Studio: international art (53.1911)

The Salon of the Societe' Nationale, Paris

feeling, which belongs essentially to the personal sub-
ject of the monument. Against a decoratively carved
niche in the massive white marble pedestal, designed
with a noble simplicity of line, curve, and mass, and
mouldings of distinctively sculpturesque beauty, sits
enthroned in her crown and. robes of state, orb and
sceptre in hand, a colossal majestic figure of Queen
Victoria, wrought to a scale of 18 feet 6 inches.
Gracious, queenly, and womanly of aspect, she
faces the Mall, looking indeed towards the crowded
heart of London. Below at each angle, support-
ing the base on which her throne rests, are seen
the prows of ships formed like ancient Roman
galleys, adorned with festoons of laurel and oak,
which seem almost to be coming out of the marble
mass. The other three sides of the pedestal the
sculptor has devoted to symbolising the personal
qualities of the Queen. Her love of truth is ex-
pressed in a very beautiful group on her right. A
glad-winged figure of Truth, holding up a mirror to
Nature, stands between a child bearing a palm-branch
and an exquisitely expressive figure of a seated
woman searching in a scroll for the Truth. On
the other side, the noble group of Justice renders
another tribute to the Queen's character; but
this is no stern conventional personification of
Justice. Here she is represented as an energetic,
kindly angel, who, though she carries a sword in
her left hand, extends her right to help and protect
the weak and oppressed in the pathetic form of a
nude suffering girl, while the scales are carried by a
child. On the opposite side to the Queen, and
facing the Palace, against an ornamentally carved
niche similar to that which forms the back of
Victoria's throne, is perhaps the most beautiful and
expressive group of all. This is Motherhood, and in
it the sculptor has intended to suggest the Queen's
maternal love for her people. Exquisitely and
naturally he has done this, without the slightest
straining after sentiment. Here is just the typical
mother, with her small children nestling to her,
beautiful in her loving protective tenderness, sad
of face with the sense of responsibility, yet resolute
to bear it, and even rejoice in it, for the beloved
ones. Surely here is a group touchingly beautiful,
and vitally artistic, enough to make by itself a
sculptor's reputation. Above this is more orna-
mental carving till we come to the main cornice of
the pedestal, adorned on two sides by eagles,
signifying Dominion. On the super-base above
are two ideal female figures of gilded bronze :
Courage, holding a club and gazing fearlessly
outwards, and Constancy, with a mariner's com-
pass. Between these is a bronze orb on which
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stands, firm-footed, a winged figure of Victory,
with right arm uplifted pointing upwards, and a
palm-branch in her other hand. This finely
designed and splendidly modelled figure in gilded
bronze is intended to be emblematic of the
consummation of Victoria's long and glorious
reign ; but artistically it is of special interest, in
that it is not the usual ballet-dancing Victory
a-tiptoe for a pirouette, but one that has come, after
a prolonged flight, to stay. It crowns appropriately
the work of a master. M. C. S.

HE SALON OF THE SOCIETE
NATIONALE DES BEAUX-
ARTS, PARIS.

As usual at this time of the year we find the
Exhibition of the Societe Nationale des Beaux-
Arts open at the Grand Palais. To tell the truth
nothing more closely resembles one of these salons
than that of the preceding year. One sees in the
same rooms and in almost the same place on the
walls the very similar productions presented each
year by various painters, so that when you find
yourself in one of the rooms at the Grand Palais
in 1911, you experience very much the same
sensations as you felt in 1910. The only remedy
for this state of affairs would be to hang far
fewer pictures. If the artists would only work in
a rather less hasty manner, if they would but
understand that it is to their interest to produce
a few works of fine quality, rather than many
pictures of inferior merit, then it would be possible
to have the smaller number of works shown to
better advantage. If, indeed, these Salons of the
Societe Nationale were held only once in three
years, both they and Art in general would be
infinitely the gainers—for over-production is one of
the chief evils in contemporary French Art.

Now that we have unburdened ourselves of this
general criticism, we must go on to admit that
there are at the Nationale a surprising number of
talented artists, and that these Salons, arranged
with taste, offer an exceedingly attractive spectacle
to the eyes and to the mind, and in this respect
the present exhibition of i9ri is in every way
worthy of its predecessors.

At the same time we notice with regret the
absence of several artists. M. Charles Cottet
has devoted all his energies to preparing for his
big exhibition at Petit's, and does not show any-
thing here. M. Lucien Simon is also an absentee,
and we have besides to lament the absence of M.