The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-19
CLUSTERS DEMAND A
HISTORICAL PICTURE,
Critics Say Charles Schreyvogefs
Latest Canvas Is His
Masterpiece.
REPRESENTS COUNCIL OF WAR.
Artist Made Famous by My Bun
kie" Depicts Notable Event of
Indian Warfare in the
Northwest.

New York, July ia new painting by
Charles Schreyvogel the Painter Of the
Western Frontier as he has been called,
always is an interesting event in the art
world. Since he leaped into fame At one
bound with his spirited picture, My Bun
kie." few years ago. he has given us
several mora canvases of the strenuous
military and indian life of the plains
All OF these have have been reproduced.
and, like My Bunkie," have become popu-
lar.
His latest work. Clusters Demand,
which has been on exhibition NJ the knoed-
Ter galleries. is of more quiet order than
his usual Indian and military scenes.
It represents the meeting between the IA
NOUS Indian fighting General and other
American officers. including Colonel Tom
Custer and Colonel ]. Schuyler Crosby. with
Satanic and other Indian chiefs. The de
mand" resulted in the surrender of the In
dams and terminated Sheridan'S famous In
dian campaign.
But If the painting Is IN an unusually
quiet key for Schreyvogel it is none the
less characteristics OF him in many details
posed and. while IL is historical. each figure
military or Indian. beng a poTAa!t. II -
interesting as a mere picture aside from ,11
its historical value. Noticeable as in al!
this artists work. are the horses.
They stand out as If in high RELIEF. /
+ purposely employ the sculptural term, for
Mr.. Schreyvogel is 4 sculptor well as Z
painter, although 50 lar as 1 know, ne
never exhibits sculpture and employs that
branch of the art only as an aid 10 his
But every horse he paints he first models
in clay. He works wholly from life. OBJ
into studio So Schreyvogel models his
horses IN clay from life and then paints
from the clay models. This accounts for
they stand OUT from the canvas.
Another hobby OF the artist Is 10 work as
summer he spends at military posts on the
plains or In the Western hill country and at
Indian reservations. There he obtains nu-
merous sketches Of soldiers officers. Indians
and horses.
But even when he returns to his home in
Hoboken he spends as little time as pos
sbe in his studio He takes his models
up on the roof and sits at his easel up
there. He lives in a part of the city where
background. and he tells me that their
rugged aspect is not unlike some portions OF
Even In cold weather he may be found at
his easel on the roof. On one occasion he
had soldier for model. This trooper was
told to assume a recumbent posture. as if
painter became so absorbed in his work
that he did not experience any discomfort.
perfectly still. When Mr.. Schreyvogel had
finished he found this really model model
so benumbed that he had to half carry half
drag 2him down to the studio and revive him
with an alcohol bath external and internaD
before the poor fellow could stand on his
No Indian model would have remained
quiet SO long as this soldier Mr.. Schrey-
vosei tells me that Indians are difficult to
pose. because they do not like to keep still
for any great length OF time. His hardest
task with any, of the redskins was among
the Utes. In this tribe the superstition pre-
.x,ails that in taking or painting picture Of
them the artist also obtains possession of
their souls. Mr. .Schreyyogel got around this
highly inconvenient belief by presenting his
sitters with prints of his sketches, which
they regarded as the equivalent of the re-
simple method of Quieting the curious
: metaphysical alarm.
Charles Sehreyvogel did not gain his repu-
tation ana his unique position among Amer
lean artists without a hard struggle. He
was born in 1861. and ii was not <stil My
i Hunkie won the Clarke prize at the Ma
i uonal Academy few years aeS that the
turn OF the tide in his fortunes came 1t
was by the merest chance that the picture
tory up TO that point is really pathetic, and
shows TO what straits the artist was mt
a Mmen ne mad finished it he hawked it
purposes. ''--s
oae firm offered TO buy It for n calendar.
and the artist was glad enough to let It 90
for that. But. on measuring the canvas,
me nrin found the painting was not Just the
fell through much to the artists dissn-
pointment. for the sum Offered. though
small small was at least something for his Ia
my BUNKIE" IN A RESTAURANT.
Next he took It over to a restaurant on
the East Side in New York and asked per-
mission to hang 1t there in hopes that some
one might see 1t and buy It. The permission
s @aS obtained 20 I'm and ne left It there Then
My Bunkie" eN-iiO''
BY this time he was quite dlsheartened
over II: and thought it useless TO so much
as try to even get it into the Academy But
ms friends urged. and when he went over 10
hung in an out-of-the-way corner, where
mere was little chance of its being seen, he
'oGk - 1t away way end end sent # to the Acad
1he Clarke prize the artist was so little
known that the jury could not ASCERTAIN his
and It was not until Mr. hrs sSSI Pe1d S
the papers the following day such head
INES as Unknown Artist Leaps Into Fame"
that he knew that at last he had won rec
ignition. wa -ee
Like Clusters Demand" my Bunkie"
dian warfare. The trooper and the wounded
eomrade. whom he is dragging up into his
fnf1 Levi while the horse Is dashing along at
seeing service on the plains served together
in the Philippines.
Scmsy VoEel was born over on the East
SIDE; New York, In 1851. His parents, not
thinking highly OF art as practical means
OF Iveihood, yet recognizing that their son
haq talent. COMPROMISED by sending him 10
die-sinker. Afterwards he secured employ
ment with lthographer, work which
greatly stimulated his color sense and gave
MS whole artistic bent more scope
He was greatly encouraged hy n fellow
workman. August Schwabe who with an
other friend. Doctor Fischer. enabled the
amniuous young man TO go abroad and
study for three years with Mari and
kirschbach. who probably little knew the
stirring senses their pupil was to Mace on
canvas In 1890 he came back and three
years later went West for the first time.
iulfliing the dream of his early life. for
ne says that even while a bow he used tn
dream OF shooting Indians and then paint
ing them-rather unique and not quite
SAFE method of obtaining models.
GENERAL CUSTERS DEMAND.
The events leading up to the dramatic
climax of the Indian campaign. shown in
the picture, Clusters Demand" are a part
of history furnished Mr. Schreyvoeel by
Secretary Root from official reports made
by General Custer and Sheridan concerning
the famous Southwest Indian campaign o.
General Sheridan had between 100 and
700 mounted men. The Indians numbered
700 warriors-Cheyennes Arapahoes Eio-