Evening star., 1937-08-21
LOCAL SCULPTURES
occurring Statues Is Easier Than Taking
Down Unlovely Ones, but Washington
Has High Artistic Average.

Columbus fountain on the Union Sta
ton Plaza and OF the more notable
Fountain Of the Lakes" in Chicago,
was heard to lament the misery. to
the maker, of mistakes in imperish-
able materials. 1t must be 50.
There has. however, been a steady
| upward trend in the works of Amer
ican sculptors which Freedom" has
seen placed here in Washington as the
years have passed. Saint Gaudens
masterpiece-the Adams Memorials
here in Rock Greek Cemetery, one OF
the greatest works in sculpture of our
era. Daniel Chester French is repre-
sented not only by the lovely Dupont
Fountain and the seated statue of
Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial but
! by his Gallaudet group at Kendall
Green, perfect composition, a charm
ing theme, plastic in conception, eter-
nal in significance. In Macmillan Park
there is most beautiful fountain, an
outstanding work by Herbert Adams.
| John Paul Jones and Hahneman, both
| by NlehauS, are very commendable, as
are Lukeman's Asbury and Fraser's
Alexander Hamilton, to saw nothing
of the vast amount of sculpture on the
new public buildings that has been
added to the Identification of WASH
lngton recently. The chapter is brought
up TO date with works by such men
| OF gilt as Aitken, Mcneil, Weinnian
and others. Also ornamenting the
approaches to two of our bridges are
hne examples of animal sculpture by A.
| PhimiSter Proctor.
THE record seems voluminous and
| complete, but so far mention has
! only been made of sculpture out of
| doors There are some fine examples
to be found within, notably works de-
signed and executed for the Library of
| Congress. Here in the balcony of the
rotunda are statues in bronze OF great
men of intellectual achievement, out
standing among which are the statue
OF Mlchelangelo by Paul Bartlett.
Homer by Saint Gaudens and Shake
speare by MacMonnies.
These three names loom large in
the history of American sculpture.
SAINT Gaudens was of French birth.
son of French father and Irish
mother, but educated in this country:
Bartlett was the son Of sculptor
and teacher of Boston, but was
strongly influenced by French associa-
uonS ana training, as was MacMonnies,
OF Scotch-American parentage Mac
MonnleS was pupil of Saint Gaudens
ana deVotedly attached to him. 1t
was SAINT GaudenS who recommended
MN Tor the commission for the Colum-
ban Fountain, for the Worlds Fair
IN Chicago in 1893. through which
| ne came to immediate fame. But
MacMonnieS was particularly versatile
and his work ran the gamut from his
well known Bacchante to Shakespeare.
from the Columbian Fountain to his
statue of Nathan Hale, New York.
work of supreme Importance. More
IMAM almost any one else MacMonnies
reflected, in his work, characteristics
winch we like to think are typically
thuslasm. He was very prolific and at
the time of his death, last Winter.
1t was said that he left no bad works
behind him. Commenting upon his
work, Lorado Taft remarked that
during the 10 years of his greatest
activity MacMonnies not only created
more good sculpture than did any con-
temporary, but more than most
sculptors produce in a lifetime. But
MacMonnles' work never shows the
result OF haste or exhaustion. 1t
was always spontaneous but very
carefully studied. He and Bartlett
as we'll as Saint Gaudens knew the
value of texture. the surfaces of their
sculpture show sensitiveness as well
as cunning in touch. Saint Gaudens'
Homer Is serious work, gravely
wrought but less individual than the
majority Of his conceptions Bartletts
Michelan2elo has distinct kinship
With the work of the master he repre-
sents, studied in fragments from casts,
and 1t declares itself a work from first
to last of sustained merit. Shake
Speare by MacMonnies is a bit de-
bonalr and as a well known critic
has said, little "unwinning at first"
but upon acquaintance satisfying,
THE bust at stratford was used
as type but MacMonnies dressed
Shakespeare the man in rather
elaborate clothing, the details of
which would confuse the attention
were it not for their low relief" BY
contemporary critics Shakespeare has
been pronounced MacMonnies' most
original work and farthest removed
from precedent. This with the pair
OF doors that he did for the Library
OF Congress and his spirited equestrian
OF Gen. Mcclellan give him generous
representation in Washington.
But we have by no means come to
an end in the acquisition of sculpture
and as the years pass it is very much
to be hoped that some of the present
gaps will be filled. Too much have
We leaned to the memorial and the
personal element-too little have we
regarded sculpture from the stand
point OF decoration and as a JOY in
itself. We have in Washington very
little sculpture gay in spirit such as
one sees in the parks and public
gardens of Paris and for which our
own parks and pleasure grounds
would provide perfect setting.
Brenda Putnam's Puck" of the
Folger Shakespeare Library is of this
character and very welcome. But
we should have more. Also there is
in Washington no sculptural memorial
to the American Indian such As
Boston, Philadelphia and other cities
possess in the works of Cyrus Dallin.
We have, it must be further re-
marked, been chiefly given to me-
morializing the heroes of war, forget