River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-09-12
BRUMIDI's MARINE GROUP.

can gaze upon the enormous paintings,
in the capitol rotunda without amaze
ment, and without a twinge of shame
for our new republic. They are inn
mense, as to size, but of pigmy merit.
Their subjects are well chosen, and the
intentions of the artists were no doubt
good; but the achievements are I'M
worthy the place. In one of the pic
lures two ladies are represented as hav-
ing five hands, and one of those hands
has five fingers and a thumb. The
paintings could not secure place even
for temporary exhibition in any Paris
ian salon; unless, maybe, they might
have place as curios from the new
world. They lack artistic merit most
woefully. 1t is to be hoped that the time
is not far distant when they may be re-
moved and tho inches filled with paint
ings which will adorn and beautffy the
wonderful work of the architect of the
capitol.
The historic fresoo zone which was
begun by the great Brumidi half way
up the dome has been continued by
Costagini; but it should not be con-
Guided by him. The work of Brumidi
is SO near perfection that the figures
seem much like statuary: and many I'M
tutored eyes believe the scenes there
depicted are carved from the solid rock.
But Brumidi died when the zone was
but half done, and the subsequent
work of Costagini is painfully less mer-
itorious. For example, the steed be-
strobe by Gen. Scott in. the Mexican
scene reminds me of the little school
boys definition: "A horse is square
built, having one leg at each corner"
Moreover, this charger appears to be
about two feet longer than any horse
that ever lived. Besides, he has lean
and hungry look. which i'll becomes
the war-horse of the general command
ing the army. Then the reading of the
Declaration of Independence is pic
ture which almost makes patriot wish
that IL had never been read. The big
fat Quaker who holds the document
stands upon a very shaky platform.
The calves of his legs are so unnatural
as to make one fear that he has vari-
cose veins. and his thighs from knee to
hip are long enough for Goliath of
Gath. He is pitiable deformity. The
entire work should be committed to a
superior artist. to be retouched skill
fully or else erased and reprinted.
The statuary in the four inches of the
rotunds. may be regarded as credita-
BILE, but if it were. busted and cleaned
ut least once in twenty or thirty years
q marked Improvement would be APP
parent. On tine east front, on either
side of the main entrance to the rotun-
da, are marble statues of Mars and
Minerva. They are all ut from an
artistic point of view. but Mars has
not had his face washed since the days
of Julius Cesar, while the shoulders
and breast of Minerva are so dusty as
to suggest the thought that she has no
friends in this new world. She looks
like an unkempt Bowery beauty.
The capitol building, of which the
rotunda is the center, is unquestion-
ably the noblest, grandest and most
beautiful architectural object in the
world. This isaa fact conceded by men
who have travelled extensively. Every
man of culture and experience who
comes here from Europe comedies that
the capitol is superior to any building
in any city in the civilized world.
Therefore it is 10 be regretted the more
deeply that the architecture is not
supplemented. with more excellent |
masterpieces of painting, plastic and
graphic art. The walls, ceilings, cor
ridors and committee rooms of the SEN
ate are all artistically touched by the
magic brush of Brumidi The canopy
of the dome IS one of the most worthy |
works of that great artist. Surely the |
work should not be stopped forever nor |
continued by daubers, because that one |
man fell before the sickle of Time. full |
of years and of honors.
Because of ignorance in high places, |
no artistic hand has guided the growth |
of the city. There has been no system |
in the erection of public buildings. The |
city has unrivaled architectural mag |
nificenee, mainly because the original |
designer planned so well that careless |
generations of subsequent years could |
not wander far away from the beauty |
and symmetry which he marked with |
unerring accuracy. Unless the ar7chi- |
tects of the country take universal in
tcrest in the growth of the capital city |
its artistic splendor may be marred by |
official carelessness or incapacity in the /
near future; for many public buildings /
must yet be erected. The selection OF |
sites for them should not be left to the /
shuttle cock imbecility of congressional
committees and corrupt Hobbies.
For six years money has been avail
able in the treasury for the erection OF /
q new government printing office. |
Every year congressional committees |
have considered the selection of site,
but lobbyists employed by real estate
owners have fought and scrambled
over the matter, and no site has been