Art Treasures to Be Seen at St. Louis
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WK8T PAVILION. ART PALACE,
ST. I.OUIS WORLD'S FAIR-200x422 FEET THE FOUR BUILDINGS OF THE ART GROUP CONTAIN 135 GALLERIES.
T
HE rllmnx of the architectural
scheme of the IiulnJanti Purchase
exposition Is fiiurx in tho Hull of
Festivals nml Colonnade r Statin
Cascades, with the Palace of Art
lying beyond thu summit of the hill whoso
crest Is crowned by the Colonnade. It Is
evenly feet rise fiotn the level of the
grail d bnsln in front of thu Cascades to
the brow of the hill where the Hall of Fes
tlvulH stands with the scml-cJrcular colon
irndo extending upon each Bide and ter
minating In ornate restaurant pavilions.
The Art Palace Is upon a somewhat
tilgher level, but an the Colonnade Is sixty
feet high and the H.ill of Festivals Is 200
feet to the top of Its dome, these struc
tures will partially screen the Art Puluce
from the view of tho visitor who looks
toward it from the main court of the ex
position. Rut the main portion of the Art
Palace in a permanent structure and when
the Louisiana Purchase exposition has
passed Into history and the fleeting crea
tions of btaff have disappeared there will
not be complete ruin and desolation, for
upon the highest level of the plateau, Ilk
the Parthenon upon the Acropolis, a noble
edifice will remain, the most conspicuous
and beautiful object in nil the landscape
lasting reminder of the glory of the
World's fair of 1901.
Mr. Cans Gilbert, the architect both et
the Festival hall and the Pulace of Arts,
lias so planned the latter structure that
It will admirably serve tho purposo In view.
Its spare will afford from a vast collection
of treasures of art, such as will be gathered
within Its walls during the exposition
period, and when that Is over and the col
lection has dwindled to the size of a per
manent exhibition for the city of St. Louis,
the temporary 'parts of the structure may
be removed and a building harmonious In
outline and majestic In proportions will
be left for a gallery of art that may be
Visited by many generations yet to come.
The Art palace really consists of a
group of four structures occupying the
sides of a square. A sculpture pavilion
occupies the south side. The central liulld
Ing Immediately behind the Festival hall
Is constructed of stone. It Is the perma
nent part of the Art building and stands
sufllclently near the edge of the hill to
Rain tho advantage of such a position when
the temporary structures now screening it
have gone the way. of most exposition
Structures.
The group faces north and Is (CO feet
long. The length of the central or perma
nent building is 360 feet, and this Is con
structed of gray limestone with decora
tions of marble, bronze and color. The
two temporary buildings are also built
of masonry and are flreprnofed. Tho Sculp
ture pavilion has a framework of steel, and
will le substantially fireproof. This pa
vilion was designed by Mr. Emmanuel
I Mas(iueray.
The enclosing walls of the building on the
east utid west sldo of the space thus en
closed, known ie?pectlvely as the Italian
wall and th Spanish wall, provide broad
Surfaces overhung with very high project
ing cornices, and upon these spaces are to
be placed objects of special artistic inter
est such ns fragments of ancient sculpture,
rich carvings, color, terra cotta and
enamels of the renaissance period. In
other words, they will constitute an out
door exhibit. The enclosed space is to be
made Into a garden, a quiet and reposeful
spot, sheltered from the general clamor
and movement of the exposition, and filled
with beautiful exotic plants and adorned
with such sculpture ae may be suitable for
outdoor exhibition. Fountains, seats and
arbors will abound, making the whole
scene an example on a small scale of what
may lie done in artistic gardening.
It la a subject for congratulation that
moat of the sculptural decorations of this
ax position building are to be of permanent
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DOORWAY LEADING TO COURT, EAST PAVILION, WORLD'S FAIR ART
PALACE.
character. They will not perish when the
staff figures crumble Into dust, as they will
bo of marble, bronze and limestone. The
sculptors selected to model these works are
among the foremost artists of America,
and knowing that their work was to be per
manent they have bestowed upon It spe
cially painstaking care. As the Art build
ing Itself 1b strictly classic in style the
scheme of sculpture is, in conformity to the
classic spirit. On each side of the main
entrance uro seated figures, one represent
ing sculpture and executed by Daniel Ches
ter French, and the other representing
painting and executed by Louis St. Gau
dens. Above the main portico, with its
imposing Corinthian columns, are ' six
statues, representing the six great periods
of art, as follows: "Classic Art." by F. E.
Elwell; "Gothic Art." by John Oelert;
"Oriental Art." by Henry Llnder; "Egyp
tian Art," by Albert Jaegers; "Renaissance
Art." by Carl Tefft; "Modern Art." by C.
F. Ilamann. In general it may be said of
these figures that they possess much grace
and beauty and portray in a feeling man
ner the spirit of the respective periods of
art they are intended to represent.
