The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-06-22
SOME FAMOUS VANDALs.
How Artists Sometimes Destroy
Their Own Creations.

1t is, perhaps, but natural that
men and women Of genius should de-
sire that the best of their works on
ly should live after them, and for
this reason many celebrated artist
has destroyed his own pictures, says
| Tib-Bits. When Hogarth was al
most at the height of his fame he
painted an interior, which was some
what severely criticised by friend.
The artist acknowledged the just.
ness Of the criticism, and when his
frank friend left the studio he took
sharp knife and deliberately cut
the canves in two and then threw
the pieces into the coal scuttle. There
they were found the following day
by one Of the maids, who took the
pieces home.
Some time afterwards the story Of
the ruined picture reached the ears
OF relative of Hogarth' s who there
upon went to the maid and asked
her to sell him the pieces. She agreed
to do So, but when she went to look
for them one-half had vanished.
Search was made and inquiries in
stituted but with no result, and the
relative had to be contcnted with
half the picture, which is now in the
possession of Hogarth' s descendants
in Aberdeen.
Hogarth was but one of many AZ
tist who have in fit of discomfort
destroyed their own works. Jules
Flammeron, in an interesting article
on the life of the late sculptor, Ger
ONE, tells how the great artist had
been working for many weeks OH an
ideal group symbolizing the birth Of
spring when he suddenly became con-
WINGED that his treatment of the sub
Jcct was wrong, and with one blow of
his clenched hand he reduced the
graceful group to mere mass of
"inert clay.'
Chartran, the famous French por-
trait painter once destroyed picture
for which he was to receive 81 900
The portrait was that of an Ameri-
can woman famous for her beauty.
When the picture was nearing COM
pletion the husband of the woman
called at NJ. Chartran's studio in
Paris and requested to be shown the
portrait. After looking at it for n
few moments he declared that it was
very beautiful painting and that
the coloring was superb, but that it
no more resembled his wife than it
did the Empress Of China.
Chartran merely bowed, laid
down his brush and then, taking out
his penknife, deliberately slashed
the picture into ribbons before the
eyes Of his astonished visitor and
showed him the door. The sequel to
the story came out later, when it be-
came known that the millionaire hus-
band had visited the studio. for the
express purpose Of getting 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 Borgium, the well-known
sculptor, rose early on the morning
of October 8 and made his way to
Belmont chapel Of the Cathedral of
st. John the Devine, on Morningscide
Heights, and broke to pieces his
two statues, colossal in their pro-
portions, representing the Angel of
the Annunciation 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 afterwards by
the excited reporters he said that he
felt like murderer, but that it was
the only thing he could do under the
circumstances. Mr.. Borgium took
away with him the heads of the two
angels and one foot, which he intend
ed to keep as souvenirs.