The Denver Jewish news., 1925-07-16

li'NH NANibs
Never do | remember u controver-
sy so violent and general about n
piece Of stone carved by sculptor
into the shape OF his imagining.
In Hyde Park, while the crowd was
standing round the panel arguing and
criticising, Epstein and his wife came
up. Mr.. llomerville Hague, THE sculp-
tor who is at present engaged on
some work at Australia House, form
ed the center of a group Of people
condemning the sculpture both as u
work Of art and as a work expressive
of Hudson. Someone recognized Ep-
stein and touched Mr.. Hague on the
shoulder, and advised him to lower
his voice. Instead Of doing that Mr..
Hague went over to Epstein and drew
him into the argument. "You are
criticising my work with consider
able vehemence," said Epstein. 81
have perfect right to criticise n
work of art" replied Mr.. Hague,
"and this one is public property" The
argument between the two grew heat
ed. Mrs. Epstein became concerned
and tried to draw Epstein away, but
before she succeeded there was con-
siderable plain speaking on both
sides.
The comments overheard in the
crowd are more outspoken even than
anything Mr.. Hague could have said.
An artistic looking man standing
by, protested. at is beautiful work
of art" he said. Where is the
beauty" came the chorus from the
crowd. "The symmetry of the whole
thing" replied the young man, "is
beautiful. The lines are beautiful,
the upward sweep to which all the
figures contribute, is beautiful. The
whole panel has the direct simplicity
of great art"
And so the controversy goes on.
Brutal and hideous," "Gross,"
primitive and Polynesian," "Alien to
English Taste" are some of the cpl
thets applied to the memorial in the
press, and the "Observer" adds that
'those who have criticised the pretty
pretty in art may now do what they
can with the ugly-ugly."
Of course, the fact that Epstein is
Jew has also come into the argu-
ment. "Epstein's work is Oriental in
its fundamental conception" says one
critic, "and Hudson's spirit was es-
sentially English. 1t seems odd that
an artist of Epstein's sympathies
should have been chosen to celebrate
Hudson's life work"
The editorial writer in the Daily
Graphic" who is on the whole favor
able to Epstein says: Epstein is a
Jew and he has the Jewish genius for
abstract ideas and sheer stark logic.
An intellectual with whom life is an
expression of ideas. Hudson is the
antithesis of these things"
The serious professional art critics
are most of them admirers Of Ep-
STEMS work and very few of them
condemn the panel utterly. All of
! them, however, agree that it :s inap-
propriate for its purpose. The art
critic of the Daily Telegraph Mr..
W. r. Tatlock, writes: THE first
thing to be said is that the sculptor
has entirely failed to interpret the
spirit of Hudson. If we took Michel
Angeles 'Davd" from its place in
Florence and put it in Hyde Park and
called it a Hudson Memorial it would
still remain a great work of art, but
it would have been out Of place. Mr..
Epsteins panel is out of place. The
design. taken as a whole and in isola.
tion, is very much better than those
we are accustomed to see in London.
1t is above the average, but neither
the best Mr. Epstein has produced
nor as good as certain other young
sculptors can do"
Mr., r. b. Cunningham-Graham, the
chairman of the Hudson Memorial
committee and the man who probably
had most to do with the selection Of
Epstein to carry out the work, being
as he is, one Of the chief supporters
Epstein has had for some years past,
says: 81 am surprised at the attitude
of Epsteins fellow-craftsmen. In
stead of rallying round him they have
done as much as they possibly can
against him, losing sight of the fact
that thereby they are incidentally do
ing injury to themselves"
A curious interlude in the whole
affair is that Sir John Lavery, one
of the most convention Of artists,
has come out with bold gesture Of
approval of Epstein, by nominating
him for membership of the Royal
Academy, "to silence" as he writes,
"the ridiculous ones who look upon
the R. A. as a hallmark" Lavery an