Mr. A. Phlmlster Proctor has executed
two bronie grifrlna which are effectively
ustxl as ornamentations on lih?r end of
the main pediment as its baso. At the top
of the pediment is placed a figure c&'.led
"Inspiration." by Andrew O'Connor, whose
work for St. Bartholomew's church, New
York, has recently won him such high
praise.
Near each end of the front portion of
the central structure Is a great niche. On
one is placed a seated figure by Charles
Grady representing "Truth," and In the
other a corresponding figure by Philip
afartiny typifying "Nature." The fly last
named figures are glided. A go'.den note is
to be put in here and there on alt the
structures and decorations of Art hill, in
cluding the Festival hall, Colonnade and
Cascades.
In the frieze of the main Art building are
placed thirty-two medallions In 1 mestone,
containing portraits of tl3 great archlttct,
painters and sculptors. Theso have been
executed by Georgo T. Brewster and O.
PietirllU. Tho full list of these medallions
Is as follows: Phidias, Ectlnus, Botticelli,
Giotto, Michelangelo, Raphael, Pdl'ad o,
Leonardo da Vinci, Brunellefchl, Donatello,
Titian, Delia Kobbla, Bramante, Durer,
Holbein, Rembrandt, Rubena, Velasquej,
Cellini, Richard M. Hunt, Augustus St.
Gaudens, John Ia Farce. The Interme
diate figures surrounding the base of the
building are to be replicas from the an
tique. Noble and majestic and beautiful as this
building with its decorations will be, yet
after all It is the contents of the build
ing in which the public will be most in
terested. While little as yet can bo said
as to the details of the art exhibit, the
general plan may be described and a
glimpse can be afforded of what may be
expected. Perhaps the most notable and
significant fact to be noted relates to the
exhibit of works in applied art along with
paintings and sculpture. In other word
the traditional distinction, between so
called "fine art" and "industrial art" has
' at least been abolished for the first time
at a great American World's fair. Doubt
less In years to come the art world will
look back at this as marking an import
ant step in the evolution of art and thank
Prof. Halsey, chief of the Art department,
and his associate, Charles M. Kurts, Ph.
D., of New York, for making this decision.
Speaking of tbe cbange from former
methods of classification Prof. Ives "has
said: "It Involves a recognition of- the
fact that there should be no distinction
between the various forms of art expres
sion other than that dependent upon
qualities of inspiration and technique. All
art work, whether on canvas or In marble,
plaster, metal, porcelain or other material.
Is considered equally worthy in proportion
as it Is deserving of respect from these
standpoints."
In regard to the periods to be repre
sented in the exhibit Prof. Ives says: "In
the Department of Art there will be two
general divisions, contemporaneous and re
trospective. Works in the contemporan
eous division will be such as have been
produced since 1892. The close of the per
iod covered by the contemporaneous ex
hibit of the Chicago exhibition of 193.
All works In the contemporaneous division
are eligible to compete for awards. The
retrospective division will include works
produced between 1803 and 1892 or the pro
duction of artists who lived within this
period whose works Influenced the devel
opment of the art of the past century.
In the United States section the division
devoted to especially interesting works
borrowed from institutions and private .
owners will cover periods other than the
above. In this division it is desired to
exhibit only masterpieces of the highest
artistic character."
In regard to the classification including
works in what has been called "Industrial
art" it may be well to quote the words of
Trof. Ives to the effect that "the classifi
cation of the department of art Includes
paintings, cart Kins, drawings, architecture,
Sculpture, decoration and original objects
of art workmanship."
The latter distinction is important. Works
of industrial art which are reproductions
by other hands or the results of mechanical
processes will not be admitted. These may
be exhibited in the department of liberal
arts.
As already noted there will be an inter
national sculpture pavilion, and there will
also be special galleries for the Installation
of models of buildings, sculptural and
mural decorations, wood carvings, mosaics,
en.
Works by United States artists will be
admitted to the department of art by.
various Juries of selection chosen from
those who ore believed to be most com
petent to judge of the merits of the works
offered for exhibition. Works of foreign
artists will be admitted only through the
government commission or national com
mittee of the country to which the artist
belongs, or which has In charge the recep
tion and return of such wcrks of art.
The prospect for a worthy display of the
best works In each of the art-producing
countries of tho world is most gratifying.
Prof. Ives has undertaken two trips abroad
in the interest of the exhibit and the re
sponse from foreign artists has been
hearty, while the home artists have re
sponded equally well. The section devoted
to the art of the United States promises to
bo a revelation as to the progress made in
the last ten years. Nineteen different coun
tries have applied for space and will make
exhibits in this department.
The fact that Prof. Ives and Dr. Kurts,
chief and assistant chief respectively of
the department of art, occupied similar
positions In the art department of the Co
lumbian exposition at Chicago, and have
been in close touch with the art world dur
ing the ten years intervening, is ample as
surance of the success of this branch of the
Louisiana Purchase exposition.
Prof. Ives is a native of New York state,
having been born at Havana, now Montour
Falls. N. Y., In 1847. At the age of 17 he
entered the government service as a
draughtsman. This was during the war off
the rebellion. He afterwards studied art
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