MISS MARGARET FITCHETT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 18 (Supplement)

MISS MARGARET FITCHETT.

This young lady is one of our colonial artists, born and bred. She received her preliminary training in Dunedin, having always had a great taste for drawing, which developed &o much as to make her desire to adopt art as a serious life work. With the object of pursuing her studies in this direction she went to Dresden, which may be described as the centre of the art life of Germany. Here she became a pupil of the distinguished portrait painter, Herr Franz Kops. From Dresden she went to Paris, and entered one of the famous Julien Studios, Rue de Berri. In these studios the work is under the direction of many great artists, and each student has the privilege of choosing his or her own teacher. There are several Julien Studios all under the same professors, and the one in the Rue de Berri is for women only, the work being chiefly drawing from the nude. Miss Fitch ett's professors — MM. Bouguereau and Ferricr — were very strict, and ins\sted on

absolute attention to detail. Leaving the Julien Studio, Miss Fitchett spent some months under the tuition of M. Louis Deschamps, a leading exponent of the French impressionist school, which is now so fashionable. After this course Miss Fitchett returned for a time to her native land, but being still desirous of further study she paid a second visit to Europe, and was admitted, after examination, into the Royal Academy of Copenhagen, where she became the pupil of the well-known genre painter, Professor Vigo Johannsen. She also studied miniature painting under Mdlle. Laura Sarauw, miniaturist to the Danish Royal family, and an exhibitor at the Parisian and other Continental salons.

It is in this interesting branch of art, once so fashionable, for a long while neglected, and now again rising into favour, that Miss Fitchett is chiefly occupied at at the present time, and in which she bids fair to achieve considerable success, the delicacy and finish of the work appealing particularly to her sensitive nature.