ART AND ARTISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1852, 20 May 1887, Page 34

ART AND ARTISTS.

A statute of La Salic, the first explorer of the great lakes and the Mississippi river, and the founder of the French colony in Louisiana, is to be placed in the Cathedral at Rouen.

Daniel Huntington, president of the National Academy of Design, has jugt finished what he considers one of the most important works of his life. It is a large allegory illustrating the text "Justice and Mercy have kissed each other." Justice, a large armour-clad figure, seated on a golden throne, holds Mercy to her left side. In her right hand is a sword. The contrast in the figures" consists in making Justice a severe and massive brunette and Mercy a younger, more delicate and fair-haired girl.

A' French gentleman who is intimately acquainted with Meissonier tells me that the old man is growing more and more morose and, ill : natured with the passage of years. He no longer paints as he used to do, and he fully realises the fact, but his pecuniary situation is such that he must go on producing inferior works, literally because he cannot afford to lay aside his brush. " What !" I exclaimed, "after the vast sums that have been paifl for his pictures in later years, can lie possibly be in want of money 1" " Madame," made answer my informant, " he is the most extravagant of men. If he were paid £10,000 for a picture on Monday, he would proceed to spend £5000 on Tuesday." Paris letter.

Eosa Bonheur's latest painting is called " A Picnic Party." The figures are those of a fox with a family of three cubs discussing a freshly killed rabbit. The crafty mother is looking round to see that the picnic pa.rty is not observed. As she turns her head her penetrating eyes meet those of the spectator and seem to defy his interference. The picture bears the date of 1883, but was, in fact, but recently completed, the rabbit having been the last painted. Mdle Bonheur commenced this work at Nice in 1883 as a commission from Mr Gambart. It has been altered from time to time in accordance with suggestions, and the design was till recently hindered by difficulties which the artist encountered in finding a wild rabbit exactly suited to the artist's ideas. The rabbit is the strong point of the picture, being painted wibh admirable fidelity, while the cubs, each a character portrait of their dam, seem to be a perfect type of ferocious cunning.