va SS see re . are 7 7 "ERT Y OF THE INSTITUTE | NO. | TAKEN FROMTHIS ROOM. 65 EBA 30TU STREET * NEW YORK ‘ GASTON LACHAISE SIXTEEN REPRODUCTIONS IN COLLOTYPE OF THE SCULPTOR’S WORK EDITED WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY A. E, GALLATIN ai) NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 1924 Copyright 1924, by ie P. Dutton ew C ompany cee All rights reserved — a * ies or. % ’ : p Wie Ca a ital Le. ; i 4 i pay % ‘ . . ’ 7 5 : ! F. "4 ~. i 4 A im m } hot tay 1: Ae t 1 < ; ‘¥ : Jt ‘ a ee : s ‘ " { i i : tom i . 1A « J _ e “2 as ee ins ; ‘ i ie : : i 7 foe Bt { ee | behets q | an > € cn) a3 " ALS , Pi ; Le fy oy i y A ¢) aa Aa OULN & oi) Ae tbh Pa pen ae ed bi a (e? re ere seer pel 11S BOOK IS DEDICATED ‘TO THE MEMORY OF , - MY MOTHER LIST OF PLATES The plates have been made from photographs by CHARLES SHEELER CON ON PW N . Woman's Head . Woman's Head . Womans Head . Portrait Head . Woman's Head . Portrait Statuette . Statuette . Figure intended for Telegraph and Telephone Building . Head of Figure intended for Telegraph and Telephone Building . Dancing Children . Flying Figure (plaque) . Woman on Horse . Peacock . Group of Peacocks . Leaping Dolphins . Sea-lion Marble Marble Marble Marble Bronze Bronze Bronze Plaster Bronze Wood Bronze Bronze Plaster Bronze Bronze Bronze “ GASTON LACHAISE HE career of Gaston Lachaise is well worth ex- amining and studying, for it presents features as unusual as they are full of interest. Born in Paris on 19 March, 1882, Lachaise came to America when in his twenty-third year and here he has remained. It was only after he had left France and arrived in America that his genius began to assert itself, that he found the inspiration to create an expression of his own. The reason for this Lachaise has explained to us in a fore- word which he wrote for the catalogue of an exhi- bition of his sculpture, in which he said that “The artist coming from Europe immediately perceives that elementary force, which gives him enthusiasm and expansion,” adding that «He becomes aware that the soil the most fertile for the continuity of art—is here.” Lachaise finding the atmosphere of France uncongenial for creative work, but that of America most sympathetic 3°] and charged with vitality, makes us think of those exiled Greeks who inhabited the islands of the Aegean and the coast of the Mediterranean, who, in the words of a recent critic of Greek sculpture, were «vitalized by transplantation to a new soil, quickened by the stimulus of a new intellectual atmosphere, and responded to those influences with a vigor which would not have been pos- sible in Greece itself.” While it is quite true that comparatively few men of genius have been permitted to pursue their studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, or even to ex- hibit at the Salon, excepting perhaps towards the end of their careers, there have been a few exceptions, of which Gaston Lachaise is one. With respect to being allowed to study at the Beaux-Arts, it may be noted that Lachaise was more favored than Rodin. But Rodin at least gained entrance to the Salon, where, it may be noted, Lachaise exhibited in 1899, 1901 and 1903. Lachaise studied modeling at the Beaux-Arts from 1898 until 1903, chiefly under Gabriel Jules Thomas, but the time spent there the sculptor claims profited - him but little, and he is convinced that the methods of instruction in vogue are not the correct ones. It is [aa | very easy to understand that in such academic and official surroundings he felt the loss of contact with life and consequent inability to develop his imagina- tion. (I remember once looking at the pictures which had won the Prix de Rome, extending over a hundred years, and without knowing what they were, thinking they were the work of one painter.) Much more profit- able Lachaise found the many hours which he passed at the Louvre, studying the great masterpieces of an- tiquity, than those spent at the Beaux-Arts. The Louvre, one might say, was Lachaise’s real art school, as it was Cézanne’s. Leaving France for America in 1905, Lachaise at first proceeded to Boston, where he worked at his call- ing for seven years, perfecting himself in the technique of his art. In 1912 he came to New York, where he lived until the spring of 1923, when he decided he pre- ferred to live in the country, and went to Georgetown, Maine. It was during this period of his life that Lachaise married, a marriage, it may be noted, that has had a powerful influence both on the development of his art and on his character. In New York Lachaise worked for some time for Paul Manship; he collaborated with [eas 43 Manship in designing the elaborate memorial tablet to J. Pierpont Morgan which has been placed in the Met- ropolitan Museum of Art. All