Page images
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic]

A VALUABLE PERMANENT RECORD OF ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS

OF AFRICAN BIG GAME

This study in bronze (about two feet high) of the African buffalo, by James L. Clark, is an excellent example not only of fine modeling but also of natural pose and expression. It is a duplicate of the bronze presented by the members of the African Big Game Club of America to the Nairobi Club, in memory of the late Frederick Courtenay Selous, the "Great Hunter, True Sportsman, and Gallant Soldier" who was killed in action in German East Africa, January 3, 1917. One of the most adventuresome of Selous' experiences and the story he liked best to tell, was the occasion when he nearly lost his life before a charging African buffalo

The

and a generally misdirected energy. irritating part of it all is that Mr. Nadelman knows better and he presumes upon our good nature when he presents to us as works of art the distorted lumps of bronze which he is pleased to call animal sculpture. When work of this sort is excavated from some prehistoric grave we are lenient in our judg ment of it, but there can be no excuse for such monstrosities in our day and time.

As a relief from work of this character, let us turn to that of a sincere student and lover of animals, Mr. Carl E. Akeley. As a hunter, taxidermist, and inventor, Mr. Akeley is well known. He has collected for many years in Africa and his groups of mounted animals in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, and elsewhere deserve all the praise accorded to them. As a sculptor Mr. Akeley is best known by his group "The Wounded Comrade," which shows a wounded bull elephant being assisted to a place of safety by two companions. The work makes a strong human appeal and the sentiment is excellent. "The Elephant Herd Charging" while less dramatic gives one a good idea of a herd of swiftly moving pachyderms. Mr. Akeley is a close student, a keen observer, and above all a seriousminded man who believes in trying to present (as does Mr. Rungius) the actual form and character of animals seldom seen at their best in captivity.

Mr. Charles L. Bull, whose numerous illustrations are well known to readers of our current magazines, is a firm believer in the decorative qualities of animal form and color. His work while based primarily upon that of the Japanese is nevertheless original in conception and treatment. Composition is perhaps Mr. Bull's strongest point, although he shows a fine feeling for color in many of his pictures. His work includes a wide range of subjects but the treatment is substantially the same in all. He affects a flat delineation of surfaces which grows rather monotonous at times, although the lack of roundness in his animal forms is not evident to most people. He shows excellent taste in his arrangements of light and dark surfaces and altogether his work occupies a rather unique place in the field of animal art. If one might criticise work of this sort, I should say that the constant reiteration of a certain scheme of treatment grows rather tiresome no matter how pleasing it

may be, and makes one long for some totally different conception of the subject at hand. In the work of Bruce Horsfall we find a decided contrast to the flat decorative panels so characteristic of Mr. Bull's method, and a return to the strictly realistic point of view. Mr. Horsfall is a trained and competent painter who, while not primarily a lover of animal life, is nevertheless capable of conveying to our minds some very pleasing impressions of animal nature. His "California Condor" is a scholarly piece of work, well painted, well drawn, and withal excellent in character. It depicts the great ungainly bird standing on a rocky ledge, with outstretched wings poised for flight. The sunlight strikes sharply on the grotesquely wrinkled head and neck, and casts a strong shadow upon the glaring yellow cliff in the background. The picture is interesting and convincing, and illustrates what can be done in the portrayal of a wild creature by a skillful and observing man.

It was with great regret that I learned of the untimely death of Mr. Rembrandt Bugatti, shortly after the completion of the "Giraffe," a bronze model loaned to the Brooklyn exhibition by Mrs. H. P. Whitney. Just how much this talented young man knew or cared about animals I cannot say, but the bronze is certainly the work of a clever sculptor and one who, had he lived, might have made a name for himself along these lines. The ungainly body and long awkward legs of the giraffe are nicely indicated, and the modeling itself is thoroughly well done.

Miss Anna Hyatt is represented by several minor pieces which show, nevertheless, her ability to catch and preserve a difficult pose. Her "Jaguar Tearing a Piece of Meat" is well composed and the main action good, but the muscular anatomy of the shoulders is not well understood and the statuette loses something thereby. It is difficult in such a small exhibit to represent adequately the work of any one artist and I very much regret that Miss Hyatt could not have shown at least a small study of her "Joan of Arc," the bronze original of which now occupies a splendid site on Riverside Drive, New York City. This is most certainly Miss Hyatt's supreme effort thus far, and to my mind the best equestrian statue in this country. The sculptor's love of horses has stood her in good stead in this

[graphic]

66 PEACOCK AND PANTHER"-STUDY IN ANIMAL FORM AND COLOR

The work of Charles Livingston Bull, well known to the public, always shows originality of conception although often related in treatment to Japanese art. His work covers a very wide range of subjects and is the exponent of his profound belief in the decorative qualities of animal form and color. His canvases are recommended to those who wish to analyze fine composition in animal painting and to develop appreciation of fine feeling for color

