Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-06-17
POETS LAUREL
THEME OF ARTIST
oTTUMWA PUBLIC LIBRARY BE-
ING MADE BEAUTIFUL BY
WORK OF GENIUS.
MEDIEVAL SCENE
Johannes ScheiWe Paints Beautiful
Picture in Dome of Building
Showing italian Garden
During Renaissance.

Busily engaged in the work of his
art at a dizzy height on a portable
scaffolding that reaches into the dome
of the Ottumwa Public library, each
day may be seen Johannes Scheiwe,
Ottumwa's we'll known and able artist,
committing to the surface of the dome
a beautiful story in colors. Many per-
sons, patrons of the library, may be
seen looking long and intently upward
as they enter and emerge from the
building, studying the work of the
artist. which is yet but partially done,
and making EXPLANATIONS of admira
| ton for the excellent of the project.
Apparently oblivious of the. admiring
watchers, the artist, now grown gray
| in the pursuit of his vocation, outlines
his figures, arranges his colorings ana
plies his brush while standing or kneel-
ing On the dizzy platform high above
the floor and to which he climbs on
two long ladders that terrify the ordi-
nary layman in ascending. The story
told SO eloquently by the painter in
the figures and colors he has placed
on the dome, is theme that is
original with the artist and is titled
1.-THE Poets Laurel"
italian enassance.
| The theme deals with the time of the
Italian Renaissance and the setting of
the picture is an Italian garden with
its wealth of rich scenery in which
marble, beautiful flowers fountain and
fruit play an important part. A study
of the picture reveals the poet being
introduced by the. major donus to an
aristocratic family who patronize the
arts and sciences The little daughter
of the family may be seen. with
wreath or crown of laurel in her hand
with which she is about to crown the
poet The child is followed by
retinue of the servants of the house
hold. Immediately behind her is the
page carrying fruit of various kinds in
the most natural tints and most
realistic in their beauty. The Moorish
dwarf the body guard of the little
miss. with his dog a beautiful animal
lows after the page.
Garden Scene.
| A beautiful marble balustrade,
handsomely pillored and showing the
work of the sculptor serves as back
ground for the figures in the fore
| ground of the picture and lying in
rather crawling posture as if he had
| just climbed to the top of the wall, is
! the figure Of the garden boy with his
sickle in hand, his arms and neck bare
| and the limbs from the knees uncov-
cred, all the features brought out very
distinct and handsome by the faculty
of Artist Scheiwe for the most minute
| details of his art. The audience at
the scene of the coronation is repre-
sented by young couple in the cos
tune of the time with all the wealth
of splendor in raiment worn at that
| period. The young man carries a
mandolin on which he picks while his
fair companion leans slightly toward
him. A very pretty effect is produced
by the artist in one of the characters
of the pretty scene, a pretty young
woman carrying water in vessel of
| the time from nearby fountain whose
splashes seem natural as life amid the
flowers, shrubbery and verdure of the
garden scene. The garden is typical
Of what one would fancy in sunny
Italy Marble wall, orange trees,
fountain beautiful rose bushes adorn-
ed with roses, peacock and wealth
of detail all brought out by the artist
in a manner to appear perfectly nat
ural to the looker-on at the picture.
Picture Very Large.
At the far end of the garden is seen
marble bridge over the small stream
fed by the fountain In the center of
the arch of the bridge is seen coat
or arms of the middle ages encircled by
palm wreath. palm branches reaching
out from the center and roses aid the
decoration of the arch. The entire
picture will measure at the base, SIS
feet and the figures have been made
seven feet high to make them appear
the proper size at the height of the
dome. The eyes of the characters were
y made as large as the ordinary hen egg
to give their proper appearance at the
distance the figures are from the floor
of the library
Paint Panels.
Artist Scheiwe expects to be three
months at work on the task before it
is completed, SO much is there to be
done and so difficult tie task. When
the dome is finished anu the story OF
the Poets LAUREL" told in the picture
by Johannes Scheiwe there will still
be more decorating to be done by the
artist. Four panels for the candelabra
will be painted in which the four fol
, lowing subjects will be reduced to the
artists fancy: Poetry, History
Science and Sport" The figures In
each panel will be representative OF
the subject of the panel.
2