of the actual carving of this tablet was done by Lachaise. Owing to the fact that he has lived in America for nineteen years, that he is a naturalized citizen, and that his art only came into being after a long sojourn in America, Lachaise may very properly be considered an American. Lachaise is no more interested in recording the merely visual aspects of nature than were the sculp- tors of Greece, China or Egypt. Like them, his concern is with such problems as the relation of masses, with questions of rhythm, with the simplification of forms. He is thus carrying on the traditions established in the great periods of sculpture. Moreover, Lachaise’s images in stone and marble and his modeled figures, cast in bronze, are essentially original creations. The fact can- not be insisted upon too much that it is such artists as Lachaise, John Marin, Charles Demuth and Picasso who are in reality carrying on the traditions, and not the ineffectual academicians, with their lifeless pictures and parodies of other men’s work. It is quite natural that Lachaise’s sculpture should disturb and remain br] incomprehensible to officialdom, easy to understand why he is represented in no public museum, why he has never been given a medal ora prize. Easy to under- stand, for Lachaise’s work must be considered as scu/p- ture. And that of course is too revolutionary a point of view for art juries and museum committees, ready at all times to applaud servile imitations of nature, or of another man’s work, but scornful of any sculptural qualities. Genius they are not willing to forgive as lightly as all that. Or what is more likely, as Wagner once remarked, it takes genius to recognize genius. What delight one experiences in reading Walter Pater’s critical essays on the genius of various great artists—whether they be painters or sculptors! With what rare art does he communicate his fervor and per- mit us to share his enjoyment! And that, I take it, should be the principal aim of all criticism. It is worth while to recall the opening sentences of Pater’s essay on the poetry of Michelangelo, in which he enumerates some of the elements which are common to all vital art, for they make an excellent avenue of approach to a correct understanding and appreciation of the art of Gaston Lachaise. Pater tells us that one is invari- Fra ably surprised and excited in the presence of a true work of art, but we must be charmed as well, he continues, — and the strangeness must be a lovely strangeness, such as the blossoming of the aloe. Writing to-day in New York, Pater might have had something to say about the “bite” or “kick” existing in significant works of art; these adjectives, at any rate, are quite expressive. Contemplating the bronzes and the marble and stone heads of Lachaise, one experiences the emotions noted by Pater. Studying Lachaise’s work, one realizes that it is thoroughly alive and that his conceptions are entirely his own. One perceives, also, that Lachaise possesses a profound knowledge of the fundamentals of his art. And of the greatest importance is the fact that his art is of his epoch, for if it were not, his learning and tech- nical equipment would count for but little. Lacking a modern note, it would be of no more consequence than are the marbles of Canova, Thorvaldsen and Flaxman —dead husks and left-over mannerisms of another age. Let it not be forgotten that the marbles of Phidias, Michelangelo and Houdon were modern in concep- tion, contemporaneous, and that it is fatal for the artist to neglect the movement of life going on around him. [ye] In the course of several very interesting conversa- tions held with Lachaise in his New York studio, on Sixth Avenue, elevated trains the while crashing past, the sculptor discussed his art with much eloquence. Keenly intelligent, the sincerity and the simplicity of the artist find their counterpart in his work. It is the fundamentals which interest him, and always he is en- deavoring to simplify, and simplify his art still more. As yet Lachaise’s choice of subject has been con- fined almost exclusively to delineations of women— women’s heads and statuettes and bas-reliefs of women, both clothed and nude —and studies of peacocks and dolphins, as well as a sea-lion and a horse. So far he has not attempted sculpture of a monumental charac- ter, on a grand scale, or produced work heroic in size, with the exception of a large female nude statue. He is, however, only waiting for an opportunity. Nor has Lachaise often attempted to group figures in compo- sitions, although on several occasions he has done this very successfully. Such problems do not interest him; he considers that more importance attaches to the de- lineation of a single figure. The massive women’s heads which Lachaise has cut 