OUT OF SIGHT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 11049, 29 August 1896, Page 6

OUT OF SIGHT.

The true, genuine artist is too often a very sensitive creature. He has no toleration for any lack of appreciation of his work on the part of common people, and frequently his injured dignity finds vent in acts of the most extreme rashness, An artist of no small celebrity one day accepted a commission from a wealthy, though rather illiterate personage, the subject to be the Children of Israel Crossing the Red Sea. The price agreed upon was liberal, and the artist exerted himself to his utmost to produce a picture which he fondly hoped would not only please his patron, but would as well result in creating for him a certain degree of fame, a matter genius ordinarily cares more about than money. When the painting was ready the artist sent for his patron to come and inspect the work. What was his chagrin and disgust when that individual presumed to criticise the picture most unfavourably, and capped the climax by telling the artist that he certainly had but little conception of what was wanted by putting so trifling an amount of red in the Red Sea. Repressing the angry words which arose to his lips, the artist said if the gentleman would give him a few more days he would endeavour to remedy the defect. When sent for again the patron exclaimed in wonder. The artist had removed every sign of a figure from the canvas, and in the place of the sea he had put/in a heavy daub of his most brilliant red. " ‘Why, sir,” cried the patron, “what have you done? Where are the Children of Israel F” ‘ “ Oh, they have gone off into the wilderness,” calmly replied the artist. “ And where is Pharoah and his hosts ?” asked" the customer. “ Oh, they are all under the Red Sea,” yelled the painter in a rage, and he stabbed a knife blade into the very centre of the crimson blotch; “they are down there all right, and with your remarkably keen vision, perhaps you can see them if you look into this hole;” and fairly fuming with anger, the'artist quitted the room, leaving his astonished patron alone. The views contained incur portfolio of photographs are beyond all criticism. They delight equally the connoisseur in art and the masses of the people, and they prove a fund of information and instruction to all John L. Stoddard made' the selection of these views, and he describes each one in the most entertaining manner. The photographs are reproductions of all that is famous and wonderful and interesting in either ' art or nature in every quarter of the globe, and they constitute grand works on both history and geography. The photographs are 11 x 13 inches in size, and are everyone an artistic gem.- Read our “ad” in another column, and see how easy it is to obtain this valuable collection. 5848