The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-24
SCULPTURE AT
THE WORLDS FAIR.
inspection shows That America
leads the World in This Art.

BY Emily Grant Hutchings.
e Louis, July 23.-When the Pal
ace of Fine Arts at the Worlds Fair
mas erected, it was thought that the
crest central hall would suffice for all
the .uIpture. However, the applica-
+ion tor space was so far in excess
~ tne available area that a separate
Tayili0n had to be erected This is the
dressed brick and staff building be-
rond The decorative gardens that oc-
cunv the open space south of the main
buiI1ing. 1t is devoted entirely to the
work Of European artists, and it was
moi formally opened until July 10, al
though the public had been admitted
for some time previous to the opening
Those who have seen the strong,
earnest artistic work in the American
sculpture Hall, anticipated something
nositively superhuman from the for
eign artists, for the Old World must
surely surpass the New Word in art
A careful inspection of the collection
in the international pavilion fails to
Justify the expectation; it cannot but
afford a feeling of qualification to those
Americans, who, for two years past,
have been insisting that the sculptors
of the United States are the best in
the world.
The American statuarv exhibit is
dgnded and satisfactory. 1t reveals
the fact that the American sculptor
has arrived" On the other hand, the
International shows plainly that the
artists of the Old World have over
shot the mark and are f1oundering
about in a chaos of new ideas and
methods that as yet have not given
evidence of their adaptability to the
requirements of art.
For the most part the creations are
grOteque, realistic or trivial. There
are few statues, inspired by the old
tales of mythology, that are charming
and really beautiful, and some of the
portrait work is good: but the ex-
hbit as a whole. is disappointing from
the viewpoint of one who looks for Eu-
ropean supremacy. There is the con-
oeption of Sisyphus by that eminent
Belgian, Baudrenghein, that is care
fully modelled and we'll posed; but the
body is that of a mere STRIPPING who
seems incapable of even moving the
stone he is supposed to roll to the top
of the hill. In contrast with this the
Icarus of Maillard, sublime in it's mar
bic simplicity, is altogether pleasing.
One group that attracts rather more
than its share of attention is Leveque's
/
that follows the lines of the famous
old Greek wrestlers. 1t is not the mus
cular power nor the intricate pose that
causes the passerby to stop and Won
der, but the altogether indescribable
expression of the two faces. Whether
the artist intended to portray jocund
banter or undying hate. the faces do
not reveal. He has not taken the pub
lie into his confidence. 1t is a genius
far removed from the commonplace
that is capable of creating such an
expression. It is The Lady or the
Tiger and is certainly c1ever-but we
are not altogether sure that it is the
province of art to be clever.
La Spanate, so-called Naughty
satyr" in the Italian section, is anoth-
er apparent attempt to dress old ideas
up in strange, new garb. The satyr
with which we have been familiar since
first we saw the plaster casts of glor-
ious old Greek fragments and the bits
of black and red decoration on genuine
Greek vases, is a joyous, roguish fell
low a personification of the breeze that
fits in melodious Inconsistency from
hill top to valley. This satyr of the
modern Italian is a demoniacal. bruit-
ish creature without one redeeming
line. He is anything but naughty"
He is rather Villainous.
One of the most startling grotesque
conceptions is that of Thivier, entit-
led, The Bad Dream 1t is the figure
OF a young girl reclining in an attitude
OF distress, the head thrown back while
over the body a hiedous demon creeps.
Close at hand is another reclining fig
ure. that of the Poisoned Slave by Loi-
seau- Rousseas. in which the death
agony is powerfully depicted.
There is but one piece from the chisel
OF the wonderful Rodin, and it is thor
oughly Characteristic of the strongest
OF the modern French sculptors. 1t is
called The Thinker" a title that
would suggest a lean, intellectual schol-
ar Instead of this, Rodin has por-
trayed a muscular, unlettered man with
great bare feet and powerful nude
limbs The brow is not that of the
professor and the countenance reveals
low order of intelligence. The figure
Is bru al and earthly, yet it is that of a
thinker, and a thinker who is capable
OF delving vastly deeper into the mys-
tefies of the unknowable than the sleek
professor would be.
The statue of Pere Didon, by Puech
also in the French section, is a start
ing piece of realism. The mantei and
shoe are Of black marble and the face,
hair and other accessories are carried
out in colored marble so as to give the
exact coloring of life. 1t may be that
this is real art and that the time will
come when portrait statues in pure
White or in the natural color of bronze
VIII be relegated to the lumber room
and only colored marble statues will be
acceptable. AS yet we have not learned
70 accept so much realism. We prefer
10 have nothing left to the magma
ton.
There are many meritorious groups
IN the collection. and there are some
excellent metals; but the exhibit as a
whole is likely to send the visitor bach
70 the American sculpture hall with
me settled conviction that we have