9] in stone or marble are marvels of structural simplifica- tion and most impressive in their solidity, nobility and calmness. A genuine emotional quality is there. Study- ing these heads, one perceives that Lachaise, like Mail- lol, has «returned to the architectural basis of sculp-_ ture.” Itis most interesting to note that Lachaise often stains or gilds portions of his marble and stone heads, as did the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Gothic sculp- tors, and it is to be hoped that other sculptors will make experiments similar to these, uniting color with form. It seems curious to feel obliged to note the fact that Lachaise always chisels these heads himself, occa- sionally directly from the stone or marble, without first modeling them in clay—the latter quite a feat. Natu- rally, this contact with the material is absolutely essen- tial if the sculptor desires any quality in his work, neces- sary, indeed, if he wishes it to be considered an original work of art. That the vast majority of contemporary sculptors elect to have their works cast in plaster, pointed up, and then mechanically reproduced by a man who makes a profession of doing this, simply puts such work in the same class as copies. They are no more originals than a modern copy of a Donatello would be [ 10 | a Donatello. One of the plates in this volume is a re- production of a photograph of a head in marble which is a portrait, but the others were chiseled without the use of models. Looking at these serene creations, it is interesting to recall the prophecy made by Rodin some years ago, when, lost in admiration beforea black marble figure which had been brought to Turin from Egypt, he said: «‘ We are too uneasy, too agitated, to-day, but we shall return to this art of vigorous health and this will become the art of future centuries.”’ The most important full-length image Lachaise has executed is a study for an heroic figure intended to be placed in the Telegraph and Telephone Building on Broadway. If the directors of this company decide to have this projet carried out, the figure, after still fur- ther simplifications, would be cut in marble and stand about twenty-two feet high. Placed in the vast and imposing room which forms the ground floor of this building, against a marble wall and facing the princi- pal entrance, viewed through a vista of columns, the statue would be seen to great advantage. In this superb creation of Lachaise’s the serene figure of the young woman, classic in its simplicity, and full of grace, is [ur ] seen holding in one hand a globe of the world, while in the other rest several towering skyscrapers, which have become symbolical of New York. An extremely beautiful creation, very sculpturesque, and possessed of ereat style, if it is cut in marble it will surely rank with the most important artistic achievements of our gen- eration. Here then is a great opportunity for the direc-_ tors of the company for whose building this figure is intended to assume the rdle of patron of the fine arts, to bring vast credit upon themselves and to give encouragement to the whole movement for better art in this country. Having had the great sagacity to select Lachaise (or permitted the architects to do $0) to de- sign the really charming frieze for their building, let it be hoped that the officials of this company will now give this further commission. It is a figure admirably suited for the space it is intended to adorn and would bring together all the features of the vast chamber into an harmonious whole. Moreover, it is an admirable symbol and expression of the company’s activities. As in the past it was the great king or pope who, through his patronage, made it possible for the artist to pro- duce his art, so now it is on the business kings that the [ 12 ] architect, painter and sculptor must very largely de- pend for opportunities to give birth to their dreams. In addition to this figure designed for the Telegraph and Telephone Building, Lachaise has modeled several statuettes, which have been cast in bronze. Perhaps the most successful of these is the figure of a girl, clothed in a dress with a voluminous skirt, seen standing, with her hands upon her hips; it is a beautiful example of Lachaise’s art. Less significant, because apparently not studied as much, and not quite as simple in its bal- anced volumes, is the full-length, very lightly draped figure of a girl, although its gracefulness makes it one of the sculptor’s most charming creations. ' Lachaise’s genius in many instances has soared to its greatest heights in his studies of animals. In these creations his love of voluptuous and swelling forms has found full play. Possessed of great style and highly decorative are both of his interpretations of peacocks. One of