Rogers, The American Sculptor

1 s hut ii i'.:W ve;irs sinee uur wnintrymttfl Irst eominenceVi ihe Btudy f soulpUii'o. If Greenougii und Gniwford, had iived, they would suarci ly vel have rií i-lu'il tlie mtiridinn of life Poivere, ievo, is of ubout the amé age. - All) "f i i-Milv all, are Mili youiig, and Ktill udyaht'iiig In nttuiutncnU nul rep matton. Yct wp buve lVftdy ufeured in tlii.-!, perhupd highest f the avts, iho very Iront rank of fume, Cruwli n! tiist, Itecame widely known bv hls tino tatuó of Orpheiis, 1 hen folio wed iitunerínín other work o( furj-(issiog boautv, ard 1 : : s t of all his gruod fuiIUiil"OH fU' tho pudimoDt tf aar natioiütl ('a iio], au! thu cjUL'Striitn t-tatuc of Wibingtr-ii. At Üie timo of Cra ford's nnst ffíú and premature doath, Pnwei'd htd nlremiy won a oikl widu futim. his Greek Slave was m wondeiful lor beauty, as Crawford's Washington frgrfideur. l(1or iill the q 'ïjiil-iiliiy, grandeur and beauty, all corr.bined, we think the Brst placo attioti'g Amen oo n sculptcrs ia i.ow ctneedcd to our own Michigan BCtllptof, I ï :i t; "!] -tl Rogera. We claim tbirfstill youbg :un.i rismg artist for Michigan, on t'tiu ground thut he v;s biouglit to iMlv 8tato in chilrlhood, and tiist (i.)-li'. d his gifta for are while living; ut Alin Avbor. His tirst atteiiipt at Fculptui e hl maible was n head f ByrrtffJ iibwh he chiselcd at once out of the blode, without thu usual procese if-lomiiiifí his mode] previously in dny, and '.vhicb exliibited luch markg of arlistic ptVwër tb at he was soon furnished wltti me;.i:' by some generous frienda for prt'ènting the stüdy of gpulpiure ín Floféirtie and lio;ne. Crawford and Powers had iJready, for several yeans, been ulablished in Italy, and stood anioi.g ho best iculptora of Europa. Rogers was Uindiy received and e., ■... d by the.-e two noble ni'mded men; and SÍvoted himself with enthusiasm to Lis art, His wovkfc oon betan to appear, and beeanie lavqrably known lor real originality and power. Hestudied tho principies of the art i:s exhibited in tho great works of aneieut and InodèAi eculpture, liutin the design, in the general conception, and in thu details of his sta'ues, there was no shivish imitation. They were purely modern, individua], and to a great extent, ntitional; such as it modern, and on Aim ■r;i:an sciilpior could have desizned. }'■: has not re-produceil oíd w rk-i Undef mW naines ; such as eur statues of Washington in the Roman tojya, or oi:r Stift'draped or nudo Vemises, nnder Uie tiUo of "dancing gills," '♦Floran," aucl f'nynipbí.'" He has studiud the sreao masters, hut i;pt ponjed tlietn. Jle htiü tílled his irmgination, as Uiev did, v.i'.Í! all that is most beaulif'id and best a'jiij)ted to hi.-i Ort in actual living faces and forms. 4-ir.ong his stut lies the v::u most remai l;ab)e for fThntss of design, for expredsivontss and 'atiios, ;u:d for perfect finish of execmion, is ihu Nydia,or Blind FIorVGr3of Pomjucü, tbat most beauiifi;! cbal'acter ilelinented by Bujwer in the "I.ast J):iys of I'ompeii." Wo will not dv, cil at pivtLüt upon the peculiar nieiits of this work, ks if v.'ilj soon be exhibited in this citv, and we propose then to cali more particular attentiou to t. We will onlv say that copies of it have been in Btich demand thut the sculptor has found difïio'.iltv n retaining one for anv entlx of tirno in his studio for eshibitidtj. Iiut the grandest ;itid must oiiginal of all the efforts of KwgeFs is the bat.relief design of' the great Bronze dtKfra for the Gitpitol at Washington. TI. is has just been completed, the dovs havini hut recently buen cast at Mi and have not vet arriyed in our yjrit'fy. The artist has promised our Univi . Museum a copy in piaster of (hé mv'n on which is repraeented the hu, ding t Columbas, the most beautiiul psrt bf the design nbové íieriíiónt'd. Ehboorate anieles have uppeared n ihe European papera eulogiziiig in fhe bigtièst terms this mnguiticent work. whicli they characterize as the iiist of s clasö sin je the design of the fampua brotrtiö doors at F'wrence prior to the timu üt Michael Angelo. An apJication huu been fljade, or will be made to our goi erntnent,'lor the eshihition of lias L :t and noblest work of Bogers at tne itppi-iftching World's Fair in London - The invenlivenesn, varipty, gnice, beauty, and most oí uil the real grandeur and süblimity of' thia Splendid iii?torical sculp.ure, uill place our Miuhigan ártist anlODg the viry foremi si uf't'he present age. One who sáw Üie rnoilel can well undorstand the setisatiou prpduced by this destgD) roaüjíi d apon a much enlarged soale, in the mugnifioeut material of bronze, vhun it was so strikiiigly beautiful in tl:a iiiere elay. Ttie triends o! Mr. Jy;er at Ííoiüíí will l)L' {ji'lad to kniiW uilh sl;:t i.voi!i ia wurks are legarded iu Eu!uj.k', ;. well as in Aiüerica. O. e i f his slatui's has lalely been purchased by the G rand üuchess Maiiu, of Kuiisia,, a;id pl.-cl by the Emperor 'm the gallsry ui' fct. Peterxburg. He has executt ■ ;; gpoup fur a lís-i;.n nohic::::::! Wfiiding in l'.iris. The sad and buuutiful Hünd üii-1 has fulind a pedestal jiot onjy i: eral private colleciions óf Rurope, liut liso, lig ivu loul"ü, in tllíí Liiiteii Si;:tbJ and ('anada. We hope to sce soiru' duy in Michigan a complete collect4U oi' the past and future, oí EpgërSi (J has a galk'ry tilled tlth ihe stuiii:;rv ol her Pradier ; Coponhagan the pitlbeptknof hor great Tho-H ahjsen; lj.;s;i"i bas the painlings of Washington .'■:- ston gaiheid togvliw in icr AtlioMpam. Such an idea eau be eati'v realizad if we begin in seasoji.