ART AND ARTISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2265, 29 July 1897, Page 53

ART AND ARTISTS.

• . • The Royal Academy, in 1895, hang BS7 oils ; in 1596, 1016 ; while this year they hang 1083. — National Observer. . • The Archbishop of York amuses himself with painting in water-oolours. He is also — as a soldier should be, and Dr Maclagan began life in the army — a very good whip, and fond of tooling himself along behind a pair of horses in excsllent style. • . • Mr George Allen has in preparation a new complete edition of Ruskin's " Modern Painters " (uniform with the other small editions of Mr Raskin's works), containing all the matter and illustrations of tbe original, together with everything since added to subsequent editions. • . • Mr Mortimer Menpes has opened ah exhibition of his paintings and drawings of Japan at the Messrs Dowdesweil and Dowdeswell's Galleries, 160 New Bond street. There are 138 in all, of which 32 are black-and-white drawings. Mr Menpes has chosen his subjects from many aspects of Japanese life, and has successfully depicted"all ages and conditions. His colouring is marvellous, and as an impressionist he has few rivals. • . • Professor Arnold Krog, a distinguished Dane, the art director of the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Works, has arrived in London for the. purpose of studying British ceramic manufactures. Professor Krog is one of the finest flower and animal painters now living. At the express request of the Queen of Denmark he accepted the position of art director at the Copenhagen Porcelain Works some six years ago, with surprising results. He has invested a new ceramic decorator which is said to rival, and even to eclipse, the finest specimens of Japanese art. The treatment is tbe same, but the colouring is more delicate. • . • In the recent issue of a well-known monthly the auther makes a millionaire place on the table a little box wrapped up in tissue paper.' The artist draws the box apparently about six inches square. This box is to hold £50,000 in sovereigns. Fifty thousand sovereigns weigh nearly "half a ton, and fill five of the strongly-made wooden boxes in which banks remit gold. Such discrepancies are not infrequent, but they are not usually of this magnitude, and a correspondent draws attention to it as being quite a literary and artistic curio. • . • Mr G. A. Storey, A.R A., gives the following account of how he came to paint his picture, " Only a Rabbit." He had been shooting all day with Mr Thomas Agnew, and the latter had missed everything he had fired at, until near night, when he killed n small rabbit. " Tom, how much do you think that rabbit cost you 1 " asked the artist. Mr Agnew gave it up, but the other totted it up and found that it came to a considerable sum. "It will cost you more than that yet," said Mr Storey ; and it did, for he some time afterwards sold Mr Agnew the painting which had been suggested by the event for £300. • . • Miss Lucy Kemp Welch, whose wonderful picture, " Colt-hunting in the New Forest," attracted so much attention at the private view of the Royal Academy, is one of Professor Herkomer's Busbey pupi|s. The canvas has been bought by the Chantrey Bequest for £525. This is the first time a woman's work has been chosen for the honour.- This accomplished young lady has made the study of horses peculiarly her own. She has learnt something of their anatomy in the Christchurcb Hospital for Sick Horses ; and, notsbook in hand, she has made sketches of them in every conceivable position. Last year her Academy picture, " Summer Drought in the New Forest," was sold for 200 guineas. . • "Do all my victims obj«ct to the caricatures I make of them ? " says a cartoonist. " I don't think so — at least, as a general rule, but there are many notable exceptions. You pee, a great number of them can appreciate the joke, provided that the picture does not offend against good taste, though of course some folk are so thin-skinned as to take offence at anything. But the most amusing point in connection with my work is the way in which my victims often declare that they cannot possibly possess the personal peculiarities made fun of, when these very peculiarities are all the time most visible and palpable to everybody but themselves." • . • M. Benjamin Constant says the Duchesse d'Alercon asked him for a sketch for her stall at the bazaar. He hates " martyrdoms," and would never paint an auto-da-fe. As he was turning in his head subjects for his sketch, the servant announced a model — a fair, strong, and interesting country girl. During an interval in the sitting the model, with her head to one side, leant with her hands behind her against a pole. " What a Joan of Arc at the stake ! " exclaimed the artist. He rapidly painted the martyrdom of Joan of Arc, which he had never done in his life before, with her hands tied and her eyes raised to heaven. Next day he framed it, and was taking it to the Duchesse, when he learned that she had lost her life in the awful furnace. M. Constant believes that his pencil was guided by another hand than his own.

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