge and appreciation of
painting and sculpture. ".There are some
good artists in Munich, though" he ad-
mitted; "men of many different nations
who have identified themselves with the
place.
Zone of the faremost is Toby Rosenthal.
He sends very little of his work to America,
for it has ready sale in Germany. The
Empress recently bought some OF his paint
ings, and ordered more; at least that was
what heard. He only had one little can
vas unsold in his studio when | was there,
and that was not quite finished. The
model was a little blond-headed boy, and
the painting was an exact likeness, and
was full of sentiment and expression.
''By the way, man l did not see in
Munich was David Neale. Some nonsense
has been said about the influence l used
upon him with regard to the Wells statue.
There's not word of truth in the rumor,
which many people seem to have believed
1t is true l often saw David Neale before
going to Europe, but we never once dis
cussed that statue, and in Munich did not
even see him.
While in Munich Rupert Schmid modelled
an Indian of the North American variety,
which was at once purchased by club.
'But Indians are no longer novelty, for
since Buffalo Bill travelled they are as well
known over there as they are here-better,
perhaps" he added.
Zone thing that impressed me was that
the Europeans are making great strides in
art, and are always seeking something
original. Every little town in Germany
and Italy seems to want 10 have its monu-
ments to Emperor William and Bismark
or Garibaldi, Mazzini or Cavour. There
are between four and five hundred statues
of Garibaldi alone. Some villages have
two of them, but they are all different and
all artistic. Even when they have to put
up a building that is only intended to be
useful (such as railway station) there
seems to be a rage to make it at the same
time ornamental"
Poppy" as Rupert Schmid persists in
calling his California Venus, is still at
Carrara. He met with several disappoint-
ments in making her. Once when the
figure began to enlarge from block of the
whitest marble, it was found that the
beautiful stone was marred with one black
vein, which disfgured Poppy's right
shoulder. Another partly chiseled figure
also revealed flaw in the marble; but
finally block which revealed no irnper-
fections was found, and now Poppy is
chiseled in marble as white as snow. The
figure will be shipped to California in the
course of the next few weeks. a quantity
of other work which Rupert Schmid
has brought with him is still in the Gus
tom-house.