The New York herald., 1922-03-05

London loves a certain amount of
facade, and in fact has insisted upon
1t ever since the success of Sir Joshua.
Epstein, who is really intelligent, real
lied that it would be silly to allow his
carly American prejudices against
facade to stand in the way of career
and promptly assumed one. This
seemed to be all that was necessary
and London not only loved him at
once but has loved him ever since.
Daring was to be his forte. he de-
cided. 1t seemed daring to dear old
London that a nice young sculptor
should even be willing to consider
doing a monument to Oscar Wilde,
whose name at that time. It was
scarcely good form to mention; and
when the monument was completed
and Partisan prudes had decided ii
was shocking London thought that
that was an extraordinarily daring
thing for nice young Anglo Ameri-
can sculptor to Eavc achieved The
students of the Latin Quarter helped
tho matter along BY sallying up to
the Pere Lachaise at night to stea,
he sheets with which the police Lad
screened the Objectionable carving.
and the gendarmes always had a
dreadful time next day scurrying
around TO find more sheets with which
TO defend the public morality. These
.rgapndnc of rnuraa ryora propa,,t Ia
cabed to London and New York, al
ways with the name of Epstein at
tachcd and the name became one to
conjure with, at least in London.
English Pleasantly shocked.
All Of the things that later on pleas
antly shocked the English are not
owned by Mr.. Quinn, but enough OF
them are to enable us to get at least
u line upon this sculptor's work. He
is extremely clever and knows a great
deal about sculpture that is clear. but
1t is not so certain that he will scan
dalize us even with Eis novelties. He
puts in the features in his portraits
in a free large way that few of our ma
live men can rival, but his eccentrici-
ties seem calculated; clever but call
culated.
There are worlds OF difference, to
make comparison between the
'Mademoiselle Pogany" of Brancusi,
which / believe Mr.. Quinn also owns,
and the Mother and Child" of Ep-
stein. "Madcmoiselle Pogany" Is as
queer piece OF sculpture as ever
came over the seas, so queer that
nothing that Mr. Quinn now shows us
of Epstein can be thought queer yet
he queerness was a mere veil to a
beautiful idea.
The haunting and poetic suggestion
or "Mademoisclle Pogany" Is a thing
that has already been dilated upon at
length in these columns, and there is
no use now in insisting further than
70 say that its strangeness seems born
Of the theme. The Mother and Child"
Of the present exhibition seems born
of the wish TO astonish. The mother in
his group harks back to the ape type.
This reminder OF our origin leaves us
less than cold. for, unfortunately the
carving as carving isn't very inter-
esting.
The most admirable portrait that I
found among the Epstein sculptures Is
that of the famous etcher, Muirheal
Bone. This has very living quality
and the modelling has The implacable
sureness Of an antique bronze. Most
~ Mr.. Epstein's pieces are archaistic.
Lord Fisher" In much greened bronze
looks as though he hal been dug up,
and Iris Tree" might pass as a Roman
gladiator.
TO sum up. Mr.. Epstein will have
success here. but hardly Of the sort he
enjoys In England. He will be in
spected carefully by all the sculptors,
who will sec he knows all the things
they know and few more besides,
but II Is unlikely that our connoisseurs
will be stamros u. They will wish to