Salt Lake Telegram | 1929-07-07 | Page 23 | Epstein Statue Jars Critics

EPSTEIN ESTEIN STATUE JARS CRITICS t 4 4 V o Stor Storm of Protest R Raised sed in in L London at Artis Artists Artist's rp e t 1 Huge Hug s Sculpture re of f Night Fay Flayed d as as' as Sparse r Di Ob- Ob Significance Sig Sig- Sig- Sig e f 0 1 cy MI MILTON ToN bRONNER R NER LONDON July Ul Eps EpsteIn Epstein Ep Ep- s 's stein eln thoi tho b A nb rn niah n. who nian-who Who WIO s seems seems' ms' ms to bo be either the the- worlds world's b best st 8 sculptor r pr or tho worlds world's worst wort depending on on tl the joint t. t of cit a view has line gone Jone and and d done ne' ne it it Every Jery time UrI Epstein unveils Epstein-unveils un unveils v Js a a a v nc new statue ft e ho starts lal of ot the tho critics In hi and about London rise ilse u up and call calI cal him gc great grent pro proclaiming proclaiming- p to the w d that he Is 15 Isa isa a genius a a and nd a 3 man of partS parts The Th r res it-of stor of the 1 critics cr cry Just aa loudly that that he he heIs Is Ii t the thC poorest sc sculptor that ted botched i up statues on n a a. l suffering long ng worl world orl l Meanwhile tho man nuan in fn th tho street takes ono one loOk JoOk some s such ch word wont as nS Gor and and g ld g goes es his hit way AGAIN DIVIDES THE CRITICS Epstein's latest work is I a a. a. a huge statue for donoZor the new v office ottice buildIng building build build- buld- buld I ing Inc of the die company which runs run's London's underground London's underground railway BYS- BYS I tem tern It is called caled Night and like lie all al of ot Epstein's other Works ivories J has It-has IU H the divided and nd tho general gereral p public bUc bewildered cl The statue shows the gigantic figure sure of or a a. a woman seated with a a aman man malt lying In her lap O One Oie e critic remarks that this statue like Uke all 1 his work vJ re receive receive ro- ro ls its share ha ot of abuse nd a abused and T-and will wl survive to b be admired d' d by by future futuro gener generations U rs s. s Another somewhat wrought up declares c o oIt It has no iio psychological cance whatever It I is a t great gret coarse object in a debase Indo Chinese style representing a a creature hal half half- Buddha mummy halt bearing upon her tier ki knee o n a corpse liko corpse lio child of ot enormous size a And Ep Epstein himself says Jf Nj the man in the tho street does docs doc not like Jko the look of or it it on his dally daily vork- vork he s alwa avert way war to can cn avert his his e eyes es In hi an any case can t the e artst artist artist- who llo considers ithe the of ot the masses L Li a a fool toof and is stultifying his ills own art art Why h ask the opinion opinIon- of ot t the man in the stet street at all al In I all 1 beauty there is an n el element ment of ot strangeness of ot unfamiliarity which ordinary o people find alarming In my uy Night there thero f is a touch of ot th the Inhuman py That is That Is appropriate to tho the vast rast t tago vague ago Idea a. a of ot night Yo You could not nol personify sucK an nn anid Id ideal a i by an a ordinary pretty ordinary pretty hum human n f figure I ITS ITS IT'S AN ANOLD OLD STORY And nd nd so s th the argument stands Meanwhile Epstein Is Js hard at nt work w rk oh on a a. a companion piece to this stal statue which stand beside Iton Ifon it If iton on on- on the tho front of ot the building and and- t wilt will wi be called cale Day D Fusses of ot this Kind are r nothing now now- for Epstein Indeed this this' one one ones Is had ha s mid mild compared wl with i some me he has has' hasha Four ou years ars ago ago for or instance admirers admirers' ad ad- a- a of ot the J late te Wl W H Hudson writer wished to erect a a bird me memorial me me- morial moral 11 In Hyde pack pk to toc c commemorate romor- romor ate to him and asked aked Epstein to make it It At A wl v whoop war of ot ot- atta attack Jt and and- derision derision- was wa let when Eistein's memorial was vas un eU unveiled There Thero were viere demands float Chat It ft be rc removed re- re moved mo from tho the park hat There Thera was even an argument about it I in par par- lament Some Sone young oung Vandals stole tolo Into nto the p park rk one one night and d daubed the thing tin with green Epstein however sta stayed e serenely unmoved ed Similarly he ho statue of ot Christ in 1920 raised a storm storm- of protest protest Many preachers were deeply d offended offend ed cd by the statue which was was' ly not not at nt all all' al like the traditional figures figures' of ot Christ Th The storm finally died down h however wever-nd wever and weer and sold the stat statue for BORN IN NEW YORK ORK Epstein was was was' l the tho New NewYork ew York Tork cast cat side In fl 1886 the the soh soil sor of Polish immigrants immigrants' Despite the thc poverty PO of ot his parents parent he went went- went through the New v York public schools and allowed such talent InIs in his ils Is art rt classes that a wealthy woman wo- wo wo woman man sent him to Paris where he lie studied under th the th famous R Rodin Completing course couro of study udy he ha no elected eJected t to make his home hom in London and In 1910 after ho lie had become well wel established he became a British citizen l From m the ithe very verb beginning his ji statues tue have nave ver j Jarred e of the critics but that ha has never bothered Epstein Epstoin When Vh r I asked him to t dIscuss dIs lK cuss tho the attacks attacks' that haVe been leveled at t his work work he growled back No and no a and d no nol I carve statues In Stoll stone I 1 have havo no time l t idea ideas Ideas- Into what passes for thu tho brains of or some ome pea peo J j V i atio al anc and Sculptor J 1 4 I 4 r F This Thi photograph shows the tho new nev ia uc Night Ngit which has hal has created such a sensation in n L London I Inset ut is is its it creator the thc sculptor sculptor Jacob Epstein t P