The New York herald., 1922-12-31
Moving Statues.
Interesting Possibilities Of tho Ex-
pertinent at the Louvre.

pertinent NJ tme LOuvIes
To THE NEW YORK HERALD: A dis
patch from your Paris Bureau seems to
mako an unusually strong appeal to the
artistic imagination. 1t was to the
effect that the directors of the Louvre
are to have the statuary In that great
treasure house OF art filmed by modern
moving picture cameras. II Ia believed
that the process will superbly expose
the souls of such famous works as the
Winged Victory and other Greek mas
terpieces.
Among modern sculptures those Of
Rodin. who perslstently strove to convey
the effect Of motion in his marbles, are
expected TO reveal especially brilliant
results from their filming The expert
ment of slowly revolving a seventeenth
century bust ,of Henry " before the
camera Is said to have educed realism
concealed through generations and kin
died enthusiastic anticipation OF the re-
leasing of latent beauty of mobility in
the greater statuary
Should the plan prove as fruitful in
vitalising results as is hoped our own
sculptural possessions will doubtless be
subjected to the same treatment. : In
deed, New Workers already have some
thing better than a hint Of the possibfli-
ties which it may achieve in the iifelike
movement of the Saint Gaudens statue
Of Diana, SO poised on the pinnacle of the
Madison Square Garden tower that she
turns on tiptoe to shoot her golden
arrow in the direction Of every yeering
wind.
Although 1t could not be expected that
such apparent swiftness Of motion would
be educed by the filming of Frrench's
marble groups of the nations in front
Of the New York Custom House yet We
should like to see the inscrutable Asia
and matronly Europe appear to turn
their gaze upon our busy modern scene
that surrounds them. OF course the
slumbering Africa could not thus be
awakened. yet the alert young America
would surely seem to start forward to
grasp the dream Of the future that fflls
her eyes.
Perhaps Wards colossal bronze Of
George Washington in Wall street, whose
serenity not even the terrible bomb ex-
plosion in front of his pedestal could
disturb, would appear to complete the
stately gesture Of the uplfted hand,
while he surveyed with kindlipg pride
the marvellous development of the twen-
tieth century city.
In City Hall Park MacMonnies's gall
liant Nathan Hale would surely reveal
new nobility In his glance. as he de-
ciares his regret that he has but ono
life to~sive for his country. And Saint
Gaudens's sturdy Admiral Farragut In
Madison Square. who has always seemed
to need only trifng encouragement to
lift his binoculars to his seaward gazing
eyes. would probably register exception
ally dramatic results under the films
analysis. while the same artists march
ing Sherman in the plaza at the south
ern entrance to Central Park is per-
vaded with an elan OF motion all but
chafing to reveal itself to the new
photography. both from rider and steed.
as well as from the resstless figure OF
Victory that leads their progress.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will
furnish an important contribution of
subjects for the films interpreting. Ro-
din's Thinker may seem to start from
his long meditation to hurl into action
that titanic form; Borgum's Mares OF
Diomedes will rush with even more
headlong fury than the scarcely restrain
ing bronze now permits. while the colos-
sal marble wrestlers Of Barnard's Two
Natures in Man win appear to grap-
pie as with the shock of Hercules and
AntRus.
But-perhaps the people of France.
where this process of exposing the souls
Of statues was inaugurated. will not be
satisfied with our own experiments until
we dare to film the mighty gift of
France to the United States, Bartholdis
Statue of Liberty. No power can be
found to revolve the giant form on her
pedestal, so probably she will have TO
be filmed by o camera swept about her
by an airplane. Perhaps then she will
disclose the imperious gesture of COM
mand that many were sure they
gli1npsed in 1917. when with flaming
torch she appeared to summon the youth
Of America to the succor of the war
ravaged land across the sea.
ELIOT WHITE.
New YopK. December 40