Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1906-12-29
QUEER ACTS OF vANn.,
voted Artists Have Be.n ~
Destroy Their Oxvx. N, o'ed ID

voted Artists Have Been ~
Destroy Their own WED to
Ii is perhaps but natural 49,
ana women of genius should men
tnat the best of their wort. ueSire
should live after them and o. ony
reason many a celebrated artist 'us
stroyed his own pictures. Wbom a' u ue-
gartn was almost at the height 90 no
Iahe he painted an interior us
was somewhat severely crltlcisod "uicn
friend. The artist acknowIadsOy
business of the criticism and who u ,ne
frank friend had left the stud,o MS
TOOK sharp knife, dellberatoI, nc
the canvas in two and then thr. uus
pieces into the coal scuttle T,. .ue
they were found the following don le
one OF the maids, who took tho ~ "
home. pieces
Some time afterward the etc..
the ruined picture reached the oas. =.
a relative of Hogarth's, who tn
upon went to the maid and askad ~
to sell him the pieces. She agroos -er
do SO, but when she went to look co.
them one half had vanished. Soo.os
was made and inquiries instituted ~.
with no result and the relatives 49,
to be content with half of the picture
which Is now in the possession Of ~
garth's descendants in Aberdeen
Hogarth was but one of manv artist,
who have, In a fit of discontan+ A.
stroyed their own works. Jules FLAW
meron, In an interesting article On tAo
life of the late sculptor, Gerome. fall.
how the great artist had been wort.
ing for many weeks on an ideal gronn
symbolizing the birth of spring whom
he SUDDENLY became convinced that hi,
treatment of the subject was wror,
and with one blow of his clincboS
hand he reduced the graceful groun 70
mere mass of Inert clay"
Chartran, the famous French NOR.
trait painter, once destroyed picturo
for which he was to receive f1,O0
The portrait was that of an American
lady famous for her beauty. When the
picture was nearing completion tho
husband of the lady called at Mr.
Chartran's studio in Paris and 70.
quested to be shown the portrait After
looking at 1t for few moments be de.
clared that 1t was very beautiful
painting and that the coloring was SD.
perb, but that 1t no more resembld
his wife than it did the empress of
China.
Chartran merely bowed. laid down
his brush and then. taking out his pen.
knife, deliberately sashed the picture
into ribbons before the eyes Of his as
tonished visitor and showed him the
door. The sequel to the story came out
later when it became known that the
millionaire husband had visited the
studio for the express purpose of get
ting the artist to make a reduction in
his price.
But perhaps the most dramatic case ,
Of an artist destroying his own work |
occurred In New York when Gutzon
Borghum, the well-known sculptor,
rose early on the morning of oct 8
and made his way to the Belmont
chapel of the Cathedral of St John
the Divine, on Morningsde Heights
and broke to pieces his two statues,
colossal in their proportions, repre-
senting the Angel of the AnnunciatlOn
and the Angel of Resurrection.
The cause of this remarkable act
was due to the sculptor having been
severely criticised for conceiving and
executing these statues as beautiful
women. When seen afterward by the
excited reporters he said that ne felt
like a murderer, but that it was the
only thing he could do under the cir
cumstances. Mr.. Borglum took away
with him the heads of the two angels
and one foot which he intends to keep
as souvenirs.-London Tit-Blts.