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

and sculptures. but only in my
beauty" Nobody would believe that
either brains or talent could abide
with the most beautiful man in the
world
Again and again I have had expert
ences of which the following is a kind
1t was announced that / would be one
of the artists represented in an eXhi-
bltlon Of pictures. One line of news
paper comment stung me.
1T will be interesting to ask what
Kind OF painting can he expected from
the most beautiful man in the world -
The newspapers constantly made
fun of me. That gag line was too
good to resist. ] had one claim to
space. and that was all. Certainly
that was q fine prediCament for an
artist, who can be made or ruined by
publicity.
My experience with the motion pie
lures viii show pointedly, / believe
how real and severe my handicap was,
L played part in Ben Hur" With
my knowledge OF Grecian costume,
ways and dancing, / was qualified to
do Well with the part. | did, and it
was recognized in the criticisms of the
picture. That was because I was not
the most beautiful man in the world.
The director said when he engaged
me:
OI Cdn play as raul ~Wiil.
Wen give YOU another name. That
most beautiful man in the world stuff
will make your part ridiculous"
l knew he was right.
l think | could have made a ste
cess and much money in the motion
pictures if it had not been for my
beauty" l dared not go ahead with
1t, not even under an assumed name.
After while it would get around who
! was, the newspapers would pick it
up. and that would be the end.
Just before l decided on my recent
exhibition. and while l was still plan
ming for 1t. asked a friend of mine:
Il don't know if l should try it. Do
you think people will forgive me for
that tragic nonsense?"
There have always been a few pee
pie who have believed me to be 4 sin
cere, honest worker at the plastic arts.
| This man was one of them.
Forget it, he replied, and 80
ahead"
, think it was my own sensitiveness
\ that was the greatest misfortune.
Certainly people We're prejudiced
against the most beautiful man, and
| the reputation made me absurd. But
| far more than that l was afraid they
were prejudiced-and that I was alb
! surd. 1t was a gnaw1ng. insidious
| lSdl. II htDt iHc bSiCh III lily WI n
and made me timid about coming for
ward with the work l did. / had been
so logged and inundated by that I'M
fortunate phrase that, bad as my case
was / imagined it much worse.
! During the past several years / be
gan to get together Il large body of
work. I decided to hold an exhibition
which I hoped would show that / was
no frivolous idler but an artist of
earnest intention and one deserving of
a certain amount of serious considera-
ton. l thought I might in this way
/ kill off the bane of beauty" That
was the point of my recent exhibition.
Did l succeed? You may believe me
that / watched eagerly for an answer
to that question. 1 think / did sue
coed. / watched the hundreds of peo-
pie who came to see the pictures and
works in sculpture. OF course, many
! a one looked at me with eyes of Gu
/ riosity, but it seemed to me that with
all when they had observed the array
| of my work | was not SO much Paul
Swan, the most beautiful man in the
| world, but Paul Swan, the hard work.
| ing artist. -