A MAGNIFICENT GIFT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2321, 1 December 1914, Page 9

A MAGNIFICENT GIFT

FROM THE GREATEST SCULPTOR

M; RODIN'S LOVE OF LONDON

"M. Rodin, the famous French sculptor, has presented the British people with twenty of his statues in token of his admiration for the British soldiers fighting in Franco." —Cabled item.

'Universally acknowledged as tho greatest feculptor since the days of Michael Angelo, it was not until Augusts Itodin had entered the seventh decade of his life—a life of ceaselpss struggle and persecution—that he was able co convince the world of his greatness. 'I'he world was entirely at fault; not the sculptor. He did not deviate by one infinitesimal fraction of a hair's-breadth from the tenets of his faith to conciliate the critics; the critics were blind — wilfully or otherwise—to tho genius of this consummate artist.'

Only proud consciousness of his own worth, intense love of work for its owii sake, and. colossal strength of character prevented him from breaking down or becoming soured for .life. .His tardy suqeosses even woro duo to the very eagerness of his detractors, which overshot the mark, and turned' the tide in his favour. And when at last the world did recognise the superb magnificence, the unique, originality of his work, ho was acclaimed on all sides as "an inspired poet," "ft force of Nature," "the Master-Sculptor of the Age."

Early Struggles. The great sculptor's name is now world-famous, but .the story of his early life tells'of a boyhood which was one long fight against poverty and disappointment. Bom in. 1840, of humblo parents, Auguste Rodin, • from about the age of fourteen, had to fight for himself. Friendless, unkempt, uncaredfor, v running the streets of Paris, the boy had to depeud for bis livelihood, such as ,it was, on the charity _ of strangers. But even then the artistic instinct was present, for he began to haunt the studios of the "Quartier Latin" in the hope of gaining at least a little knowledge of the work ho longed to do. Legend has it that one of the first persons to render any assistance to young Rodin was a sculptor wl\o employed him to mix clay. Clandestinely, the boy used to mould during the ; absence of. his master, and thus acquired the rudiments of the craft in which lie was destined to win world-wide' fame. . Unfortunately, he ' lost this position after a year, and was again thrown entirely on his own resources. He knew many other lads who gamed a precnrir ous living in the streets of Paris, and, to their-amusement, used to get'them to let him make models of them. But the only available clay was of the sort . that could bo picked up in the streets and public parks, and the water dried out of it so quickly that none of''the models kept their form for long. But Auguste Rodin was not disheartened by tins. ■ He made up his mind to model a figure that should last, r,nd send it to the Academy of I'ine Arts, which every year holds .au examination open to ' 'nil coiners,", whether self-taught or schooltaught.', .Tile boy spent- many weary ; days* Slid nights at his task, and at last sent .it ill. After a few days-lie received a notice to come and fet-ch his work away, and to make the blow harder to bear he was told that it "did not exhibit any evidence of talent."

i - si! . ■ His Ambition. 1 Rodin, however, had set his heart on being admitted to the Academy of Pine Arts. "My. ambition in youth," he say "was to be admitted to the State Pine Arts School, but they would have none of me there. They did not want pupils with preconceived notions. 'Ma, foil 1 I told myself when, after going up a third time, I'realised that I was to be systematically excluded on' principle, 'since they will not let me in, I must just go my own way as best I can,'"

■ After the'third refusal, he determined to follow Nature orily ; . and this he did so faithfully that for years no one Vfould accept any of his work, for it was not correctly conceived, according to t/io conventional standard of those who judged it. A similar rebuff met him v,-hen he tried to exhibit in the Salon— pitiless refusal. !He w;as four-and-' twenty at the time, and the principal objection to him then was that ho had not passed through the official course of tuition.

"An Angel—Unaware," The figure he sent,' moreover, was not conceived after thp taste of the judges it was tho work which has now become famous as "The .Man With the Broken Isose." : Faithful to his principles, Rodin had represented the modol he saw himl Of course, this flying in the face of all convention and all precedent, and—equally of course—it could not possibly be right! Ihe wonderful sculpture was refused by the "judges," and it did not find a purchaser for mors than twenty years, let now the, whole world knows that this marvellous study of a head, carved in almost overwhelming difficulties in a dismal stable, is one of tho masterpieces rrom the brain and hand of a great genius 1

His First Success, Then, suddenly he leapt into prominence. His "Age of.Bronze," though accepted by. tho Paris Salon, so astounded the jury by its perfection of form that the artist was accused of having cast it from the living model. Ilia accusation was tantamount to a charge of dishonesty; but Rodin, 'too proud , even t-o defend himself, found the support oV a few enlightened colleagues and critics, who wero able to prove the scandalous injustice of the imputation. The statue is now in the Luxembourg.