[ocr errors]

carefully wrought statuette, later enlarged for one of the buildings at Princeton, New Jersey. Like all of Mr. Proctor's work, great care has been taken with the superficial finish of the pieces but as a work of art I much prefer the buffalo to the great feline, the former being much better understood in every way. Few men are able to grasp the salient characters of all types of animals with equal facility, and I feel that Mr. Proctor's feline types are rather lacking in this regard. His standing "Puma" for example (made some years ago) is decidedly off anatomically, and certainly does not give one the impression of a great cat standing in an attitude of attention. He is, however, much more happy in his delineation of the horse, and his "Indian and Horse," unfortunately not shown here, is a most excellent piece of work. A number of the animals and birds decorating the buildings in the New York Zoological Park are the work of Mr. Proctor, and he has executed many other large and successful commissions throughout the country.

[graphic]
[graphic]

Miss Eugénie F. Shonnard at work on the excellent model of Dinah,

a young gorilla lately on view at Bronx Park

instance and the figure of the Maid of Orleans is both graceful and statuesque in pose.

Z. H. Pritchard strikes a new note in his paintings of fishes made on the Tahiti reefs. The artist took no end of trouble to obtain these pictures, actually going below the surface of the water to observe his effects. The results are interesting, yet one feels that Mr. Pritchard could have done much more from the art standpoint with his subjects had he been so inclined. The color is interesting but not very convincing as a suggestion of a watery medium.

A. P. Proctor, long and favorably known as an animal sculptor, shows several small works which are mostly studies for his large bronzes. His "Buffalo Bull" is the scale model for the heroic statue recently set up on one of the new bridges in Washington, D. C., while his "Princeton Tiger" is also a

Mr. Julius Rolshoven contributes a large and ambitious panel in pastel and tempera"Sun Arrow," and several smaller studies. The subject of the panel is an Indian chief mounted on a most extraordinary looking horse, which at first sight seems to have stepped from the canvas of some old Dutch painter. The anachronism leaves a bad impression on the mind of the spectator and discloses a lack of close study on the part of the artist. Surely no Indian brave ever rode such a horse as this, and where Mr. Rolshoven found him, I can't imagine. With all its brilliant color and flashy technique the picture leaves one cold and unimpressed. The smaller studies of Indians,

WILD LIFE IN ART

however, are very charming in color and decidedly interesting.

The small models of birds by Miss Shonnard are very well done and have a certain style and statuesque quality about them most pleasant to see. An excellent bust of Dinah (the young gorilla lately on view in Bronx Park) is unfortunately not shown in this exhibit.

Eli Harvey has one large and several small pieces on exhibition. They are all characterized by this serious sculptor's usual attention to detail and his "Lioness and Cubs" shows very good character indeed. The large roaring lion "Menelik" is excellent as to attitude but the hind quarters seem small and weak for the general physique of the great beast.

Paul Herzel also shows a number of small models of feline types. A lioness and cubs by this young artist strikes me as being particularly good in composition and attitude, but I cannot say as much for the tiger and python model, even though the latter did get a prize in a school exhibition. The action in this group while very violent is decidedly false and unpleasant in conception, and the work is a good example of what not to do in an effort to obtain a dramatic effect. No tiger, I am convinced, would or could assume the attitude shown in this group and the pose of the snake is equally poor. It seems to the writer that all such attempts at super-action are distinctly bad art and should be condemned as such. Barye, the celebrated French sculptor, loved action for its own sake, but he never made the mistake of overdoing the movement of his animals, and therefore the results are always interesting and artistic. Mr. Herzel will, we trust, in the future stick more closely to actualities in his work and direct his undoubted ability into more realistic and beautiful channels.

The very charming little models by Mr. Roth are full of life and action. Mr. Rockwell's fountain and rhino group give evidence of thoughtful care and study, while Miss Crittenden's little pastels are charming in color. Unfortunately, Mr. Chandler's screens had been removed before my visit, but I feel sure that their brilliant color schemes and fanciful arrangements of fishes and birds are very interesting.

The exhibition as a whole is a convincing illustration of the fact that at last the hide

469

bound prejudices in regard to the depiction of wild animal life as opposed to the domestic forms have been cast aside and henceforth we may hope to see similar exhibitions held in the various art centers throughout the country. Surely there is no good reason why the magnificent wild animal life in the world about us should be relegated to the good graces of men who paint only what are known as "sporting" pictures. We trust that the exhibition just over will direct the eyes of both artist and layman alike to the vast untrodden fields which are open to them in this direction, and that all the magnificent types of wild things may be fully utilized in the reproduction of beautiful and interesting works of art. Let us learn to appreciate as well the great opportunities offered to us by the numerous museums and zoological gardens in our great cities, from which the serious student in this branch of art may derive so much pleasure and profit.

[graphic][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »