Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-07


hlbition in New York of my
work in painting and sculp-
ture my first show. That is
great event for any artist. 1t
| is his big bid for success and recosni-
| ton. To me il had a significance far
| beyond that. For years | have strug-
| gied against a bane and misfortune
that has burdened and handicapped
me. has rested on me like u blight in
| the eyes of the world. 1t has done me
| the seVerest injury. 1t has seemed a
stigma that | could never get rid of.
| | have fought against it with small
success. My exhibition was culmi.
mating attempt, a final gathering of
| forces to throw it off.
| What was this heavy, disastrous
weight? Let me tell you how it came
| upon me. and YOU will understand.
! | was born and reared on an Indiana
| farm, one OF II children. / wanted
| to become an artist. | went to Chi
cago to study. 1t seemed TO me that
/ made excellent progress. | saw my
| self achieving erninence at painting
! and sculpture. | was eagerly ambl-
tious, and in most earnest and seri-
Gus way. That is in accordance with
| my temperament. / am not inclined
to levity and friyolity. | have no
mood for shallow. glittering show.
| What / have always wanted has been
| solid distinction. Have l the talent to
achieve it? I don't know. 1 have
never had a chance. The curse was
on me, and it weighed me down at
every step.
was considered good looking, but
| no great fuss was made about it. /
| liked it. / suppose any youth would.
1t seemed TO be an advantage in life
and art. 1t was long time. in fact,
before my personal semblance seemed
likely to cause me injury. Indeed,
there was period when it helped me
a great deal.
/ went abroad, to Athens. Sculpture
had captivated me quite. and a sculp-
| tors enthusiasm turns naturally to
Greece. There l felt as though / had
| been born to the land of the Hellenes
| The mood of the people, especially the
artists with whom / associated, seemed
vastly like that of their classical an
cestors, and. with the ruins of ancient
| Greece on every side, l became an
| Athenian among AthenianS. i fell
naturally into the spirit of those about
| me. / was at home.
! studied with an artist, Tomaso-
poulos by name, and he, struck by my
appearance, asked me to pose for him.
/ did. The painting made a great SEN
sation and l along with II. A writer,
ScopaS, set the trumpetS blowing with
| a panegyric in the newspaper. He
called me an incarnation of the classic
Greek ideal of physical perfection-the
| most beautiful man. That was high
| praise In Greece, but nothing ridicu-
| lous. The AthenianS considered 1t as
| natural to cali man beautiful as we
to call one handsome, and they
| thought it quite in their ancient tradi-
ton to celebrate beauty whether in
| woman or in man. l became a much
feted person among people of the
upper circles in Athens.
Scopas, my sponsor, suggested that
I put those Immediate advantages that
| nature had given me to practical use
in the way of dancing. l was not well
supplied with money, and that would
help. 1 had been interested in dane
| ing. / found now that l had a certain
, natural skill at it. I made my debut
! in an ancient Greek theater. and had
! a fine success. Thereafter, with a
| succession of performances, I became
a public celebrity in Athena. I made