New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17
IN A FINE FRENZY ROLLING.
a PROSE POEM ON ROBINS 'BALzAC''
BY MR. FRANK HARRIS, EDITOR
OF "TIIE SATURDAY REVIEW

from The Saturday Revi'w.
1t was a morning In June when l walked up
the Champs Elysees on my way to the Salon IN
the Champs de Mars. The Place OF Peace was
bathed In white sunlight. and there was some
thing fresh and hopeful in the cool, thin aT.
The gibbering ghosts that at nightiali ana IN
the early dawn crowd about the central iouh-
tain and mock the effort Of the cleansing wa
tors TO wash away the bloodstains had all van
ished. and the little victoras spun about ana
the, people smiled and chartered as II the past
and its enthralling life had no existence. Every
think was lightsome and gay; nature seemed TO
have lent man the quickened pulses OF her re-
newed youth. The great white read drew me,
and as l walked I the shadowy legons
winding up the long hill and the crowds that
rushed together behind them were like the wa
tiers seething In the wake or a great snip. "A,
the next moment was aimiring the avenue OK
chestnut trees with their tiny lamps OF waxeh
blossom
In half an hour I was to see Robins statue Of
BalZac What would il be like? Roche!ort.
whose instinct In matters OF Art is almost as
fine as his vision OF Politics is false. had lect-
ured Rodln and sided with the Society OF the
Gems de Lcttres. who rejected the artists gift
His article in the "Intransigeant" had ended
with the words, Literature In painting is bad
enough. but the whole OF the Comtdie humane
in one plaster figure Is absurd But was
ROchefort to be trusted to criticise Rodin!
True. he had bought Goyas when no one cared
to look at Them and bronzes OF Barge when the
Scuptor's name was only known To the keeper
OF the Jardn des Plantes that Of an import
innate visitor who wanted 20 spend the night ~
well as the day In studying the great cats
Blake's phrase,
J I" Nor is It possible for thought
y A greater than itself 10 know"
came into my mind and put Rochefort out Of Il
After ALL our own wonderful critic d. s. NJ
had praised Robins work without. however. de-
scribing It. Perhaps was to have new ar
tistc sensation and my steps quckened. How
I got to the Salon do not know; II surely was
not who put down coin and asked the way;
Y ctvv " ftrhtf fvh n
Of marble figures with dry throat and leaping
heart. For there IT stood at the far end. and
my excitement was so great that could not
face the hope that sprang to life In me as l
peered at 1T furtively with myopc eyes.
stopped before Robins "Baiser' that had
seen before, three years before. In the scuptor's
studio But the impression was the old one;
the figures are wonderfully modelled; the
muscles on the shoulders OF the man are knot
ted and gnarled like oak-tree roots and tho
great tendon Of the leg Is strained I'LL tho
strands begin to separate as the strands OF Q
cable strained to the bursting And the wom-
ans figure is even fine. In It's lovely curves OF
erature." said Ste Beuve "is sensual" and he
might have added. call our art too" But sem
sually here. IS in life. has Its compensation In
passion OF tenderness. Notice how the mans
hand only dares to touch the tender flesh and
how his arm supports her head and neck. The
thing Is a masterpiece: but It does not satisfy
me as masterpiece should. and by patient
looking I End the reason. The contrast be-
tween the mans form and the wJnan's is fine,
but the attitude does not bring out the higher
characteristics and beauties Of the mans figure
rs II should. The attitude Is conceived In Q
passion Of admiration for the woman's 1sura
md that Is superbly and charactcristically rem
dered; but the mans figure Is Of necessity hud-
died and dwarfcd. / should prefer to see the
woman's figure alone and receive from IL the
single imperious impression. After ALL the kiss
Is the life OF woman. but not Of man. With
lingering glance OF admiration I turn 10 the
BalZac AID approach IL from the front, as IL Ia
meant to be approached
I The first impression made upon me IS that Of
strous and snperhuman Under the Old dress
1ng-gown, with It's empty sleeves. the man
stands with hands held together In front Of him
and head thrown back There ia something
theatrical in the pose. something uncanny in
the head. Yes uncanny: the jaws are 30 large !
that they seem to fall to the great chest |
and form n part Of 1t. and then the cavernous
holiows Of the eyes without eyeballs or sight |
and above. the forehead. made narrow by the |
locks Of hair. grotesGue ~ extraordinary /
power The personality OF the figure Is oppres- /
sive; there Is In II passion Of labor and /
achievement OF self-assertiOn and triumph. }
which excites fear and antagonism. Here IL a
Titan who has made a world and could unma kc /
as well There IL something demoniac in the p
thing that thrills the blood. But. after ALL that f.
j. the first impression left one by the author
Of Ia Coincide Humane" mighty work
man was Balzac, who wrote forty volumes that
have fallen into oblivion and been lost. lost be .
yond hope Of recovery and then wrote forty
more that constitute the greatest dramatic F
achievement ever produced by ono intelligence. .
except perhaps that Of Shakespeare. and then
sat coolly down and told the world that he had .
now learned his art and meant to do cxtraor-
binary things books that should have form
well meaning. books that Death
held the restless hands 20 stiffness. and froze
the eager brain. Did ROdin mean his work 20
give this impression?
I "a nv