A MODERN MINIATURE PAINTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11886, 9 May 1899, Page 2

A MODERN MINIATURE PAINTER.

(Woman at Home.) To be able] by her own unaided effort’, to reach a position of : eminence in-such a profession as that of. miniature, painting, argues the possession of genius of no mean order. This is what Miss Amalia Kussner has done, for already, though still a very young girl, she has‘arrived at what must be the zenith of her fame, since she receives for her miniature portraits a sum which seems almost fabulous when compared with the remuneration received by Cosway and the other great artists of his time, about a century ago.

Miss Kussner had the good fortune to he independent as far as means went. As a child she loved pictures and painting. Aniong her special favourites were a few old family miniatures, and these she would pore over for hours and hours. Sho was, puzzled to discover how the delicate, striking effect could ever have been achieved in such a limited space, - and with such tiny, almost imperceptible touches. When at last her ambition was fired to excel in the same way, it does not seem to have occurred to ner that some teaching was necessary to achieve her purpose. How she'simply bought the necessary media, and began to devote all her time to solitary study] assimilating, as though by instinct, chira-oscuro, and deep rich feeling of colour, reads almost like a fairy-tale. Something she learnt, no doubt, from eminent French masters ; for at this time there was a revival of miniature painting in France, and a. few miniatures had appeared in that year’s Paris. Salon. Even had she wished to learn the cut-and-dried rules of her art, there was no one who could have taught her ; and long afterwards, when her name and fame lia-d been made, a group of art critics agreed in declaring that if such results could be obtained without it, then art tuition was indeed a failure.

Months and months the child (for she was then little more) wrestled with the difficulties which lay in her way. A-t last patience and perseverance triumphed,%s they will ever do, and she was able to produce a tiny portrait, which was so successful that her friends assured her that it only remained now for her to become known to gain all she could wish of success.

Then, as now, it was only the leaders of society who could give her the opening she wanted, for miniature-painting is necessarily very costly, because so difficult an art, and she could only hope to obtain a high price for her pictures by becoming the fashion; since unrecognised merit is always sure to blush unseen, and from time immemorial nothing has ever, succeeded like success. Having only this one, miniature to show, sl'.e obtained on introduction to a lady in -New York, who not only had .wealth and power, but also artistic appreciation. ;This letter she tool: with the miniature herself, and sent, up her name, hoping against hope, and fearing,’ too, for, the lady was one of the most t-vdusive women in New York. However, she was the beauty of the miniature which Miss Kussner sent up to her that' she admitted the young artist to her presence;' and gave her an order forthwith. Thereafter Miss' Krssner’s future career was assured. For tbi very first order she executed she received ',360. Now she is refusing many orders os-£2OO apiece. Miss Kussner’s miniatures are done entirely from life, and sl-fl prefers to have some previous acquaintance, with -her sitter before she commences the picture. If this is impossible—as it sometimes is in the height of the season —slm herself, with different photos of hev sitter, and so studies her from different pants of view, that at last she becomes pe|aeated with the personality, and can • transfer all its prettiest features on To the fligile little oval ivory, into which the warn? colours seem to melt and really come to Ife, so true are they in likeness, so vividly cfear, yet so soft and so fine, that every delicits blue vein and every soft flush can be.se-ju in the white flesh; and there is nut‘onl| depth and beauty in The eyes, but a chanfcteristic expression. She. has .painted"-jbmc of the loveliest ■.women in .•. .'America, among others,' Madame von Andre, Miss Maud Wilson, Mis Arthur Page!, Miss Muriel. Wilson, Ladv Warwick, Lady Dudley, the Duchess of Marlborough and Lady Naylor-Leyland. Her fame penetrated even to Marlborough House, and the Prince.of Wales sent for her to paint his portrait, as a birthday gift to the Princess. He was so delighted with her work that he presented her with a model of his horse Persimmon in diamonds, with the jockey on his back, done in red and blue enamel, to represent bis racing colours. Miss Kussner is artistic in everything. She never paints her sitters in conventional dress, her favourite method being simply a cloud of tulle veiling the shoulders, and either with or without a cluster of roses nestling in the dainty folds. No jewellery of any kind appears, though a ribbon or a rose in the hair is sometimes. permitted. Thus her pictures are true classics, and, as true art, represent all time. Miss Kussner is unhappy' unless she is surrounded by beautiful objects. She herself is a charming person, with short curls of jet-black hail', inherited from her Spanish mother, and deep grey eyes, with dark brows and lashes, and has, above all, a very taking manner. Her bedroom in the, Windsor Hotel, New York, is a dainty chamber, furnished with pure white furniture, with hangings of rosecoloured brocade. Her studio is white and pale green, the only vivid colour being her own studio dress, which is rather Oriental in design, with rich embroideries and jewelled belt; ■ while her drawing-room is very tiny, but ■ delightfully dainty, and furbished ■with softly shaded pink lisrhts, luxurious lounges, and everywhere beautiful ornaments, daintily-bound books’, and always a profusion of flowers. Her fourth room is an embryo picture gallery, with as yet only four pictures ori its walls, 'but' each of these is a. chef d’ceuvre, including a Millet, a Corot, and a Puvis de Ciiavannss. Here, too, stands an exquisite Cupid in white marble, and there is a clever bronze figure, while the only piece of furniture in this room is a settee, where you can sit and discuss the four pictures. It is her ambition to have a collection of old miniatures, and particularly one of Cosway’s exquisitely lovely ivories, but this is an impossibility, since every one of that artist’s masterpieces lias -found its way into well-known art collections, and cannot be obtained for love or money. .j

Miss Kus'ner has made her mark in society as-■well as in art, for; such is her charm that her sitters become: her friends, as is proved by a little autograph book which she keeps for the photos and signatures of all the lovely women she has painted. At present she has more engagements than she can fulfil in New York, Sf Petersburg, Vienna and London, and she spends a portion of the year in each of these four great centres.