Fruitful Years, Breaking away from the all-prevail-ing academic- convention, scandalising tho favourite sculptors .of tlie day and tho public by the introduction into his art of certain elements wliioH wore beyond their .comprehension, lie now proceeded to produce masterpiece after masterpiece ; the St. John, and tho Burghers of Calais, which can be seen in the permanent Glasgow collection in Kelvingrove, the groups and figures'for tho gigantic and masterly Gate of Hell, the busts of. Puvis do Chavannes, Rochofort, Henley, Dolow, and Proust, worthy of the chisel of Donatello, tho Victor Hugo monument, and many others of equal importance. The Creat ''Balzae" Controversy. Tho storm that had for years been gathering over, his head burst in 1898, when ho showed his Balzac .statue at tlio Salon. This supreme embodiment of his sculpturesque ideas was pronounced to be a wilful mystification or the work of a madman. Tho Societc des Gens do Lettres refused to accept it, and M, Rodin, in s])ite of the urging of his friends, who wished him to defond l\is ngiit-s, took it back to his studio 'and kept, dignified silence. He 'know that lio was absolutely right, and, being right, lrtust presently bo< vindicated. ■

Recognition at Last 1 TJp till the year of the great Paris Exhibition, of 1900, M. Rodin lived from hand to mouth. Then, at last, the reaction set in. The public, tho patrons, tho critics of art, bocamo aware _of his greatness, rivers of ink flowed in his praise, and Augusto Rodin, tho ardent lover and student of Nature, tlie artist in whose mind beautiful form and movement are always paramount, was pronounced to be an in-

spirod poot, a deep philosopher, "a force or Nature," "au isolated phenomenon." . Better still, for even a genius wlio is all thoso things, has perforce to consider the material aspect of his being, people bought his work. Several Continental museums made large purchases, among; them the Copenhagen' Museum, the director of which bought one for over 80,000 francs. A number of his works also found their way to America.-, and England is proud to possess ' his statue of St. John, which has been placod in South Kensington Museum.

Treatment In England. When asked to name bis conditions for the latter, so keenly did the illustrious sculptor appreciate the honour of having his work placed in South Kensington, lie determined to ask only the bare cost of the bronze, a'bout £160. To their everlasting credit, the committee replied that they would not hear of such an arrangement, and asked him at the Bamo time whether he would accept Such delicacy touched the artist very'much, for, as lie afterwards confessed, his past _ experiences bad hardly accustomed him to treatment of this sort.

Much has happened since then; London has lionised and feted him frequently ; other centres of light and leading havo followed suit; lie has been appointed president of the International Society,. and other honours have been showered upon him; commissions, more than lie can. overtake, have poured into his studio. No Art Exhibition of any pretensions considers itself complete now unless the great French sculptor is represented.

Thoughts About "The Thinker." - Even the smallest work reveals the unique - power and personality of the man. An excerpt from a criticism of "Lo Penseur" (The Thinker), which was exhibited in London three years ago, expresses the feeling with which the masterly creations of his-genius, are now universally recognised) "This' famous statue," says the critic, "of the groat French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, a small version of which forms the most profoundly moving exhibit in the present Royal Scottish Academy Show, seems destined to haunt Europe. with its great sense of 'cubic truth' (to U6O the phrase of the sculptor) and of stupendous power. One version is. to be seen in Rodin's little garden at Heudon, and anothor fronts the Pantheon majestically. No matter into what European exhibition it comes,-it seems to dominate all around it like a work of Michael Angelo." Fate's hardest blow's Rodin haj received with a serenity that is almost sublime, and none who have had the honour and the pleasure of meeting this unassuming, retiring little man with the leonine head and piercing, though kindly, eyes, would for a moment imagine him to be. as he was recently publicly termed, "the greatest living Frenchman.".

His Admiration of London. j The one thing which will probably, j more than anything else, rouse him from his habitual calmness and reserve, is to mention the word "Nature." Nature land her beauties, in every form and phase kindles him to enthusiasm. Even of the "dear, dirty, disagreeable" English weather,ho waxes eloquent. Some few years ago he stood on Chelsea Embankment with, a friend, an Englishman, who felt ■ bound 'to. apologise for the dismal outlook and .tho dull weather. "" "Oh, you English!" laughed tho great man," you complain of weather which gives you. such beautiful grey tints, which can be found nowhoro in the world but in your London. Why, they aro-wonderful!" Ho even waxes enthusiastic over our fogs and "atinosplioric effects," as he oalls them. ' ''In Italy and Southern France you may always count on your blue sk.v," he says, ['which is beautiful certainly, but here in England, especially in London, you hgve every day a sky as changeable and as- beautifully coloured as one could desire."