New-York tribune., 1917-12-23

filiated to no school in particular, be-
cause he uses, in a simple, straight
forward way, an idiom characteristic of
all the schools, the idiom of sane and
honest craftsmanship. For the rest, he
has ideas.
II might seem absurd, ordinarily, TO
eulogiZe an artist for nothing more
than vigorous thought and sound tech
nique-these things should be taken as
matters of course-but when they are
,eing widely sacrificed to false ideals
is especially important to honor
vhem. American sculpture is passing
through an era of sickly transition.
We have recently discussed at some
length the vicious aspects of the
influence Of Rodin. The so-called
archaic" movement is also counting
its victims to-day and perhaps more
deadly than either OF these sources of
decadenc, is the spread of commercial
mediocrity, the kind of sculpture that is
we'll enough put together, but has in
it not spark of creative vitality.
There are artists who imagine that that
spark works magic so powerful that
all one needs to do is TO give it its way.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. In sculpture more, possibly,
than in any of the arts save archi-
lecture, genius, personality, must be
reinforced by exact knowledge ard
hard work. There is where Mr.. O'Con-
nor has beaten out his triumph. This
exhibition of his is full Of ideas, as
we have said; it is full Of beauty, 1t
contains pieces which might easily
beguile US into reveries on the subtler,
more imaginative sides Of his work.
But we think first of his fundamental
point of view, and it is that which
we would first emphasize. II is the
point Of view of the born sculptor, the
man who sees form not only in the
round but sees it as solid, matter
of structure. of bone and sinew no less
than of delicately modulated surfaces.
The busts here. notably the portraits
of men. are instantly arresting as
studies OF character. but II IS also like
balm TO the heart Of the earnest
soarcber after "the real thing IN
o,t 70 note the profound validity when
,bcv give to plastic eXpedlents, the
skill with which the artist generallzes
his forms. stamping upon them the
trutb Of life itself. Nothing is scamped,
nothing is overdone. Life is there as
IN anatomist might recognize it, but
- < life as a sculptor not only sees
Int feels it, reproducing its facts but
Interpreting it in the terms OF MS own
Genius.
rceling is. indeed, rich source OF
-. h.ortv in Nr. O'Connor's work.
Tyr, 10 the busts of women mostly
,oneless portraits, impressions oil
,yncs. we gather, rather than analyses
of character in the conventional sense
~ the term. They have atmosphere
charm, a kind of spirituelle individual
Nv and always it is because they have
been modelled, so TO say, from within
the face and head, so thrilling with eH-
nression. with emotion, having Deen
suilt up with thought and understand
irg. rot improyised, sketchily' from the
.r.,ide. Generally, it is to be inferred
Mr.. O'Connor begins a given work with
central idea, with an inspiration
Generally. we say, not always. because
there are instances here of rather and
eonceptions, sculptures like the Truth
and the Judith" which illustrate only
hollow realism, having not the small
est relation TO the high sounding titles
they wear. But handful of pot boil
ors in a gallery Of creative works can
have no effective standing. We forget
these second rate performances almost
&c soon as we have seen them and go
back TO the work that counts. In that
III OiConnor's instinct is unfailing-it
drives straight at the authentic motive
Of character, Of life. Of imaginative
thought. There are statues in the col
ection which face the test OF historic
portraiture, statues Of General Law
ION, of General Wallace, Of Commo.
dore Barry. There are others, such as
the "ls9s," the Worcester memorial to
soldiers Of our war with Spain, or like
the studies Of laborers, in which he is
concerned only with the type. And
49,. n - ;Jo.I c,rronfiops tho