The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-16
ARTIST NOT SATISFIED
DESIGNER MATZEN, OF THE PEACE
GROUP, WANTS TO MAKE CHANGES.
He Was Promised Permission to Over-
see Work Before 1t Was
Unveiled.

The Board OF Regents of the soldiers and
sailors monument will open bids for the
bronze candelabra, fagstans and the MI
nor bronze figures tomorrow afternoon at
2 o'clock. Bids for the bronze statues TO
represent the four branches of the service.
which will surnount the four great posts
at the two entrance ways to the monument.
will not be opened until il is discovered
how much of the appropriation of slW.oO
will be left for this feature. The bidders.
and there are about fifteen expected, viii
submit models with their bids. Yesterday
C. II. Niehaus, OF New York, arrived at
the Bates House. He Is the sculptor OF the
Morton monument fo- the Capitol at Wash
ington. The designer of the Peace and War
groups, Hermann Matzen. has also arrived.
His home Is in New York, too. Rudolf
Schwartz. who cut the groups from Mr..
Matzen's models, will submit bids in to-
morrow's competition.
Mr.. Matzen arrived Sunday night. When
he reached Monument Place. in going to
English's Hotel, he looked up at the Peace
group; he had not seen it on the monument
before. He sat down on the curb and
studied 1t and saw defects which he must
remedy. The ~silhouettes OF the two groups
are not In harmony, he says. He believes
he has been done an injustice because he
was not called to inspect the group before
1t was unveiled and given to the public.
His agreement with the architect, Bruno
Schmitz. and the Board of Regents, he
says, was that he should be given an op-
portunity 10 see the group and make
changes, IL necessary. before the scafolding
was torn away and the group laid open
to the criticism Of the people. Nh. Matzen
is very much in earnest when he says he
has been done an injustice. He Is deter
mined that he will remedy the defects ne
has found, and then, he says, ne VIII pe
satisfied and proud or his work. he COM
mends Mr.. Schwartz, the cutter, as a re-
markably efficient man, but, he says, no one
but the designer himself can. work out MS
idea in fullness OF detail, and that Is what
Mr.. Matzen wants TO do TO satisfy his ar
ga great many criticisms have been
offered" he said last night. in regard to
the lately completed groups on the SOLDIERS
criticisms may be and from whatever
sources they come II may be OF general IN
terest to hear q few words from one VINO
is In a degree responsible for the result
The groups were submitted TO me by Mr..
Bruno Schmitz to remodel and reconstruct,
three or four designs having already been
board of regents and having been rejected.
The new sketches were submitted to the
board and promptly accepted with the eA-
ception OF some minor details, which were
altered accordingly.
II was given TO understand that the time
for execution Of the work was very limited.
My work met the approval of Mr.. Schmitz
and under the promise OF an opportunity 10
improve the groups by experimenting the
final cutting i decided to send the Peace
group on for the cutting The work has
been cut and given over to the public with
out consulting the sculptor, and therein lies
the injustice. The most important difficulty
lies In the disproportions in the silhouettes
of the two groups. The faults in the detaii
of the Peace group can still be .remedied.
and 1t is to be hoped that the small expense
will not stand in the way. Even the
silhouettes may be harmonized by compare
I'm regard to the composition. 1 beg to
say that though the subjects were die
tated to me in a great measure. 1 would
not change them even at a second trial
They are American, and comprehensive TO
the people on a monument for the people.
The difficulty Of constructing groups OF such
dimensions in stone should be considered by
the critics. The War group Is a work OF
which I shall never feel ashamed, and the
same sentiment / harbor for the Peace
group, if the chance which is only fair to
every artist be given to me-that of over
seeing his own work. True artists are never
commercial, and therefore they deserve con-
s~ideration."