International studio (24.1904/1905(1905))

The Art of Carl Gut herz

gium, whence he proceeded to Munich. And there
the vision of his first great picture came to him.
It was the Awakening of Spring—the scene pre-
figuring itself to his imagination as that of a beau-
tiful woman arousing herself from sleep, while a
troop of cherubs lift from her the pall of snow. He
spoke of this inspiration to
Kaulbach, then at the head
of an art school in Munich.
“You must go to Rome before
you paint this picture,” said
Kaulbach. “Icannot,”replied
Mr. Gutherz. “I have not the
funds.” “Walk,” laconically
advised the German artist.
And walk he did—if not all,
at least a portion of the way—
and never was a tramp more
productive of artistic sugges-
tion.
In Rome Mr. Gutherz found
that spell-binding experience
which the artist and poet must
forever encounter in the Eter-
nal City. He studied in the
Villa de Medici and Simon-
etti was his fellow-student and
friend. They exchanged pic-
tures, and this Simonetti is
one of the treasures in the
Washington home of Mr. Gu-
therz to-day. He painted his
Spring, and on returning to
America he came by way of
Germany that he might show
the picture to Kaulbach. This
picture is now owned by a pri-
vate collector in Boston. On
returning to this country Mr.
Gutherz became associated
with Prof. Halsey G. Ives—
now the Director of the Acad-
emy of Fine Arts in St. Louis
-—in the building up of the St.
Louis School of Fine Arts.
The beauty and delicacy of
his work began to attract recognition. There
was a club of young artists who, at one time,
selected Mr. Longfellow’s poem, “The Golden
Legend,” to illustrate in sketches and modelling,
and a letter was sent to the poet, asking the origin
of this mediaeval and wonderful poem. Mr. Long-
fellow replied that it was founded on “Der Arme
Heinrich,” of the German, and later Mr. Gutherz

and his fellow-craftsmen sent all their illustrations
to Mr. Longfellow as a gift, who wrote one of his
characteristic and charming letters of thanks.
About 1880 Mr. Gutherz married an accom-
plished and cultured lady of a distinguished Ala-
bama family, and they went soon after to Paris,

remaining some thirteen years, until, in 1896, they
came to Washington and established their present
home. This second period in Paris was very rich
in all ways to Mr. Gutherz. He now entered on a
period of great creative production. Lefebre, Bou-
langer, Gabriel Ferrier, Jules Breton, Olivier Mer-
son and Puvis de Chavannes were among his inti-
mate circle. He exhibited at every Salon; and to the


THE TEMPTATION OF ST. ANTHONY. BY CARL GUTHERZ

LXXXII