Evening star., 1936-11-08

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mortal Association Of Jersey City at
the beginning Of the Lincoln Highway
in Jersey City; the Taft Memorial;
four figures of Boone, Clark, Lewis and
Audubon for the new building of the
Museum of Natural History in New
York City, and the beautiful pedi-
ments representing Fisheries, Com
merce, Aeronautics and Mining that
now grace the Commerce Building in
Washington.
In the sculptor's main studio I saw
his more recent works-figures that
have not as yet gone out into the world
that ordered them. In one corner,
for example, sat serene but curl
ously alive figure. bent little for
ward, its face alight with an Unsuitable
but kindly curiosity 1t was the fig
ure Of Benjamin Franklin, recently
| finished in this modelled size for the
Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. I
was impressed, as the great sculptor
| discussed the figure with me, with the
wide human contacts, the breadth of
| interest and understanding and
knowledge that must go to make an
artist a great and sympathetic work.
man.
Fraser, for example, made detailed
and concentrated study Of Benjamin
Franklin before he started to think
about his own conception Of the ia
nous statesman He read everything
available, he studied the life and man
ners. the habits and interests of
Franklin. He examined and inter-
preted in the light of this study every
available portrait of Franklin. He
knew them all, glbly calling them of
| to me, and suggesting that I read
Fayes excellent life of the statesman
if I had not already done so. All
this in the gentle, modest manner
characteristic Of Fraser. Then he
said, very sincerely and with real in
terest, What do you see in it? What
does it represent to you?" There was
no mistaking the conception-curi-
osity, interest, vital and compelling in
everything and every one. Fraser was
pleased when I told him.
I'm glad" he said simply. "for 1t
is very difficult to know how to rep
resent such a man as Benjamin
| franklin"
HE TURNED to gigantic figure Of
Theodore Roosevelt that is under
construction in his studios at present.
Now Theodore Roosevelt, for ex-
ample, is dynamic, driving energy and
force" he said. There is no question
about how to portray him, his person.
ality and character were too definitely
defined to misinterpret or overlook
| them But a man like Franklin had
| such diverse interests, all of which
seemed in a measure to typify the
man. He was great scientist-no
scientific fact was too small to inter-
was a scholar, diplomat, states
man. He was so many and such va
ried things that to capture any one
facet of his personality and over
emphasize that would be to give dis
torted picture. So it seemed to me,
as I studied him, that this Unsuitable
curiosity about life itself and all
things that made up life was the most
characteristic phase of his nature. He
wanted to know about everything; he
was interested in everything. I am
very glad if you see that in his face"
He turned to the great figure of
Roosevelt which, when completed, will
sit astride a horse flanked by two
heroic figures, one of an American In
dian, the other of an African. DO
you think that good likeness?" he
asked, again really interested to learn
my truthful reaction and again with
that gentle modesty that marks him
great and simple as the great.
A likeness? Theodore Roosevelt in
the flesh could not have looked more
like Theodore Roosevelt, so faultless
and inspired was the portraiture
"Of course, I had every opportunity
to know Roosevelt first hand: I Wis
tied him so often and spent so much
| time with him while he was Presi-
dent" the sculptor said, and then he
interpreted the figures f1anking the
giant horse. Those were the two
countries that gave Roosevelt his
trophies-Africa and America.
"THE almost nude bodies Of the
valiant figures were specimens of
perfect physique, muscles ripping
under smooth skins, strength in re-
straint apparent in every expertly
moulded curve. This statue when
completed will stand before the Roose-
velt Memorial Building in New York
City and so noble are its proportions
that the foot of the seated figure of
Roosevelt as it bore against the stirrup
was almost as long as my own body,
while the enormous scale of the horse
made it impossible for me, in the space
of even this generously proportioned
studio, to grasp picture of the whole.
A huge scaffolding stood nearby and
I judged, rightly, that the sculptor had
been working out the marvelously
executed anatomical details Of the
horses structure from this lofty
perch. Beside us, on an easel, were
displayed sketches of detailed parts of
that structure and photographs and
clippings that showed the flank, the
thigh, the ribs or shoulder of some
famous living horse, clipped evidently
from current magazines or papers as
an aid in interpreting such details
correctly in clay or plaster or granite.
Nearby an absorbed young man
ardently traced the figure of small
modelled horse in larger proportions in
clay with q panegram, an intricate
and beautifully precise instrument