Evening star., 1948-09-05
News of Art and Artists
Centennial Year
Of Great Sculptor
Spurs Interest
In Works Here
By Florence 5. Berrymon

BY Florence ,. berryMon
A boy with such a euphonious
name as Augustus Saint -Gaudens
would seem to be predestined for
distinction. In many opinions, he
Is the United States greatest sculp-
tor. Whatever the verdict Of the
future may be, he pre-eminently
merits the celebrations and other
observations of this centennial year
of his birth. 1t should be matter
of interest to Washington, which
has what Is perhaps his greatest
work in sculpture, the Adams Me-
mortal, and other examples of his
genius.
At the Saint -Gaudens Memorial,
established at the artists former
home in the township Of Cornish,
New Hampshire, two new studios
were formally opened by Gov.
Charles M. Dale early in July.
Homer Saint-Gaudens (eminent d.
rector of Carnegie Institute, Pitts
burgD spoke about his illustrious
father; and the sculptor's great
grandson, little David Dodge, cut
the ribbon to officially admit the
public to the new buildings. One of
them has a number of casts of
Saint -Gaudens' larger works, such
as The Puritan" (as has also the
Corcoran Gallery of Art). The sec
ond studio is for the exhibition of
contemporary work.
Miserably Poor Childhood.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens' French
father and Irish mother brought
him, an infant of six months, to
America when the famine OF 1S48
swept Ireland. Although the father
was skillful shoemaker, he found
1t difficult to establish himself in a
new environment, and moved
around New York City trying to
make q living. Consequently, the
boys early years were miserably
poor.
Self-reliant and ambitious, Au-
gustus at IA began to attend night
art school at Cooper Union and got
himself apprenticed to a cameo
cutter. Boys few years older were
going South to war. But the war
ended when Saint-Gaudens was IT.
At this impressionable age, he
was among thousands who filed past
the casket to look upon the face OF
Abraham Lincoln. Saint-Gaudens
was so moved that he went to the
end of the line to pass a second
time
This glimpse Of the martyred
President had a deep influence on
the sculptor, as may be seen in his
most famous work, the standing
Lincoln in Chicago.
Three Trips to Europe.
At 19, Saint -Gaudens made the
first Of three trips to Europe to
study, first in Paris, then in Rome.
All he had was 500 and his skill
at cameo cutting. He struggled to
live and to pursue his studies in both
cities Beset by fever as we'll as pov-
erty in Rome, which interrupted his
work on an ambitious monument to
Hiawatha, the young artist had the
good luck to meet New York mer-
chant, Montgomery Gibbs, whose
commission for portraits of his two
daughters was an important STEP
ping stone.
Returning to America in 1875,
Saint -Gaudens' struggle was not
completely over. But he began to
make valuable friends. architects,
painters and sculptors, who were in
q position to further his career.
John @. A. Ward secured for him
his first important commission, for
the statue of Admiral Farragut in
Madison Square, New York City,
the unveiling of which in 1881 Sc
cured recognition and assured his
future. From that time on, he Gre
ated a succession of great works,
among them the standing Lincoln
in Chicago, the famous Shaw Me-
mortal in Boston, and the Adams
Memorial in Rock Greek Cemetery.
Called His Masterpiece.
This indescribably beautiful and
profoundly moving work has in
spired comments, poems and other
tributes from people great and
humble, In sufficient number to-
make a book. Saint -Gaudens pro-
nounced it his masterpiece. In reply
to a friends inquiry he said he
called it "the Mystery of the Here
after. beyond pain and beyond joy
Henry Adams himself (whose wife
the figure commentaries called it
''The Peace of God" Mark Twain
said that 1t embodied "all of human
grief"
John Hay wrote of 1t, "It is full of
poetry and suggestion. infinite wis
dom. past without beginning and
future without end, a repose after
limitless experience, a peace to-
which nothing matters-all are en-
bodied in this austere face and
form"
Alexander Woollcott said dn his