The Washington times., 1920-07-25
PARIS. July 8.

moment the most conspicuous figure In the
nary personality. and everybody is talking
about his surprising genius and his mar
velous success.
Darde is great sculptor who never re-
ceived any regular artistic training but de-
veloped his ideas while working or watch
ing nature in the fields and studying such
works of sculpture. as came under his no
tice during his wanderings.
Another amazing fact about Darde is that
he carves his masterpieces with a rough
pick-axe, an implement with whose use he
became familiar while laboring as a boy.
With this rough implement he works with
absolute perfection Of technique, certainty
and inspiration. He does not make little
clay models like ordinary sculptors.
Other men have, of course, developed
certain artistic ability without training, but
they have rarely reached position at the
top of the ladder. Darde is universally ac-
cepted as genius. or at least great sculp-
tor. by the official world and by all schools
of art.
He has received the National Prize OF
Sculpture from the French Government,
the highest honor given to sculptors In
France. Some admirers have called him
'the new Rodin." but it is to be noted
. that he excites no violent criticism such
as met that famous sculptor during large
part of his life.
Another great public honor paid to Darde
is the purchase of his work "The Eternal
Agony" (Eternelle Douleur) by the state
for permanent exhibition in the Luxem-
bourg Gallery. Other works by him have
been purchased by various public bodies.
Many peculiarities and oddities, in addi-
tion to his very real talent, help to ac-
count for the extraordinary public inter
est excited by Darde. He has never
worked from human model. something
that has rarely been said Of serious
sculptor He creates his figures from his
memory of living persons or animals or
inanimate objects he has seen here and
there, His memory and his capacity for
producing a likeness are astonishing and
have led to some rather disconcerting
results.
For instance Partisan society quickly
discovered that Darde's now famous faun
showed remarkable likeness to a wealthy
Partisan nobleman noted during more than
thirty years for his audacious and untir-
ing gallantries. Darde had seen the noble
man perhaps accidentally. and in accord
ance with his unconventional method Of
working had employed his features to give
the necessary "joie de yivre" expression
tO his lively faun
Similarly the features in "The Eternal
Agony" were recognized as those Of a
prominent woman who has suffered
crushing series Of misfortunes and bereave-
ments. In consequence nobody Of promi
nence knows when his personal peculari-
ties will be immortalized in marble by the
gifted pick-axe of Darde.
: During his life as a shepherd Darde
gained a profound familiarity with the
animals and all outdoor objects He has
learned to combine the faces of animals and
human beings in an amazing manner so
that he can make man look like a dog or
dog like a man. Consequently every
body Is wondering when his features will
appear in some whimsical composition Of
Darde
To see Darde at work on one OF his
creations is a spectacle greatly appreciated
by the artistic and fashionable world As
he Yields his pick like common laborer
against a mass OF unsympathetc stone 1t
is hard to understand that he is chopping
out a brilliant work of art. 1t is a gigantic
statue OF "Laocoon" which the city Of
Paris has ordered upon which Darde is
now working. The nine-ton block of
granite which is now being shaped
by the master blows of his pick, is
but one of three similar blocks that will
be necessary to complete the work
This nine-ton, oblong piece of granite
upon which he is working was left at the
door of his studio lying on its side by the
men who delivered It. Darde, all by him
self--for he has no one to assist him in his
work-raised this on its end and placed II
in position in his Workshop feat that
makes the achievements Of the Egyptians
in building the pyramids seem puny. He
Is physical giant. You would not wonder
at this II you could see the arduous labor
which he best6ws upon his work from
morning until night. When asked why he
did not allow some one to assist him in
moving this block, he said:
II love to handle the material with which
! am going to work myself, for l want to
know II intimately"
AS you watch Darde work, largesbits OF
stone flying in every direction. delivering
blows with his pick OF such force that you
expect to see the block Of granite cleave
in twain, you are forced to feel that ~