The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14


lists who have returned to this fragile
and difficult art with a vital joy in
its beauty. Vierthaler in Munich is
producing small bronzes and achieving
deserved recognition. In New York a
young American sculptor, Miss Clara
Hill. is working along similar lines
and has a number of well modelled sta
tuettes, several quaint and fanciful
eonceits in bronze door knockers and
half a dozen unique figures in fired
clay. examples of a painstaking art,
to show to those interested in such
matters during her recent visit here.
These photographs show Miss Hills
work to possess original and distinc-
tive characteristics. Especially rich in
these qualities is the charming sta
tuette of a lightly poised dancing girl
| on a bronze pedestal with floating
drapery encircling her. graceful limbs
and transparent scarf in her hands
| flung gayly in a half circle above her
small and finely modelled head. The
long, sinuous lines of the slender fig
ure are we'll proportioned and the ex-
traordinary grace, buoyancy and vital
ity of the subject emphasize sense
of elasticity and movement
The artists work in the figure of
young lad risen to full height hold
ing in his outstretched hand a winged
bat which he scrutinizes with a mix
ture of uncertainty and curiosity is
modelling a once viyacious and sin
! cere Undeveloped strength is shown
in the Photographic reproduction in
which the lines of the figure stand out
boldly, rendered with the utmost sim
plicity and nicely of elimination.
Miss Hills most important work thus
| far, however is the bust of Lincoln
! wrought in Paris at the time of the
exposition under the guidance of st.
Gaudens, her personal friend. This
life size bust was purchased by the
American commission for the purpose
of placing it in the American building
and was afterward reproduced by Tiff
fany, who expressed preference Tor
this bust above all others. special
arrangement has been made by the ar
tist with the United States government
by which the bust may be reproduced
in smaller form as a Lincoln CEN
tenarv memorial This reproduction
is made by an entirely new process
which greatly reduces the cost me
bust is first cast solid in Florentine
stone and then by electrolysis covered
with a heavy bronze patina, the result
being an exact reproduction OF the
original as durable as marble and as
beautiful as bronze The Lincoln MS
tory society Of New York intends open
ing negotiations TO have the bust
placed in all of the public schools
Since her arrival in this city Miss
THU has been at work upon a NUMBER
Of commissions principally figure re-
lief in bronze in monumental form Tor
| Il f1ar a little
Frederick Bruce Pelham, son of the
architect of the Palace hotel, and sew
eral decorative figures and door KNOCK.
ers intended for the country nome oA
a capitalist here. Still another design
is that of a sphere of quizal glass on
bronze stand of classic shape and de-
sign. Miss Hill states that she is as
vet only student, but the reproduc-
tions of her work seen here show that
she has'at least taken the first steps on
the road to fame.
+ Excellent atmospheric effects are Mrs.
Mentons speciality and in her studio In
Presidio avenue may be seen an exam
| pie of these In the form of a huge red
wood, the largest in the CaIifornla
basin near Santa Cruz. The peculiar
blush haze characteristic of that part
of the redwood domain envelops tree.
foliage and accessory objects like
misty veil penetrating the interstices
. of the branches and filing the hollows
of the canyon with blue light Mrs.
Menton's fine color sense is displayed
in the softened coloring of the redwood
bark which shows none of the disa-
greeable violent brick color too often
seen in these redwood pictures. and this
delieately soft effect is still further
| | increased by the background of fresh
green which grows fainter and fainter
> as the eye reaches toward the horizon
The distance effects in this picture
Z are singularly satisfying, as they are
q in the second and smaller painting Of
4 a redwood on the banks of Waddell
n creek near what is known as the gov
; ernor's house. In this the warm red
; coloring is more in the shade, the sec
+; ondary light striking the trees on the
+; opposite side of the creek, breaking the
continuity of color. while the foliage is
so thick that but little light penetrates
r the heavy screen. The slow flowing
creek is a rich green, owing to the in
= tense reflection of the massed trees
4 though the surface light of the sky is
4 seen in faint streaks of intermingling
Y blue in the water
Mrs Mention thinks she has been the
5 first artist to sketch in this particular
Y grove. Immediately after the fire she
b worked there for two weeks. bringing
back some eight or ten studies of red
: woods. water and mountains, the last
A
/ inimitable loveliness by reason of the
= wonderful violet and lavender coloring
! of their SUBMITS.
: third composition of Mrs. Mentions
/ is that of San Miguel mission. This
/ picture was painted from memory, and
: the deep rich coloring of the old mis-
sion, before its recent coat of white
wash is given in all its beauty of mel
low yellowish pink. AS in the redwood
\ pictures there is the feeling of air, light
r and amplitude of spacing, though per-
s haps in comparison with the forest
e work q slight touc hof dryness may be
apparent Both this painting and an
: other giving the mission patio, with a
Franciscan brother standing like q
Q shadow against the wall, are full OF
y sentiment and bestow the feeling of the
: peace and calm of these quiet retreats
h of early Spanish days.
!, The classes In the studio building
under the supervision of Miss Heyne.
a man. Gottardo Piazzoni and Maurice
. Del Niue are of interest both to the
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