Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-14

piled to the clay model. Thus. when the
outer coating of white is Clipped away
and the blue makes its appearance. ii Is
apparent that the figure lies but half
inch beneath. Thus. the blue plaster acts
as danger signal and warns the person
who Is chipping the outer coating OF TO
go slowly and carefully. When the plas-
ter cast has been removed. there stands.
or sits the case may be. a white plas-
Ter figure, the exact copy OF the one
which Mr.. Dunbar fashioned, with the
single exception of the color.
!.
<
But the end is not yet. although Mr..
50 far as that one particular piece is
concerned There remains the painting
To be done. the work OF Transforming a
white coiorless plaster figure into one
which 50 nearly resembles the living.
breathing human being it is supposed To
represent that the chance observer is
startled out of his usual calm and led to
believe he has CHANGED upon some real
bit of another world.
Several persons have been responsible
for the various figures which are on ex-
hibition at the present time. But those
figures which are being added now. and
which will be added shortly, will be the
work of II. w. Hendlcy. one of DR.
Holmes assistants. % Mr. Hendley is
left the task of giving the last touches to
the shaped plaster to transform a dead
form into seemingly living figure This
is no mere painting. but requires all the
skill of a finished artist He must know
as much as Mr.. Dunbar of human
beings. If fright is to be depicted. he
must know the ashy white which the face
assumes, or the coral red il a maiden's
bushes are to be shown. To Mr.. Dunbar
is the task of making the figures true TO
nature, but to Mr.. tiendey il left the
task of making them true to life.
Indian figures. while less expression is
needed. must still be skillfuly painted
No fiat thin brown can be applied, but
it must needs be brown under which
can be seen, at least to the minds eye.
the warmth OF the blood. while the veins
must he brought out in the hands and
the muscles in the bacn. The eyes, too,
must not be sightless. but full of ex-
preston. so that 1t would seem that the
figure had but been asked to stop In his
or her work or pastme long enough to
allow for the taking of a photograph.
Consequently, Mr.. Hendley has to be
versed i'll the ways of the Indians. the
-,
well as the creamy skinned native of his
own country.
And even then, when all this has been
accomplished. there yet remains more to
be done First the idea is conceived then
the model made, from which is made n
cast. and then the finished figure, ready
for the painter. Four different brains and
pairs of hands are connected with the
task, and yet more remains. For even
with ha dozen figures and a twelve
by fifteen foot case the end has been by
no means reached. The case has to he
transformed from bare wooden affair
into a characteristics frame, by which the
figures may be truly surrounded.
In the instance Of the case containing
the snake dance group comparat vely
bare. level ground has been depicted
partly strewn with the sacred meal
which has been thrown on the dancers
1t s ground such as might be found in
any Indian village. In the case, how.
ever. which contains the group of early
Indians quarrying. much more elaborate
work has been done. A stony. uneven
ground has been shown, with a hillocl