The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-24
~ JONATHAN WINFIELD,

Washington. July 23.-American ar
chitecture and sculpture is on the eve !
Of rising to higher plane If the plans |
mapped out by the national commits
sion OF fine arts, recently created by
an act Of congress materialize. The
feasibility OF improving on the coun-
try's art by allowing only the highest
class Of work in the architectural and
sculptural cults to be accepted by the
government in Washington is thought
practicable by all government officials
interested. The work Of the new COM
mission will be to pass particularly on
statuary to be erected in any part of
the District of Columbia. It has long
been the contention of the artists that
many of the statues of great men in
the public buildings and squares of
the national capital are obnoxious to
the artistic eye. For years art critics
OF the country have urged the creation
Of censorious commission to pass
upon such class of government work.
Now that the commission has been
appointed and $4,000 appropriated
with which 1t can carry on it's work
the art world Is waiting to SEQ what
effect it is going to have on the cary
ing Of marble and the molding of
bronzes erected to tell posterity of the
men who made the nation. Surely
the commission will work good for the
city of Washington and for the beauti-
fication of statnary in it's parks and
elsewhere. But this alone is not all it
u,i1 In In, ha int ~ h.
worked for it's creation. 1t is believed
by all that the work OF the commits
sion will be felt in every section of
the country where architecture or
sculpture Is carried on for the federal
government.
And this. SO artists say, will cause
the architect and sculptor to work
harder on all private work done by
him. Thus such class of work will
rise gradually to a higher level and
our architecture and sculpture will
several men who work without pay,
specifically TO beautify the statuary of
the national capital.
Although the act of congress which
created the new board did so that it
might pass specifically on the statues
used in this city, already the commits
sion has been asked to pass upon the
plans of public building. This they
did after several days OF consideration
making practically no changes in the
plans. The plans were for the new bu.
reau OF engraving and printing which
is to be erected on the land adjoining
the present structure which houses the
government money making plant
This alone causes officials TO think
that the commissions scope Of work
will steadily grow, until it cover all
branches Of art. In this event the
personnel of the commission will
very likely have painters. sculptors.
architects and probably musicians. At
present the commission is comprised
OF three architects, one landscape ar
chitect. one sculptor. one artist and
one layman.
The plan OF the commission is TO
censor all statues presented TO the
government and after reviewing all
submitted to select the best. Those
works OF art OF such standard that
merit other reward besides pay, will
be given a place in the Mall which
greesward runs from the Capitol to
the Washington monument.
II is the ambition of the commission
to make the Mall 10 American sculp-
tors what the Salon of Paris is to
French painters. II only one statue in
every hundred is of such class as to
warrant its erection in the Mall that
statue will be placed there regardless