CHAPTER XXIV. Corcoran Gallery of Art. RIVATE munificence established the Corcoran Gallery of Art and sustains it; while the patriotic purpose was to encourage American art and artists, regardless of scorn and objections. The name of Corcoran is one which must often recur in writing about Washington, for it is that of the celebrated banker and philanthropist who, for half a century, gave a portion of his means to works of charity and to institutions such as the Gallery of Art which bears his name. He adopted the policy of giving during his lifetime, and, therefore, had the satisfaction of seeing that his purposes were carried out in accordance with his intentions. His portraits show him as a cheery man, who could take pleasure in giving to others a chance to enjoy the cheerful side of life. The Corcoran Gallery of Art has been the realization of years of thoughtfulness. Its opportunities for students are many; but its opportunities for the education of the countlessly greater number who themselves may not look forward to becoming artists, painters, or sculptors are of infinitely greater value. Some one has said that it is impossible to look on beautiful paintings and sculpture without an ennobling influence, and in this gallery the influence is present. Pictures Are Popular Educators. Pictures are a recognized factor in education. The fact is known and has been seized upon by the newspapers and magazines of the present day, and the country is flooded with cheap prints, lithographs, engravings, and pen-andink and crayon drawings. This is an inexpensive way of bringing before the mind the most distant scenes and places. For a few cents invested in a daily paper, we may sit on our own doorstep and behold the troops of South Africa in battle array; we may see the sturdy Boer in great hat and rough farmergarments; the English army in its glittering splendor of martial array, with clangor of drum and booming of cannon; we may even see the battle. The faroff horrors of China are shown to us in one glance at the pictures in our morning paper. Or, we may go back thousands of years and know just how people and places looked in the early ages. If the rude prints and sketches teach us so much, how infinitely more refining and elevating is a study of the fine arts as collected in our public galleries. There are pictures painted with the delicate tones and colors of nature itself; statues shaped with consummate skill to represent human life and scenes in all its various phases. These are things not to be glanced at and cast aside after a brief inspection, as is the daily paper; they are to be looked at and studied from day to day with an ever-increasing admiration. In the Corcoran Gallery there are many of these educational features. With so many at command it is difficult to single out one especial painting or statue for criticism. Each has its own characteristic, its own beauty. Some have boldness of finish, others have exquisite grace of design; some show religious sentiment, others portray battle-scenes; one tells a shepherd's love-tale, another shows the humorous side of life; one deals with mystical subjects, another with stern realities; one shows robust and healthy life, another the death-angel's call. Napoleon on His Death-Bed. From all this wealth of variety I shall take a few at random. In the center of one of the rooms is the statue of Napoleon on his death-bed, by the Italian sculptor, Vincenzo Vela. This cannot but appeal to the most casual student of art. The human despair depicted in the features of the conquered conqueror the victories he sees and studies out in the map before him. What could he not do but for that grim and terrifying victor that stands impatiently waiting for him. What could he not do? Break the chains of his thralldom — march once more at the head of his legions on to kingdoms- on to victories that would make all the world marvel! On- if yes, if he did not see grim death, the and the conqueror of all, standing between him and oh, so near to him vision! Looking at this statue, one can feel all the passion of agony and despair that dwelt in the heart of Napoleon at the moment when marvels of valor and fame were so near him and yet so immeasurably and forever beyond him. Dangerous Experiment of the Sculptor. The method pursued by Vela in procuring models to illustrate to the fullest extent the lifelike pose and expressions he desired to personify may be shown by an incident in his early life. He was commissioned to execute a funeral monument. After sketching the design in chalk he was dissatisfied with the principal figure which he intended should represent the most poignant suffering. Despite his efforts it remained cold and lifeless. The body was there, but with PHOTOGRAPHED EXPRESSLY FOR THE CHRISTIAN HERALD BY SPECIAL PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART. THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART, SEVENTEENTH STREET AND NEW YORK AVENUE. out a soul. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Placing crayon and paper in his pocket he hurried to the home of his promised wife. As she appeared before him he addressed her in a rough voice: "You believe that next week we will be married? It is impossible. Do not ask the reason, but consider all over between us. Farewell forever!" The girl gave him one terrified look and then fell fainting at his feet. In an instant Vela had out his paper and pencil and was working away at his sketch. He had found what he sought— an expression of true pain but it was a dangerous experiment. His wife said to him in after days: "Do not try it again, it might prove too dear!" Such was the sculptor- sentiment, love, nature must yield to his art. He was born of the very poorest parents and his boyhood was spent as an apprentice to a stone-cutter in the mines of Besazio in the canton Ticino, Switzerland. Here he chipped stone and dreamed of one day going to Milan, which he considered a city of marvels, with a temple all glittering with white statues that pierced the sky with their pinnacles. At fourteen years of age his dream was realized and he came to the city of marvels; which, indeed, proved for him a city of incessant toil and privation and humiliation for many years. He worked in a marble-shop for a master by day and at night studied and modeled for himself. He won his first success at Venice, where he was given a gold medal, that he afterward sold for $14, which was a fortune for his poor family. Then Hayez the painter took him up, the Duke of Litta gave him commissions, and his fame as a sculptor rose rapidly. At the time of the war with Austria he laid down his chisel and took up his gun, resuming his labors in marble when the war was done. He died in 1891, during my first year in Italy, and I remember the honor and glory that were bestowed on the little stone-cutter of Besazio. Hints in Regard to Hanging Pictures. There is more in the hanging of a picture than the general public knows. The position may make or mar the fame of the artist. To be placed among pictures whose colors do not harmonize with it, to be skyed or hung in a dark corner are things that have caused much bitterness in the hearts of artists. To glance at a picture and instantly imagine one is looking into a green field or over rippling waters or at the actual thing represented, shows that a picture is well placed. But there is pain as well as pleasure in looking at a picture thus placed pain in that the picture is not the reality and pleasure in the painter's skill. A picture that is so placed as to exemplify this delusion in the Corcoran |
