Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-11-15

ness He prides himself on having
skill and taste superior to that of the
nineteenth century men who used to
produce the heavy, awkward figures
and the melodramatic, prancing steeds
that are now being, in some Instances,
banished from public places. This is,
in fact, great day Tor American
sculpture. All the big men are work
ing overtime. Su,h a sculptor a. Au-
gustus ST. Gauden, Is deep in so many
commissions that lie will have need to
live to be as old as Michael Angelo
lived to complete ,hem all. Just
few OF the important monuments now
building or preparing in the sculptor's
studios are. the Mckinley monument
at Canton: the sculptures fol the new
state capitol at Harrisburg which
George Grey Barnard Is exc cutting;
the statue of Benjamin Franklin for
Paris upon which Mr.. Boyle is putting
the finishing touches; the great mum
Der of military pieces for the field of
the national cemetery at Vicksburg.
upon several of which Mr.. and Mrs.
II. III. kitson of Boston are engaged
an important work for the Massachu-
sets State House which Bella l. Pratt
is just finishing: two groupes for the
entrance to the Boston public library
upon which Mr. st. Gaudens has been
laboring for some time. These and
almost countless others give counte-
nance to an impression that sculpture
is one OF the most progressive branch
es of the fine arts in this country. In
deed. the production of tatuary has
gone so far at the natl, Ial capital
that not long ago there was a cIamor
to clear out the streets Of some of the
less desirable works, and one writer
seriously advanced a proposal to Gre
ate somewhere outside Washington.
an avenue lined with Sje efigies Of
forgotten heroes--one comparable to
the celebrated Sieges-Alle in Berlin.
In the midst of this activity great
many young people who have, or thinH
hey have, artistic talent, are rushing
into sculpture Probably not SO many
enter the profession without prepara-
uon now as formerly. for 1t has be
come fairly wen understood that the
day of the untaught sculptor has
passed Whatever may be said OF the
selfmade man in general. the works
of the selfmade sculptor usually look
the part. There are, of course, eXcep-
tons. One woman. who stands fairly
well in the profession today, was al
ready married and had neither drawn
nor ulpted until one day. leaving
her home in a suburban town, she
went to sculptor's studio with the
idea OF seeing just how it was done.
She apparently absorbed enough in an
afternoons observation TO 60 home
and make a start for herself Ordi-
narily. however, anything of that sort
is impossible.
Il can tell you In an hour every
thing know about art once said Mr.
willism NJ. Chase. the painter to a
class But it will take you all your
lives to put II into practice"
So 1t is with the student of sculp-
tufe. Hard work. long years of 1t, are
needed. whatever natural talent the
beginner may have.
The training of the sculptor is full
OF incomprehensible circumstances To
the ordinary man or women. He is
only inst BEGINNING TO reason out
from the results of it that the meth.
DDS must be all right
''You say it's all matter of draw
ing" remarked a perplexed business
man In a sculptor's studio the other
day, "and that my son will have 60