Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-02
SCULPTOR SHAW
Continued from page ~

from me; and that he must bring his
orders to me; and translucent sculp-
ture became, from that moment, as the
thing that is not in Mr.. Tiffany's eyes.
But | persevered, and finally got my
window placed in a building there, ana
Ii received a considerable amount oil
attention. 1t is perhaps a strange
thing, but despite the general ac-
know ledgcment that my discovery is Of
immense value to the business, and Its
merits freely allowed, yet Of all the
architects of New York City who have
made appointments with me 10 visit
my studio at different times. some -
in number, not one has ever kept his
word and come.
STAINED glass trusts? Combinations?
Oh. | don't know" and he smiled quietly.
Il guess IL is the result OF this thing
Americans call a pull An architect gets
into the way of calling en- n certain itrm
for work, and when chance Tor win
dow comes, he writes the familiar namc
at the bottom of the sheet, and that II
the end of il. | do know, however. that
many a competent artist Is worrying
along and New York and will worry
along for years TO come, because IA
hasn't the patronage at his back Ia
bring him into the graoes of the arehi-
tects of that city
From the above ii must not be supposed
that Mr. Shaw has met with anything
but success with his new work. for In the
four years since its discovery he has been
constantly at work upon orders. and sew
crdl specimens OF his SIKH are to De seen
in this country as we'll as abroad Dur
ing the past year he has placed a memo
rial window In Congress Square church,
Portland. In memory of The late George
s. Hunt, i'm the present week. Il lag win
dow DlaFei In the E,HfEpOnHf church
At Brunswick, Me
The former is done In Carrara marble
which produces tiuts of green but the
latter is in pure white Vermont marble
which the artist greatly prefers, as Il
brings out the soft sepia which is
warm and rcstful To the eye. These are
both figure designs. though anything
which may be painted may be carved IN
this style and in reproducing the work
of mural artists the field is unlimited
The only work upon which Mr.. Shaw
means to busy himself this summer Is
statue which viii be- a companion 70 the
Tempest. and which he is already
working In the clay.
My greatest difficulty in this" he re
marked, VIII be the need of suita bio
model For 1t Is not TO be- presumed that
Maine, though near to natures heart
can furnish this necessity. ! may import
ane from New York. II / find one who
would like summer in the country. How
do you suppose the natives viii regard
IL added he. QulzziCalIy.
Calling attention TO the bronze cast 81
the Seine Throwcr.' Mr. Shaw related
how he found his model for the work in
Florence. The art OF casting Il seine is
now almost obsolete. you know. and IL Is
only now and then man is found who
can do the act. The seine is n mesh Of
silken threads some p feet across. and in
the exact shape of an umbrella All
about its edges are attached tiny slnkers
the net Is folded and gathered into one
arm of the throWer, who with def
movement casts the whole thing from
him. 1t ills and iiutters out over the wa
ter 1uSt ike an open umbrella, drops
upon the water. the tiny sinkers draw ii
beneath the waves, closing in as they fall
till under the water We have silken bal
loon, filled with the fish which in its fall
1t enclosed This ancient custom Is now
so nearly lost that in 80 years | prophesy
there viii he almost no one who can
properly cast one The old man who
posed for me WAS quite celebrated i'm the
city because of his skill in this almost
lost practice"
With the coming of the fall Mr.. Shaw
viii return to his Florence studio Wher.
he considers the happiest years of his
NE nave been passed. for he finds the
atmosphere of art and romance which
enVeiops the city. his truest inspirations
As he before limited the communication
ana criticism of fellow artists there he
mosts depends upon for guidance in his
art; because. as he half humorously told
the writer, he feels 1t to lie more nearly
correct.
W hen my statue. Putting the Shot
was brought to this country, several cril-
icisins were written upon il. As it bore
the stamp of the Paris Salon. it was to
be presumed good in some respects. ana
50 they judged it. The pose was perfect:
the technic admirable; the effect ex-
auisite. But the model there was the
rub. 1t must have been some undeveloped
man, because the chest was so small In
proportion to the rest of the body
AS a matter of fact. he narrated
the model was the most famous acrobat
OF faris, who was persuaded only after
lnhnite trouble to pose for me, and his
cnest measurements which | possess
with other measurements of the man.
We're larger than the average for his size
1t IS also true that the pose was not cor
rect, because on account of the great
muscular development Of the man he
held the shot in different position than
- usual with a man of ordinary strength
tell you this simply to Illustrate that ia
an eye Impractical in the study of tho
nude, even an athlete seems unduiv
slight, when posed or photographed