Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-11-06

Until quite recently Hotel Biron was
known as the convent OF Sacre Occur and
lately It has been made into an apart
ment house in which Aususte Rodin, the
sculptor, lives
The great master has studios at Men
don and IN a Paris marble yard, but he
prefers his workrooms in Hotel Blron.
1t is indeed the most beautiful place
any artist might imagine. The creator
of "The Thinker here has some large
very high halls with beautifully decorated
pRneled ceilings. one of the rooms In
which he works Is circular In shape and
through It's large French windows you
look into a. wonderful garden.
For years this garden has been abso-
luteiy neglected, but among the tall grass
you may still see the rows OF low box
wood hedges which once framed the
walks and, beneath the foliage Of the
grapevines, you get a glimpse Of iron
framework of old-time summer houses.
Every spring the beds in the lawns come
back to life and are filled with flowers
Nothing is more melancholy than TO see
human work thus slowly destroyed by
nature.
Rodin spends nearly all his time draw
ing in Hotel biron. In the quiet rooms
of the old convent he studies the beauty
of young women and reproduces their
harmonious outlines on paper with his
pencil. s.,
Where once young virgins were brought
UP by pious sisters. the sculptor now
adores the physical charms OF women
and surely there is no less piety In his
passion for art than was found In the
sisters in bygone days. -
one evening was sitting with the mas
ter looking at collection OF his draw
ings and admired the harmonious ara
besks with which he reproduced on paper
the various rhythms of the human body
The bold outlines OF his sketches showed
the ease and freedom of the movements
and the master had with his thumb Doft-
ened the features Of the models, thus
emphasizing their beauty, to which hard
pencil lines could not do Justice.
As he showed me his drawings, he saw
before his minds eye the models he had
used and every moment he exclaimed;
How wonderful the shoulders OF that
woman are! This line is OF perfectly
ideal beauty! My drawing is too clumsy.
/ have really tried, but-here is another
drawing from the same model. 1t 10 a
little better and still"
Look at the wonderful charm Of those
curves; it is Of almost superhuman grace. "
And look at thati What admirably
curved outlines, and what splendid soft
ness OF the surface covering the muscles.
One is tempted TO kneel down in adOra-
ton" az.
The expression Of his eyes showed that
he was lost IN old memories; he was like
an oriental in Mahomets garden.
Master" ! asked him, as Il always
easy for you to find beautiful modelsT p
Yes"
Then beauty is not scarce in our soun-
try?"
mo, tell YOU" -.
And does It last longr'
1T quickly changes. win not say
that q woman like q Landscape II con-
tinually changing with the moving sun,
but the comparison IL almost true
The true youth, In which the body
Is stiil developing and full Of grace in
every movement seems at the same time
TO dread and to call for love and this
phase OF beauty lasts only q. few months
without thinking, the iongtngs and
passions OF love. quickly change the It's
sues OF the body and destroy. the outlines
The girl becomes q woman, her beauty "a
changed; II is Btill admirable, but less
pure"
Don't you think that antique beauty
was greater than modern and that mod