International studio (35.1908)

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INTERNATIONAL
STUDIO
VOL. XXXV. No. 138 Copyright, 1908, by John Lane Company AUGUST, 1908

The national sculpture soci-
ety’s EXHIBITION AT BALTI-
MORE—II. IMAGINATIVE WORK
BY LEILA MECHLIN
If one thing was demonstrated more plainly
than another in the National Sculpture Society’s
exhibition at Baltimore it was the fact that the
sculptors of America have visions—that having
learned the language of art they are employing it
to good purpose. It is as necessary that the
sculptor should learn his a, b, c’s as the painter
or the poet, but having gone so far on the road
there is no reason why he should come to a stand-
still. Fine modeling is undoubtedly an achieve-
ment, but sculpture does not attain its full dignity
until it becomes interpretative and perpetuates not
merely forms but thoughts and emotions. There
is, of course, danger of the subjective interest be-
coming dominant, but only when the author of the
work is not a sculptor by first intent. The more
beautiful the theme the more certainly it should
receive beautiful rendition.
By Maeterlinck’s Les Avengles was suggested the
group The Blind, by Mr. Lorado Taft, which oc-
cupied a central position, the place of honor, in
this exhibition, and to which much attention was
called. Ten or twelve sightless men and women,
having lost their leader, are depending upon a little
child, held high in its mother’s arms, for guidance,
and are pressing close to one another, reaching out
timidly and appealingly, and yet moving on. Some
saw in it merely an illustration of a well-known tale,
but to others it conveyed larger significance. While
inspired by a narrative, it seemed to interpret uni-
versal experience—the walking by faith, the un-
known future, the leadership of the child, the out-
reaching for things unseen—aspiration, progress.
It was tragic, but not fearful; dramatic, but yet
restrained. The figures, without being huddled,
were brought into a compact, related mass, and

though broadly treated, displayed in their modeling
delicate beauty. Though the embodiment of pro-
found thought, this group was also a plastic ex-
pression, and while it created a feeling of awe, it
charmed and uplifted.
Some of the same loftiness of purpose, together
with a love of the art, was manifested in the works
of Mr. Taft’s pupils, quite a number of whom were
represented. Plaster is an extremely unresponsive
medium, but even in this material Miss Nellie V.
Walker’s group entitled Her Son was exceedingly
impressive and lovely. Perhaps it was intended
for the Madonna and Christ, possibly for any
mother and son; it did not matter, for what really
signified was the firm, simple modeling, the in-
sistent personality, the beauty of expression.
Merry, sculptural and commendable, but less note-
worthy, were Clyde G. Chandler’s small group,
The Good Little Shoes That Woidd Go to School, and
Leonard Crunelle’s clever terminal figure, a boy
holding a squirrel on his arm.
One of the surprises and delights of this exhibi-
tion was the excellent showing made by a group of
young Baltimore sculptors—men who, though com-
paratively unknown, contributed works of dis-
tinguished merit. The Separation oj Orpheus and
Eurydice by Mr. J. Maxwell Miller was an ambi-
tious but by no means a misdirected effort. The
composition was well built up, the figures finely
modeled, the suggestion of weight and energy
nicely defined, and the lines, from every viewpoint,
were rhythmical. Very different was this in spirit
from the works inspired by the classical half a cen-
tury ago, when, in spite of the best intentions, nude
figures were given the appearance of having been
stuffed rather than modeled and sentiment drizzled
into sentimentality. Mr. Hans Schuler’s group
Paradise Lost was a work of the same order, equally
as strong, and perhaps even more dramatic. The
feeling in it was intense, yet not overwrought, the
significance both profound and patent. To all ap-

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