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1911
BY MAUDE I. G. OLIVER.

The most recent triumph which has fallen to the lot of that gifted young sculptor,George Gray Barnard, is his commission to execute the Frederick H. Alms Lincoln Memorial at Cincinnati.  The competition, which consisted originally of work from twenty-seven prominent sculptors, was decided last Monday in favor of Barnard.  From twenty-seven the number of contestants had been narrowed down to five, and later fell between Mr. Barnard and Gurtzon Borglum before the committee voted finally in acceptance of the model entered by Barnard.

Mrs. Frederick H. Alms is erecting the work at a cost of $100,000 in memory of her husband.  The site upon which the monument will stand has not yet been determined, but it probably will be settled between two places in Eden Park.

The French people are unstinted, even extravagant, in their praise of one whom they deem worthy of their admiration.  Their eulogies of George Gray Barnard are no exception to this rule.

In Le Siecle of Paris for June 3 appeared the following interesting account of the late disagreements among the French critics concerning the present exhibition of Barnard's groups for the Harrisburg statehouse:

THE MEDAL OF HONOR
for Sculpture at the Salon.
HOMAGE TO AN AMERICAN 
SCULPTOR.

Having ceased to be nationalists in politics, are we upon the point of becoming the same in matters of art?  An incident has been raised before the jury of sculptors of the Artistes Francaise upon the occasion of the awarding of one of the gold medals for this year.  Among the works, whose unquestioned power called forth universal admiration, one must note, standing unequaled, the two magnificent groups by the American, George Gray Barnard, which were ordered by the state of Pennsylvania for its capitol.

At the time of the recent visit in Paris by former President Roosevelt, he went expressly to the Grand Palais to view these groups and, as he stood before them, was unable to repress his enthusiasm.  "I perceived," said he, "two symbols as the general plan, and they oppose each other in supreme contrast.  One represents humanity arrested and dominated by debasing error.  The other is humanity advancing, inspired by the principle of work and brotherhood.  These groups are my ideal of that which should decorate a capitol and they realize sculpturally what should constitute the ideal of the next generation.  I am proud of this work, proud, three times proud."

Former President Roosevelt was not mistaken.  Since the installation of Barnard's groups under the cupola of the Grand Palais, they have been viewed with expressions of surprise and wonder by the French artists best qualified to judge.  "They are magnificent," declared Rodin to Mr. Baker, United States ambassador (the one whom Roosevelt called 'Bob')."  "As beautiful as the most beautiful Grecian epoch." affirmed M. Boucher, author of "La Terre" and of the "Trois Coureurs du Luxembourg."  "We needed just such an example to cause an awakening of the Salon."

The officials, themselves, though slow to admit it, finally found their lost fervor.  M. Bonnat confessed that the lesson was "profitable."  Said M. Mercier, "only the greatest honors could fitting crown such a work," and he requested that the jury name the author corresponding member of the Societe for America.  As for M. Jean Paul Laurens, he employed a happy simile: "We are all here in the salon like small lumps of color in a box.  By the force of rubbing together and wearing off one upon another, we have so lost our individualities, that the creation of a work of power and youth like this one is not now at our command.  Through the energy of the New World's blood, Barnard has returned to a true style."

Finally, in order to gather a judgement upon the work as a whole, we addressed ourselves to M. Hippolyte Lefebvre, who has received the Grand Prix of Rome and the medal of honor of the salon, having executed the touching group, "The Young Blind Girls," which one may see at the Luxembourg Museum.  He kindly responded by the following letter:

"PARIS, June 17, 1910.  Sir:-You have asked my opinion of the great American sculptor, George Gray Barnard, and my particular impression of the heroic groups exhibited this year at the Salon of the French artists.  Permit me, being neither critic nor writer, to stand solely upon the ground of art-that is to say, to give you but the judgement of a competent man-leaving to others the care of reciting biographical notes, beginnings and ups and downs of fortune and incidents of all sorts, which have not been lacking in the career of this great artist before he arrived at his present position.

"A single glance backward is necessary.  Divined by his master, Cavelier, as early as 1894 (at the time of the appearance of his group, "Two Natures," which brought him such lofty praise in the French press and honor in America), George Gray Barnard had his career predicted in a few words, as follows:

"Returning from the sculptor's studio with our master, Cavelier, after expressing my admiration, he said to me:  'You are right.  One thinks of Michael Angelo and Phidias on seeing his work.  He starts on the right foot.'

"Knowing this man, frank, sincere and passionate, I replied:  'My dear master, his heart is equally high, he will go far.' predicting thus not alone the success of one group, but of the artist's entire career.

"We have not been disappointed, for if George Gray Barnard is the greatest American artist, he is then without contradiction the greatest sculptor in the entire world, and the impression produced by these groups the first time I saw them I expressed in a few words, as follows:  'Great style, great conception, great artist.'

"When the French sculptor, accustomed to more delicacy in the rendering of his models and accustomed to an act more seductive to the eye, takes the trouble to view these works, he is thrilled.

"In this colossal effort the observer finds rare benefit and reads simply the great and beautiful plans, which recall Grecian art and Phidias.  I do not urge this, for it has been discussed, and, whether one is willing to admit it or not, whether one has admiration or reserve, it is, however, true, that the blow has been struck.  We must submit to it and find in our experience the ties that bind this American to Latin culture.  The genius is American, the talent is French, the culture is French, with all our studies upon Grecian and Italian art of the Renaissance.

"I claim, then, for my illustrious master, Cavelier, and for my country the part that is due them in this triumph.
"Hippolyte Lefebvre."

AFter such illustrious witnesses, we sincerely demand, does not the Societe des Artistes Francais owe a gold medal to George Gray Barnard?  Eighteen members of the jury were at first of this mind, but  a certain camerilla, called "Free Society," which has undertaken the task of protecting exclusively artists of French nationality, opposed this act of justice, and Mr. Barnard, learning of this wrote to the jury declining all distinction.

Is there not indeed glory enough for French contemporaneous sculptors to allow us to magnanimously gather in the young celebrities who are the product of French culture?  And what wrong shall they who refuse not do to France and the sister republic by a proceeding so mean?  (Translated by Livy Leo Lazelle.)

Possibly no department of art study pos-