FREEWHEELS. ; Amongst the numerous articles that have flooded English magazines on the latest cycling craze, one of the best is from the pen. of “Itinerant,” in “Bicycling News,” from whose account it would appear that there are some delightful aspects to the science of free wheeling. He writes :—lt is a good season of the year to try' free wheels, because you get such a charming variety of riding. Accordingly I have been doing a good many miles on a couple of samples which have been kindly lent, and naturally I have had a few adventures. Free wheels are all right when you know ’em—but you’ve got to know ’em first! Don’t forget that, all you who are novices. ■When somebody else lends you a machine so fitted, forsake the busy haunts of men for a brief period, and become a sort of temporary hermit or hermitess. (Is that right?) You don’t require to he away long; but comparative solitude is absolutely necessary for a beginner. If there should be many things in the way you are in danger of knocking ’em over, and you. may knock pieces off yourself and your jiggen The machine has a'very “free”'Avay. Used as you may . have been to back-pedalling, it is •funny at first to start doing it when your. feet are still; and if there should i>o a lion in the path, or a cow, or an ass, or peradventure a human, it may be bad for any of these animals.

But the sensation of sailing about with the wind behind you along the levels or down.little hills without an effort is nothing short of glorious; but keep your hand upon the tiller, and don’t let go the pauiter too recklessly, for the “ way ” a machine will get on under these conditions on a smooth slope is so intoxicating and so much like flying that one almost forgets the inexorable law of gravitation., and the intense rapidity with which one approaches crawling objects. Keep your weather eye open, make allowances for distance, steer in a bee-line, and the freedom of this fun is more exhilarating than I can write. It is altogether superior to the “ coasting ” generally done by shoving your more or less extensive tootsies on rests. There is no wobbling or swerving; none of that put-your-hcart-in-your-mouth kind of sensation which sometimes flutters you, so to speak, when thereis so much of you horizontal.with the saddle.

It is a graceful, gliding, sliding, slipperiness through the air, which is most delightful, and you have ever a thorough commandof your machine. There is no dreadful jerk of V front brake, which may oscillate you in a manner violent enough, to bring on the jim-jams; but a gentle downward pressure with the foot in a natural position, and you may, please yourself if you are doing two or twenty miles an hour. There is no doubt that this kind of freedom will be .a great inducement to the popularity of free wheels and pedals, and that it has very many pleasures lam not going to deny; But there are reasons why riders should be careful, and I will name a few. I have already mentioned that care should be taken, eren by experienced riders, when free pedals' are first used, but the knack' of Ihe thing comes to you. very easily, and it would be an exaggeration to call it an art. Free wheels are all right so long as' they are made by first-class firms and fitted by first-class workmen. /’

They will never be very cheap and dependable ; and it is to be hoped that the jerry builders will let them severely alone, or there will be a decrease in the wheeling population before long. One shudders to think what would' happen if something locked or the back-pedalling arrangement failed to act at. a critical moment; and those who intended to go in for free pedals in the coming season should not fail to make enquiries, or, study the cycling journals. Avoid the gears thkt will not get to work immediately, for there is nothing so annoying as whizzing your feet round in the effort to get something to catch, and then to find the machine gradually slowing up, and ultimately the rider to flop off sideways. If you are in the habit of dismounting from a rising pedal slacken your speed to: a walking pace before doing so, or you’ll fiud yourself horizontally mixed up with your machine, and this means scratched bark and bad bruises. At least, it did in my case. Those back-pedalling brakes go on with a terrific jerk if you jump off at speed.

One doesn’t' know that there is a tremendous lot of advantage in a free wheel; but it undoubtedly heightens the pleasures of cycling; and if the gears will stand the racket of hard wear, they are sure to be very extensively used. That, of course, remains to be proved. To those people who i are not overburdened with this world s goods, and who already possess a good bicycle, there is no occasion for them to yearn after free wheels. ’ As I have said before, it helps the firm and is a new sensation; but it should nob be forgotten that it does not increase the speed by lessening the work, and cyclists of all denominations may be as happy and contented—beyond the human desire to be as good as or better , than their neighbours—on the ordinary type of safety. Without entering into minute details, it may he said that the two great advantages of free wheels are ease and rest in coasting ■ (I am quite aware that many cyclists do not consider it an advantage to keep the legs still when' descending hills, as they aver' it stiffens the muscles), and its undoubted lessening of the dangers of side-slip. When • you get.used to the free running, it is very satisfactory to find yourself running over i creasy places where aforetime you did so in trepidation. If you have well-blown-up ■ tyres and a decent nerve you will very seldom come to grief on free pedals from this ■ cause. The sudden jerk to wheels by back- • pedalling is a most prolific source of sidei slip. That’s how it is that confident people : seldom come to grief; Free wheels will give ■ you confidence. I don’t say, mind you, that ! you will not skid, because everybody does ■ that more or less; but I honestly believe, : after many experiments in slippery places, s that with free pedals you are safer. One more little advantage : It makes you ankle better, and keeps your chain tight when tlie work has to be done. You will he surprised how even and regular your pedalling will become, even though you may have imagined that you were nearly perfect in that particular before. The only real disadvantages that I can see are the possible dangers in congested places and the initiative awkwardness of dismounting. These may possibly lead to smashes in crowded thoroughfares, and on the firstblush free pedals do nob seem desirable for town riding, though personally I have found no inconvenience.