New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-01

prime OF life too far behind. The ques-
ton then arose: Could Rodin be induced
TO undertake the work. On no olncI
condition would | BIT. because 1t was
clear 10 me that Rodin was not only the
greatest sculptor then living, but the
greatest sculptor of his epoch: one OF
those extraordinary persons who. Ike
Michael Angelo. OF Phidlas or PfaNitclcs'
dominate whole ages AS iasnlohapi'
favorites dominate single London sea
son / saw, therefore, that any man
who. being contemporary of Rodln. de-
liberately allowed his bust TO be mace
by any one else must 20 down TO pos
ierity off he went down at all as "A stu
pcndous nincompoop. .
Also [ wanted "A portrait OF myself by
An artist capable OF seeing me. Manly
clever portraits of my reputation were
I'm existence. but have never been TAKEN
In by my reputation. having manuiact
ured IL myself. A reputation - MASK
which a man has to Wear lust az he has
10 wear coat aud trousers: II l. AIS
guise we insist on rs point OF ueccll'A
The result Is that We nave hardly any
portraits of men and women. We nave
no portraits OF their legs and shoulders
only Of their skirts ana trousers anu
blouses aud coats. Nobody knows what
Dickens was like. OF what Queen VIC
toria was like, though their wdidfobeS
are on record. Many people fancy thcy
know their faces, but tney are deceived
We know only the fashionable mask OF
the distinguished novelist ana OF the
Queen. Anr the mask deiicS the camera:
When Mr.. Alvin l.angdon Cohurn wanted
to exhibit a full length Photographic
portrait of me | secured a Iuthiul rep
resentation up to tie neck by the tite
cXpedient OF sitting To hum on" morning
as I got out OF my bath The portrait
was duly hung before Il Stupeleu puDlc
as a first step toward the realization OF
tdTlylc's antIdot" 80 political ldodtf!
u naked Parliament liut though the
body was nay body. the face was the face
of my reputation. 80 much SO, In fHCt,
that the critics concluded that Mr. CO.
burn had faxed his Photograph ana stu' *
my head on somebody else : shoulders.
For. as ! have said, The mask cannot hr
penetrated hy the camera. III Is trans
parent only 10 the eSe OF Veritably
godlikc artist
In the very interesting book which
serves as the pretoXt for this coninllnlca-
ton Rodin tells us that his wonderful
portrait -busts seldom please the sittcrs.
I can 40 further. and say that they often
puzzle and dsappoint the Sitters friends.
Look at the busts tor at the photographs
Of them in this book anC YOU VIII see
the reason. They are bus;s of real men,
not of the regulations Of celebrated per
sons. Look AT my bust, and you VIII not
find il "A bit like that brilliant fiction know
az g.. Il. :. or Bernard Shaw. But II Is most
frightfully like me 1t Ii what H. really
there, not what you think is there. The
same with BuNiS de tnaNdllneS ana the
rest of them. Puvis de- Chavannes pro-
tested as one gathers-pointed to his mir
ror and To his photographs TO prove that
he was not like his bust. But | am con-
WINGED that he was not only Ike i,lS bust,
but that the bust actually was himself. a.
distinct from his collars and his public
manners Puvis. though an artist of great
merit, could not See himself. Kodin could.
He saw me. Nobody else ha- done that
yet.
Troubetskoi once made most Easel
hatngly Shavlan bust OF me. lie did IL
Ia about iive hours, in Sargents studio.
II was delightful and wonderful per-
formancc He worked conv ulsively. Civ
Ing birth TO the thing in agonies. hurl-
ing Jumps Of clay about with groans and
making strange. dumb movements with
his tongue Ike wordleSs prophet. lie
covered himself With plaster. lie COW
cred SarSent's carpets and curtains and
pictures with plaster He covered me
with plaster. And, finally. he covered the
block n was working on with plaster "a
such purpose, that, at the end OF the
second sitting. To- there stood Sargent :
studio In ruins, buried. like Pompeii. ur-
der the scorla of volcano, and I'm the
midst "A spirited bust of one Of my repu-
tations, little localized quite the gen
tleman. In facD. but recognizable mile
off as the sardonc author of Man and