Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-03
A R T N O TES.

There are few outside of a coterie of spe-
cialistS who are aware that Mr.. Edward
Kemeys, the distinguished sculptor of In
dams and animals, may now be reckoned
among the artists of Washington. Mr..
kemeys and his wife, who is also a sculp
tor, came here last winter with the inten-
ton of making it permanently their home,
and are now domiciled in a house on Wash
ington Heights. They sought this city not
only for relief from the severity of the WIN
tiers of Chicago, where they formerly reSid-
ed, but also on account of the facilities for
study offered by the various government
collections, etc, to be found here. 1t is at
the Geological Park that Mr.. Kemeys is
most often to be seen making notes for
future development in his studio His
method of work is somewhat different from
other artists in that he rarely makes
complete drawing of the animal he is study
ing, but jots down fragmentary suggestions,
and, filling his mind full of it's individuali-
ty, relies upon these and his memory for
his Interpretation. In this way he gets
more in his bronzes than the mere anatomi-
cal reproduction of the brute beasts-a
strength a virility, a meaning and charac-
ter which are indeed very suggestive of the
work of that greatest master Barge.
Among Mr.. Kemeys sculptural works
which numerically reach into the hundreds,
none, possibly, is better known than the
lions which guard the entrance of the Art
Institute of Chicago. They nine feet
high, and the largest in the world with the
exception of Landseer's in London which,
however, are recumbent There is in the
Chicago Institute also quite large collec-
ton of his bronZes, and the fountain call
ed THE Prayer for Rain" in Champlain
ILL.,, is another of his notable accomplish
ments. In the sculptor's present home he
has a collection of about 200 working
models in plaster and clay, from which
many of his bronzes have been constructed
cast. Some of those in clay have been
fired, and the majority of both kinds are
tinted. He has also several interesting
bronze bas-reliefs which he and his wife
cast themselves by an electrical process,
and a few of his bronZes of animals One
Of these, of pair of ia uars, is exceptional
ly fine in unity of force and grace of firm,
sweeping lines At present Mr.. Kemeys is
making a number or series Of bronZes for
the city of Chicago, eight of which con-
stitute a year work, and the preliminary
commission. They are all of the larger and
more important animals. Some are repre-
sented singly, others are in groups, but all
are on small scale.
Mrs. Kemeys' sculpture is more in the
manner of the sso-caned nouvo art, and
among other Interesting and artistic oh
tects she has designed and executed a very
beautiful lamp and pair Of sconces The
former Is of rich red bronze with coiled
rattlesnakes for it's feet, and an Indian
snake dance represented in relief on the
gracefully formed bowl. The latter finds
expression in a delicate white-green bronze.
formed in the semblance of butterflies,
with a laughing papoose as the body or
chrysalis. Mr.. and Mrs. Kemeys came to
Washington directly from New Mexico.
where they had spent some time studying
the Indians and wild game, and brought
with them a large and valuable collection
of Indian pottery, weaving, beadwork and
other curious examples of the artistic handi
craft of these primitive people.
X
X
Two old and more than ordinarily inter-
esting pictures have lately been placed in
the loan collection at the Corcoran Gal
lery by their owner, Lieutenant w. E.
Stafford One is an INTERIOR" painted by
Van Mieris, which pictures an artists
studio of story book type; the other is by
Teniers the younger, and represents the
temptation Of St. Anthony. This is dis
tinctly complicated composition, as well as
a very fanciful one, and is full of dra-
matte action and genuine horrors.
X
X X
The Arts and Crafts Club project is slowly
taking tangible shape, as the blanks in
which the names of the charter members
are inscribed gradually decrease in num-
Der, Among these names are many well