ART AND ARTISTS

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 78

ART AND ARTISTS

»In spit© of the universal appreciation for ' the products of ihe i paincer\genius, a good deal of surprise exists, even among cul- 1 tured people, that paintings should so often represent extraordinary; -'monetary values. .This point of vitrtv-*ss- well illustrated by an anecdote -of *. Johnf-Bright."^ One. day, when r the great' statesmen.. -was : having .his uor-ivait'-painfcsd- by MipVj;^-. Oules§,- he' said : -^Now, -what does ?t" f cosi"JH>l6et v a. painter -i(pj-in Irasi'dess-?-. T-supp'oso' ti -ten-'br twenty -poun<i hofeSrWOuldttdo"-Jt?? iv ' -Receiving a n r&ffiimvifyi- xep lj-y 'Bright %enf: on," "Well, \f€sKinfc: you- '"orijjßfc- to"-' Consider yourself a « lucKy 'young 1 fellow -*{6 -earn- £500 or £600 a year on a £20 plant." And the marvellous prioes realised bvjnetures is often startling, for it sooietinres^feappens that one bought for £5 is subsequently sold ffor as many . thousands. For the romance of pictures. ; even on tl eir financial side, is full of euch incidents, while a Jitfck thing will make a vast difference in the price of a paint- .' ing. : —The Millionairo.— j A case in noinu was mentioned some years back by Sir William Harcourt. He was at " Christie' e, and' there saw a very gocd picture of Lord Bockingham, the iast Whig Prime Minister, by no Ices a per- ' son than Sir Joshua Reynolds. Turning to an expert he inquired what its value misjht be. "Had it been the picture of an unknown lady, it would fetch about £5000, ' but as 't is only the ' portrait of a Prime j Minister, it will probably realise not mo.-c ; than £500," was -the expert's reply. As tte j secuel proved, that was the actual sum ' obtained for it. Of course, the main factor in a painting becoming valuable is the reluctance of its possessor to dispose j of it, -and the eagerness of the would-be j purchaser to get it. " For instance, Mr ! Vand-erbilt once went to Meissonier and | ' asked him which of his works was, in his ! opinion, the best. Without a moment's ' hesitation he answered, "The Chess Player." Then the millionaire asked to j whom it belonged, and was informed that T i*3 luokx- owner was Herr Meyer, of Dres- } den. That night a, secretary went post j haste* to Dresden, and . straight' to thehouee • ■of Meyer, and demanded the price of the j picture Not being desirous -of parting with j it, he asked what lie.- imagined a prohibi- j tive price— so.ooodol. To the great araaw- ' r.icnt of Herr Meyer the..f\jcretary caid hu would take the picture — -which . he did. { —Minute Details.— j But the long p" 0615 * na * are of* €n i :ai^ \ for the produces- of a painter's brush are { only the just reward 1 that genius should j receive. And genius, , no matter in what j ratio it may be possessed, is not set down , on canvas without- endless' patignce; cease- j less i- perseverance,"- >«."nd attention to^ the j smallest • details. Indeed,' so accurate -was j Meissonier in his York -that, when painting ; one great' picture, ' he bought, 1 a .wheat field : arid , had a iqu'adron 'of" caValry " gallop! through it' to observe how?' the Avheat fell. Whe.n he was studying' for, his picture entitled v,1812," he engaged "a Tiattery of artillery ,to drive through the snow, and then hcv-sat down to copy their tracks.. British artists, however, are. no less scrupulously j careful in their '~wark| than their 3?rerich j , confreres ' ha-ve • been 'or . are. "A ' striking \ illustration is afforded whose I , pathos ,mus£ haveVapWaled "to +hV millions 1 'who have eeen. it, -whether , in.. the original or >a < reproduction^^, lt- is -"Th©. ' by. Mr 1 Luke Fildes," who" says' Athat, after he had got the Retails .of the work as he wished v them; v ."he rpraotically" liyed' with '{ and -for the picture* for; eix months." These ' details were meet' minutfe'V'*€or 'instance, 'for the figure .of the medical- man one_ model sat- for the eyes,- another .for^the hair, and a third for the' clothes", t while -.the late Mr Vat 3 " Prinsep sat for the'jßjjard. the dying child "being represented Mr v Fildcs's > c'vyn child. v Further than'-this^-an entire cottage was fitted up in the studio, but the <-nd justified the means, ~for one of the most successful and beautiful pictures ever painted was the result. " v j — Accidental' Titles.— '• Mr Frith has told us how many of his fambu3 pictures were , painted'; among other things that his- famous "Derby Day" occupied him for 15 months in assiduous and incessant labour ere he coulfl put the finishing touch. And' this picture shows also that ideas of titles for paintings crop up suddenly or by accident. One day at Kempton Park he conceived the notion that , wag, afterwards materialised in the now r ietorio work. As he walked along the course he suddenly exclaimed to his, companion, a lady : "Hero is a scene I should like to paint — 'modern life' with a vengeance." Tho title of Mr Orchardson'e "Hard Hit" was selected in a curious way. The artist was hard at work when a friend entered the studio with the evidence of a bad attack of the blues boldly stamped on his face. Turning to the artist, he said. "I was hard hit last night." Mr Orchardsop, who had been puzzling his brain for a suitable name for hie picture,. -exclaimed, "By .Jove, I've got it— 'Hard Hit,' of course."' A detail in connection with- this picture is that the painter strewed numerous packs of cards about the floor, of .-the studio -to" obtain the proper \effep,l& . T%l i manner in. which Oruiliihaak ' conceived Tiisi pictirre of Fagin, the Jew, was quite- as, accidental as ..the way "Hard .Hit'!" L£ot ;U>;>'titf«-,,. "While J'dustrafcing ''OKfor^T^sU .spirit days 3n searching >the East End of-Ixindon^for a '.nian- possessing features -that would correspond with his conception ;of the character. On-e morning, standing before the mirror j -in his dining rootajvlje found. 'himself con- j terting his face into r ' "■various shapes and j fcrms. Suddenly-- '■he « uttered an exclama- i tion of delight r r./foj\ -he had .accidentally | tisdo ithe ..vepy^tfeaiuEesc for 'which 'he had I een -booking, -'Cpnsequehtlys. -the picture of'! 'agin 13 really. that-lof-- Gruikshank hinrsself. . -. , J r v4?--if!< us "- "" •'• £,' .~M., Constant's,, '?Eoo. Late!"— ffj Aftert4ally. hawever^th'e'" greatest'^ success »of a picture is the 'effect it has r on those ! ."who gaze upon it." And one calls to mind I the- amusiner but pathetic story told of M. Benjamin Constant a few years back ron-oc-rning his first picture. Its title was "Too Late !" and the canvas represented Fortune and Glory visiting an artist just as he had breathed his last. Lying on tl o bed was the artist, while the figure of D<?ath stood lvar the door, through which Fortune, with a box of money, and Glory, la-Jen with laurels, had just entered. The , artist '•eceivod manj letters from those ■ who had seen the work — and in one, written by an old professor of music, the effect of tho picture was graphically described. On receipt of this letter, Constant called on the writer, who on see-ing him, flew into a ' iaae, exclaiming, "You are a youth 1 J

though!; you were old ancl had passe 3 your life, like me, vainly striving lor success. Your picture I ir-ok to represent the last despairing ory of an unfortunate like uiyself. And you are young, with hope shining in your -eyes. You're a humbug — leave this house at once-!" And the artist was not alow in escaping from theplace arid the old man's anger. — T. P.'s Weekly.