ART AND ARTISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 86

ART AND ARTISTS.

— Eugene Delacroix was a chili of, tha. Revolution, and he brought its purifying fire- into the world of art. It was -Delacioix's ardent imagination that renewed a^t wilh the breath of romance, and started France on that campaign of infinite adven.turei into, the domain, of truth and beauty which gave the world now the deep, sombre organ note of Millet, now the lyric joy of Ccrot, -Eow the noble sincerity of Rousseau, now th-.« scientific analysis of the- Impressionists. Apart from the greatness of his output and his long and triumphant battle with the Philistines, Delacroix is a figure that commands reverence — an artist of wide culture, a man of lofty and generous spirit, a true leader in the march o£ humanity to nobler things.— Daily News. — George Patten, A.R.A., whose art ;s now forgotten, was Portrait Painter in Ordinaiy to the Prince Consort, whose own portrait he painted in 1840. A prodigious numbe*- of portraits of the regular "presentation" type were executed by Patten, who, however, did not confine himself altoeetner to this kind of work, but sometimes painted subject pictures rather in the Etty manner. It was claimed for him 1 when he died that he was the only_ painter to whom the great violinist, Paginini, had ever given sittings. '< His portrait of that marvellous, uncanny fiddler was shown at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, in 185 S. Patten, who was made an A.R.A. as far back as 1837, died in 1855. — Sir W. B. Richmond, R.A., is one of the most interesting artists of the time. Be hates ugliness as much as he hates noise, and equals Ruskin in his antipathy to the unlovely in life. He also stands for pure air in London, and smoke is his abomination. No man is more ready to lend a helping hand to struggling genius: It ■is Sir William's proud boast that -when he is at home he has as guest and student every third Sunday a poor factory boy who 'has a gift for drawing. He it was who "discovered" Austin 0. Spare, the remarkable ■ painterprodigy. The famous Royal Academician wa3 himself one of London's boy prodigies more than 50 years ago, when he astonished his relations by cartooning them upon doorss walls, tables, and window frames— upon anything, in fact, which would bear the mark of his pencil. ' | — Mr Fayersham', the English actor, who is said to have picked up a Godfrey Kneller for a sovereign in the cottage of a Sussex stonemason, is one of many men who have experienced similar good fortune- It is not long since we read that one- of Kneller's portraits had been bought for 5s in an old curiosity shop at Wigan, where it had been lying for ' over two years, frameless and. dust-covered 1 ; Mr Langdon- Davis, of Downend, a Bristol suburb, rescued a Landseer ! from the kitchen of a relative ; and a Captain. Treharne paid 25s to the proprietor of an old curiosity shop at Barmouth for [an exqu'site sea piece by Turner. A Torquay dealer paid 5s to a daughter of Captain Stubb for a Guido, which he sold for £2000; snd a £5 note purchased a Rubens. ■\alued ai £7000, at an auction sale in Carnarvonshire. — Westminster Gazette. "The Age of Bronze" is th© most complete work of Rodin the master;, master by right of achievement and not publicity, of Rodin when he gave his whole soul to his worls^ and was not hampered and: hindered t>y a crowd of snobs andr parasites. In. tlus statu© we. see all that knowledge and love of the beautiful which we seek: so often vainly in more recent work. Delicate in movement, following; the lines of the antiqufi, ir. retains nevertheless the- modern feeling for form. All the bones are in their places, the flesh is felt as flesh, and in a single statue Rodin has known how to expres? "what- another would ha ve_ sought to render in a group. This indeed is great plastic art. — Academy.

A VETERAN ARTIST. How often is it realised by those whosecurious gaze rests upon some old print of "Ramsgate Sands" that Mr W. P. Frith, R.A., is still alive and painting? Yet such is the case. The veteran artist, who is a hale and hearty old gentleman on the eve of his ninety-first birthday, puts in a harder day's work than many z younger- member of his nofession. Mr Frith, was- elected an associate so far back as the year 1844, his diploma being signed by Turner. 1 — His Most Famous Picture. — Som6 14 years later he painted his famous "Derby Day," now in the Tate Gallery. So great was the onxiety to see* Mr Friths picturo on the opening day of- the Royal' Academy that a policeman had to be stationed to keep back the crowd. Eventually it was found necessary to place a rail i s a protection against probable injury on the part of too eager spectators, a precaution which had only been, adopted on one previous occasion; when Wilkie exhibited his celebrated picture of "The Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Gazette of Waterloo." —The Kaiser's First Picture. — Among the- many anecdotes^ which MrFrith can tell not the least amusing- is that of his experience of the Eaiser as' "a sitter." The portrait of Prince William, bs he then was, Bad to Be inclwfed in -flic picture of the- wedding of the Prince and Princess of "Wales, commanded by 'the lafe' Queen Victoria. The difficuHaes ot getting the small boy o£ seven. to> remain still were almost insufferabre,, but at last Mr. Frith, hit upon, the expedient of gtvinst - Iriitt bjcabea and' naiufc— f3ab»-

THE .THEFT OF A VAN DYOK. Tho tbeft in Belgium of one of Vatt Dyck's masterpieces, *'The Raising of the Crosa," from the church, of Notre Dame at CoiTtrai, is only another evidence of the acutcness of *he thieves who are steadily despoiling the Belgian churches. Already round Malines many of the smaller churches have been robbed of religious treasures that are valuable and antique, and" it is probable that worse is to com© for- the churches of Belgium are famous for their works of art, and thefts therefrom having been picved easy, it is more than likely that many will still be carried' off. Th© stolen picture was placed over a chapel altar behind- the choir, and was usually only umeiled for strangers on' festival days. The church is undergoing restoration, and over the principal entrance there "was hole covered by boards. The tnievesf removed these and easily entered, cutting the picture from its frame by means of the workmen's ladders. Although the canvas was large, it was easily rolled and concealed, and so eager were the thieves to be off that they forgot to redraw the curtain (otherwise the tqeft would not have been, found out till Christmas Day), whilethey left^behind", as too encumbering-, all tlie gold and silver chalices. The picture, which was one of the most admired at the Van Dyck - tercentenary, is valued Ait £24,000- It shows foui: executioners raising the cross withe the Christ nailed^ upon ■S. His ey^s are turned' towards Heaven., with a. wofiHerful look of divina love, which *shines even through the agonised', expression' .of human suffering. It -is this 'figure which is considered to be one of J;he paiirter's finest worts.* "V»an. Dyck,. received' £100 for this painting- from Canon Bvaye, who/ presented it tcr Couctrai in -163 L. .