The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-05-17
**#** **~"* = 4
A GENIUS IN THREE FIELDS. :


- = = = = q :. : . . .
some one has said: we control
our talents. but genius controls us"
Nine. sarah Rernhardt was born a
genius, with genius sensitive tenn
permanent and genius III health. AS
"a child she was extremely delicate,
was given To uncomfortable fits of pas
sion. and had brain that was alb
normally active, with vivid i'm
.agination.
The first demonstration of her
genius was toward pointing. The
drawings which she made while at
school were killrully executed ana
won the high praise of her instruc-
tors. I'm those days IL was her anu
hition To become a great painter and
have her rame placed beside those Of
Angelica Kaufman. Nigce lie Brun
and Rosa Bonheur. hut copying the
works of other painters was not sat
lisrying to her creative spirit, so she
syent "a great deal of time in the study
Of artistic anatomy and In making
sketches from nature.
These drawings soon filled her port
rolios and eAe was progressing fam
)usly. when suddenly her family de-
cidcd to have her enter the Conserva-
toirc to become an actress. she was
then fourteen. Hcnccforth she could
devote but little time to the arts Of
! painting and sculpture. !
\ number of years later, however,
she again took UP her art working
under the direction of Alfred Stevens,
the famous painter.
In 1876 she exhibited her greatest
piece of sculpture. entitled After the
storm" and received honorable men
| ton at the Paris salon. A little later
Iher picture entitled Young Girl and
Death" was hung i'm the salon. Her
work was greatly admired, and unus-
Iual furore was made over her fame.
| Artists and the press recognized her
as a sculptor and painter as well as
an actress.
4 man who visited Nine. Bern
Ihardtis studio about this tune says:
In the days when she acted at the
Theatre Francois she used To work
lin a studio on the Boulevard Chichy,
and it was there that the groupe en-
titled After the Storm was finished,
lust i'm time TO be exhibited at the
salon. How hard she worked upon
that group. which represented a moth
or weeping over her dead child! Inn
lmediately after the performance at
the theatre she would jump into her
carriage. pick up her two models on
the way to the studio, and work far
Into the night by candlelight"
Since 1850 Mime. Bernhardt has eX-
Inhibited either a piece Of sculpture al
a canvass in every years salon she
has made great progress I'm sculpture
: but has practically abandoned paint
ling. I'm all she has executed between
twenty and thirty busts, including
Those of Clairin. Damala and one OF
herself But of all these Mime. Bern
hardt considers the one of Emile dc
IGiradin TO DE the best. A few years
ago she completed two more. one OF
lNictorien Sardou, the celebrated play
wright, and La petite Simone." hel
ligranddaughter. She still continues
at her art. when i'm Paris. and has 2
magnificent studio i'm her own house
on the Boulevard Pcroire.
Thus IL mattered little which ar
Nine. Bernhard decided 60 make hei
Iown, for she is one Of those rare gen
fuses who is endowed with multi
plicity of natural talents, and what
= over field she chose, meant the acm,
iof artistic success. Her choice was the
stage-and she has spent her life in
the study and portrayed of imaginar!
} characters, To the uplifting of the
, theatrical standard. TO the perfection
. Of dramatic art. Through her know.
ledge of life she has been able to give
? To the public, perfection i'm it's entire
, ~. Artist to the ends of her fingel
tips. she has created "A name that will
go down i'm history as the creates
|, theatrical genius of the age.