these, showing three peacocks, the centre one in the composition with his tail spread, is very hand- some; the other is a peacock seen perched upon a globe, forming a rich harmony of undulating forms. A group of four leaping dolphins, as well as the tail [gel of another which has disappeared under the water, is the subject of another bronze. These fish disporting themselves possess a rhythm of singular beauty. In another work the sculptor has again utilized the dol- phin, this time to form handles for a swimming pool. Also a masterpiece of stylistic animal interpretation is Lachaise’s imposing sea-lion, seen raising his head with a superb gesture above his massive body, the thick folds of fat quivering with life. In passing, let it be noted that one day we hope Lachaise will essay a study of an elephant. In another bronze the sculptor has given us a beautiful series of curves: upon a stocky horse, whose hindquarters and whose neck almost form circles, is seated a nude woman of ample proportions. The sense of rhythm in this group is as noteworthy as that in the leaping dolphins. Mien iG : es - ret aa a a a fie! vas ct Rhee 4 vine ic ; ) v < ve ¥ * de Lanier ee eo LAU paras Prine a i ay vi ‘yi a , mn bi x ' a 14)" a | a me Pd é \ 4 Ae i ‘ ah ’ aN ee ae Wait a OMA ne bh ‘. hold \ a) PIRES 10 12 13 AS at ay J rositl PAIL 14 a MEGS RTey ak gee RTS 15 LIST OF WORKS BY GASTON LACHAISE 1906-1917 Series of twenty-five small figures. 1912 Woman. Life-size figure. 1914-1920 Series of twelve bas-reliefs. 1QI7 Head of Woman. Head of Woman. Head of Woman. Leaping Dolphins. Woman on Horseback. Flying Figure. Plaque. 1918 Woman. Bas-relief. Sea-lion. Group of Three Peacocks. Woman. Bas-relief. Woman. Bas-relief. IQig La Montagne. Woman. Standing figure. Portrait of my Wife. Seated figure. Pepe Bronze Plaster Bronze Marble Sandstone Sandstone Bronze Bronze Bronze Marble Bronze Bronze Alabaster Alabaster Stone Bronze Plaster (to be cast in bronze) 1920 Head of Woman. Heroic. Marble Seated Figure of a Woman. Bronze Two Standing Peacocks. Life-size. Stone 1921 Frieze of fourteen panels for Telephone and Telegraph Building, New York. Marble Small model of figure proposed for Telephone and Telegraph Building. Plaster Flying Figures. Bronze Portrait bust of Mrs. Marie Pierce. Plaster (to be cut in marble) 1922 Dancing Children. Wood Portrait bust of Mrs. Eda Hartman Boyle. Plaster (to be cast in bronze) Portrait statuette of Mrs. B. Hartman. i: Bronze Head of Woman. Heroic. _ Marble Head of Woman. Polished bronze 1923 Four life-size figures of women. Panels. Cement Head of Woman. Marble Candelabrum. | Bronze Woman. Full-length, standing. Marble Portrait bust of Miss Kraushaar. Marble [528] hPa a A much nee version of the same subject 1919. Bie: Saou nuads El ny eae os a Woman. Bronze Sez te d : Figure of a ‘Woman. | Bronze tr | ence. of Dr. L. Pierce Clark. Plaster (é be cast in bronze) it bust of Scofield Thayer, Esq. Bronze rait statuette of Miss Marjorie Spencer. | Bronze a4 statuette of Mrs. J. Le Watson, Jr. Bronze Plaster (to be cast in bronze) ¢ eee hs 1) re Ny hbial cub Ph. Scat a J ty yA ht P> ' ‘ ; ; ; a ie Mi rey ‘ ay \ ave% ale : A oy me : . . ‘ a Ps 7 A‘ 4 A ie 20h et ib, M4 oe dye: 5 Leu oi he al are ey a d oN b on FR ww AES q fe 4 P pn WP eh rake Wik ‘ a fy i i : iss ) \ Atw , J ‘ Of this Book 400 copies sisea: printed by D. B. Updike ane The Merrymount Press, Boston “‘fune, 1924 Uniform with this Volume American Water-Colourists By A. E. Gatiatin A Critical Essay which emphasizes the importance of the work of Marin and Demuth. Whistler, Sargent, Homer, Cassatt, Hassam, MacKnight, Gay and Burchfield are among the other artists whose work 1s passed in review. EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS ‘The important event of the week is the appearance in the bookshops of an essay by A. E. Gallatin upon American water-colourists. This is a work of courage and understanding. Init the problems of the day are faced unflinchingly and the new artists are judged sympathetically. ... I believe Mr. Gallatin’s book will wake up these sleeping intellects (7.2. “official philistines”) with a vengeance. Henry McBride in New York Herald. To the serious student it is indispensable, treating as it does a phase of American art too frequently slurred by both artists and critics. San Francisco Argonaut. Mr. Gallatin’s review of the masters whom he has selected for inclusion in the volume presents a finely balanced interpretation of their art, and will enhance his already well-established reputation as a critic. The Outlook. Format by Bruce Rocers. With thirty plates, eight in colour Price, $15.00 E. P. Dutton & Company, Publishers 681 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK ee eT ITE DIP ETT TI POE TE ADEE TRY