International studio (52.1914)

Sigurd Neandross

The two embody very chastely what Byron ex-
presses in the line:
A long, long kiss, a kiss of youth and love.
The contrast between the muscular form of the
winner of the wreath and the suave modulations
of the girl’s figure; the difference between the
action, just suspended, in the youth overtaking
the maid, and the complete rest of the latter, as
she surrenders herself to his eager hands, are told
with delicate reticence. The group belongs to the
same kind of sentiment we find in Mother and
Child, an early work by Neandross which was
exhibited in Germany and bought for the art
museum in Krefeld. It has the quality of simple
sweetness we associate with some of the paintings
and sculpture of the Italian Renaissance.
If these sculptures of the affections present an
engaging view of the happiness of life, others by
the same artist offer with gentle insistance the cup
of sorrow. Living with wife and a sheaf of bloom-
ing children in a house built with his own hands in
the woods along the eastern slope of the Palisades,
he can realize unhappiness in others. Happy, both
as a husband and a father, he imagines the feel-
ings of her who has lost her partner, and expresses
them by way of Egypt in The Egyptian Widow.
Against the immovable curves of the box,
shaped like a seated man, in which the mummy of
the departed sits enshrined, he contrasts the living
curves of the widowed mother, as she kneels in
Oriental fashion with the back of the feet flat on
the ground, and, clutching her head in both hands,
leans forward against the painted shrine.
Observe the sense of composition in these two
groups. Note the restraint in the expression of
passionate love and hopeless sorrow in the several
pieces, and consider whether in regard to this par-
ticular sculptor we are not up to our old tricks—
neglecting to avail ourselves of talents in sculpture
when they are to be had—only virtuously to regret
their absence when no longer available! Artists
with imaginative, sensitive minds are so few that
they stand out against a drab-colored background.
In America we have many good sculptors of
both sexes, but for the most part they do not shine
on the side of imagination. The public does not
demand of them much beyond portraits, or else
certain accepted forms, religious or patriotic, such
as angels and “boys in blue.” The consequence
is that where little is asked less is given. Sculp-
ture is starved in the house of her friends. If an
artist possesses an imagination he must work
alone, and without the pressure from some ad-

mirer or amateur who is interested in his work and
pushes him on. There is a demand for sportive,
whimsical statuary, and this crowds the exhibi-
tions; since artists are always forthcoming who have
the requisite fancy to hit off the humour of the day
with more or less delicacy and supply the call for
fountains and ash-trays designed in lighter vein.
Now and then, however, one comes across a
sculptor who is hardy enough to exist under the
complicated discouragements thrown by the pub-
lic on thoughtful work. To him, of course, exist-
ence is only possible at the loss of long hours filled
with humdrum labour; he is lucky indeed if he have
the strength of mind and body to pursue his own
higher themes between whiles. Such an artist is
Sigurd Neandross, who lives his life with wife and
children in a house of concrete and timber which
he has built with his own hands in the woods
near Ridgefield, New Jersey.
WHAT TALE DOES THIS TAPESTRY
TELL?
An illustrated article appeared in our Janu-
ary number, under the above heading, by Charles
de Kay, in which the writer traced the subject to
an Arturian legend. To Mr. Lewis, president of
the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, this
tapestry tells quite a different tale:
“ I read with much interest the article by Charles
de Kay in your valuable publication, entitled
‘What Tale Does this Tapestry Tell?’ and write
to answer it. The tapestry in question is beauti-
fully reproduced, facing page clxi of Volume LI of
The International Studio.
“ The tale it tells is unmistakable, and is recorded
in II Samuel, Chapter XI, wherein it is said that
‘David walked upon the roof of the King’s house;
and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself,
and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
And David sent a messenger after the woman.
And one said, is not this Bath-sheba the daughter
of Eliam, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite?’
“Almost all medieval pictures portray sacred
scenes. The woman washing at the fountain is
Bathsheba. The youthful, vigorous man, as Mr.
de Kay describes, is not a lover seizing a pretext to
approach his love, but is the messenger of King
David, who is shown in the upper balcony to the
right, watching the effect of his messenger’s visit.
“ The unconventional manner in which the scene
is represented is probably due to the fact that the
chief figures are portraits. Hence Bathsheba is
robed, but there is nothing at all in the Bible to
justify the commonly accepted idea that Bathsheba
was otherwise than robed when King David looked
upon her.”
Mr. George Leland Hunter has also a similar
charge to make, supported by a picture with in-
woven legend which will appear later. It will be
interesting to note what stand Mr. de Kay will
make against his opponents.

XXIII