Evening star., 1927-10-23

Cufr0Q Will
ceremonies last wednesday. rms
monument, which now takes It's piace
among the great memorials or the
civil war. stands in what is known
as the old Botanic Garden, which Will
eventually become Capital Plaza. Ii
is the work Of Charles Crafty OF Phila.
delphia, one of our most distinguished
American sculptors.
Mr.. Crafty was not content in ere.
ating this work to represent fact
merely. but has instead produced an
allegorical group, daringly combining
allegorical figures with a portrait
statue. The composition is COM
pact mass and thus complies with the
requirements of plastic expression,
Gen. Meade. in military dress, Is seen
stepping forward. the principal figure
in an elliptical group embracing
eight figures in ALL six representing
qualities of character. purpose and
achievement-Courage. Energy, Loy'
atty, Chivalry, Progress and Fame,
Three on each side link the figure of
Gen. Meade with that Of War, sim
ister impersonation, whose wings
overshadow the group. The mass is
built up with bold strength, yet
shows an amazing refinement OF
beauty of detail. The allegory Is
easily read. Dramatically 1t makes a
lasting impression.
MIR. Crafty has been working on
this monument for at least IL years.
In 1918, after he had spent three years
in making preliminary sketches and
his designs had been approved by the
National Commission of Fine Arts, he
was still dissatisfied with it and was
not willing to have any photographs
published. From then on until COM
parativeiy recently, changes were
made again and again In order to
satisfy the ideal Of the sculptor.
Mr.. Crafty is not only a most gifted
artist, but he 10 conscientious and
painstaking workman. Upon being
asked once by q writer on art why he
did all the marble cutting as well as
the bronze casting Of his amazing por-
trait busts, he said: "I find when the
cutting Is done mechanically that so
much OF the detail Is lost. Some ar
lists do not care for detail. They say
It makes their work look weak. It is
not the detail which detracts; it Is
their false values. Look at nature,
how perfect is her detail, yet her work
is never weak. These sculptors do
not study nature enough. They work
from the outside and neglect the un-
derlying principles of construction.
Real sculpture is where you feel the
construction. the bones that underlie
the surface" This gives an idea of
the care with which all of Mr.. Grafiy's
work is rendered.
Charles Crafty was born in Phila-
delphia December 8, 1862. He studied
first under Eakins in Philadelphia,
presumably drawing and painting, as
Eakins was a painter; later sculpture
in Paris under Chapu and Dampt. He
IS a member Of the National Sculpture
Society. the National Academy Of De.
sign, the New York Architectural
League. the National Institute Of
Arts and Letters; and he has been
awarded medals. prizes and honorable
mentions without number from our
own leading exposition, the Paris
Salon and our great annual exhibi.
rions--in fact, he has received at the
hands OF his colleagues almost every
honor within their gift.
One OF Mr.. Grafy's colleagues, Lo-
fado Tart, In his History Of Ameri.
can Sculpture" lately republished
and brought up-to-date. has said of
him: ITO be known as Americans
best teacher is sufficiently proud dis
tfnction. but to be recognized as our
greatest master of portraiture is like
wise Mr.. Grafiy's due. Each head that
he models Is an artistic triumph. it's
completion an event. Like John
Sargent, Mr.. Crafty is unwilling to con.
fine himself to the field which has
made him famous. He has produced
OF late a number Of monumental
works, among them The Pioneer
Mother for San Francisco and more
recently the elaborate General Meade
for Washington, d. Ca happy COM
bfnation of realism and allegory upon
which the sculptor has expended
much thought and vast amount of
conscientious labor"
Mr.. Taft's reference to Mr.. Crafty
as a teacher is to be explained by
the fact that for years he has not only
had private pupils in his studio but
has been head Of the department of
sculpture at both the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts and the
School Of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Boston. In answer to the question
as to whether teaching did not tire
him, he Is said to have replied: mot
in the least: 1t refreshes me. I come
back to my own work with a. newer,
clearer vision. / do not try to make
my pupils do things as I see them.
I tell them to study Nature" Among
his pupils, and evidencing the fact
that he does not try to press all into
one mould, are Paul Manship, Albin
Polasek and Albert Laessle, each Of
whom, In his search for truth and
mastery Of technique, appreciation of
the significance Of perfection in de-
tail, reflects his masters ideals but
no one Of whom shows in the least
the impress of his style.
II fs Interesting IN knaTy that chief
among Charles Grafiy's sitters have
been his fellow artists. Mr.. Crafty
has produced protrait busts Of Frank
Duveneck, Thomas p. AnshutZ, Paul
Bartlett, w. Elmer Schofield. William
Paxton, Edward Redfield. Joseph De-
Camp and George Harding, to
mention only few. Some of these
are in marble. some in bronze. Each
has its own distinctive finish and is
set on a pedestal specially designed
by the sculptor.
C. II. Chase and c. r. Post. in
their admirable History Of Sculp-
ture." give Charles Crafty high rank
not only as great protraitist but
also as an imaginative artist. with
a treatment as realistic as Falguiere's
and with an expert knowledge Of
anatomy" these authors say, "he
has followed many modern Europeans
in a devotion to the human body for
its own sake: and he endows his nudes
with the usual cast Of vague modern
symbolism"
In other words, Mr.. Crafty has at
one and the same time the power to
be both exact and imaginative. to rem
der likeness, TO represent form and to
interpret spiritual significance-a mas
Ter of his medium, gifted artist. In
his Meade Memorial, Charles Crafty
has given our National Capital a work
of art to be regarded henceforth with
pride, a work in which he has put the
best of his talents and his time.
4 X
TT has been learned with great
= deal of regret that Mr.. and Mrs.
Bush. Brown have sold their house on
G. street. which for good many years
now has been q center of art interest