The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-04

ever. until he had acquired better cut
ting tools and had begun to COM
memorate the deeds of himself, his
tribe, his chief or his king on rocks
out in the sunlight where they would
/ be plainly seen by everybody. The
sculpture of the Babylonians at the
dawn of history was of that kind
Later. the Egyptian sculptors cut
down the whole background to a low
! er plane, so that the figure stood out
boldly from the flat surface. and the
shadows cast by the relief made the
sculpture visible from a great dis
! lance. Still later it was found that
! the outlined figure could be endowed
with a greater appearance of reality
by giving it modelling. The Greeks
brought this modelling to a high state
of perfection and beauty. The sculp-
tors of the Renaissance learned to
model in a flatter relief than did the
4 Greeks, and SO from all of these we
| moderns know the perfect ways of
! making sculptura1 reliefs.
After telling about relief sculpture
Mr.. Gage next took up detached sculp-
| ture. He said that the first sculpture
was of a stiff conventional form in
tended to indicate more by symbol
| ism than by expression Such was
| the sculpture of ancient Egypt The
Greeks first succeeded in giving scuIp-
ture grace and beauty and their best
work was that which was of a re-
strained and dignified character. The
| later Greeks and Michael Angelo tried
| to convey feeling thru contorted poses
| indicating violent action, and now we
have the strange pastures of Rodin
and others of the modern school.
Mr.. Gage next proceeded to demon
Strate how a modern sculptor works,
and took up all of the operations of
making statue, from the tiny clay
sculptor holds and crysta11izes a fleet
ing idea, thru the larger and more
elaborate clay sketch with which the
idea is work into definite shape and
a model is used to get the correct
forms and proportions, the full size
mold from the latter, the casting of
a plaster statue from the mold, and
then the making OF a bronze casting
from the plaster model.
He also showed how the sculptor
goes about making a marble statue
from the plaster original, demonstrate
ing the use of the pointing and meas
uring machine, which is something
that the ancients did not have.
1t is seldom indeed that an au-
dience, even in the greatest art
schools, gets such a clear and thoro
demonstration of the development and
technique of sculpture as Mr.. Gage
gave his audience last Thursday even
ing.
Mr.. Gage says that America, par
ticularly western America is full of
new and original themes for the chisel
Of the sculptor. There is the Indian
race with its vanishing life and GUS
toms, the new white race that is being
formed thru the amalgamation of the
older races of Europe. and last but
by no means least, the Negro. who
only 800 years ago was an abject saw
age such as the white man was thou
sands of years before, but who in a
new and difficult environment has
bridged a mighty gap at almost
single bound.
The Delta Phi Delta national col
lege art fraternity whose, Washburn
college chapter brought Robert Mer-
rell Gage to Topeka, is an organiza-
ton whose purpose is the advance
ment of art. The local chapter was
started two years ago. 1t has about
twenty-five members. Last year this
chapter began the foundation OF the
Frances B. Whittemore art scholar
ship for Washburn college. The
scholarship is being established in
honor of the present head of the
Washburn fine arts department, who
has done so much for the advance
ment of the fine arts in Topeka, in
Kansas. and thruout the middle west
generally. 1t is hoped that this schol-
arship may be fu'' financed within
the life time r Mrs. Whittemore.