The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-11-17

MS pencll. lnere was vitality IN those dark and lus
trous orbs; they looked out Of the portrait, and in
some measure destroyed its harmony by their strange
and liie-lke expression. When Tchartkof took the
picture 10 the door, he fancied the pupils dilated.
The peculiarly of the painting ut once attracted the
attention of the idlers without. Some uttered eX-
carnations of surprise others fell back pace ii in
terror. A pale sickly looking woman of the lower
classes, who suddenly found herself face to face with
this singular portrait, screamed with alarm. ats
looking at me! she cried, and hurried away, casting
nervous gances over her shoulder Tcharikof him
self experenced-he could not tell wly-a sort of
dsageeable sensation and he put the portrait the
ground
"D'ye buy ?" said the picture-dealcr.
slow much?' replied the artist.
"At a word--three teheipertdks."+
Tchurtkof shook his head "Too much, will
give you dougrivennoi," he added moving towards
the door.
A dougrivennoi for thar picture You are pleased
TO Joke, sir. The frame is worth twice the money
Bid me something more, If il be only another griven-
mix Come back sir, he shouted, running after the
painter and OBTAINING hun by his cloak skirt "come
back, sir You are my first customer to-day, and
will take your offer, forluck's sake. But the picture
is given away"
On finding his offer thus unexpectedly accepted,
Tchartkoi heartily repented his temerity in making
it. The dougrvenno he paid the dealer was his
last in the world and he was encountered with
numbering old portrait for which he had no earthly
use. Cursing his own imprudence, he took up his
purchase, and trudged away with it, Its weight and
size caused it to slip perpetualIy from under his arm
and rendered 1t most troublesome burden. AT last
tired to DEATH and bathed in perspirntion he reach
ed the house. in the fifteenth line of the Vasilievsku
Ostrow in which he occupied modest lodging, u.s.
cended the nncleanly staircase and knocked impa-
tienty at the door of his apartment 1t was opened
by satternly lad in blue shir--his cook, model
color-grinder, and foor-sweeper who had to thank
his godfather for the harmonious name of Nikita
and who united in his person the dirt incidental TO
three out of his four occupations Tchartkoff enter
ed the anteroon which felt very chilly artists ante
rooms usually are, and without taking off his couk
walked into his studio square apartment tolera-
bly, spacious, but low in the ceiling and with win
dows dimmed by the frost. This room was Uttered
with all kinds of artistcal rubbish fragments Of pas
ter of Paris, casts of hands, frames stretched can
vases, sketches begun and thrown aside and drape
ry carelessly the chairs. Completely knock
ed up Tchartkof let his cloak fall, placed his new
purchase against the wall, and threw himself on
meagre little sof whose lea,hern cover torn
upon one side from the row of brass nails that had
receptacle for dishcoths old clothes, dirty linen and
any other miscellaneous matters he thought fit to
cram under. The sun had set, and the night grew
each moment darker. Our artist ordered Nkta to
bring candle.
"There are no candles" was Nikita's reply.
"How mo candesP
''There were none yesterday" said Nikita.
Tchartkoff remembered that there had been none
the night before, and that his credit with the talow
chandler was not such rs to render il probable sup
ply had been sent In that morning. So he held his
tongue allowed Nikita 10 take off his coat, waist
coat and cravat, and wrapped himsefup as warmly
as he could in dressing gown with tattered elbows.
$ forgot to tell you," said Nikita "the landlord
has been here"
'For money, suppose" said the artist, Struggling
his shoulders.
.IIe had somebody with him. A Kvartalnu, 1
think.t He said something about the rent not being
paid"
swell, what can they do?"
"Don't know replied the impurlurbable Nikiia
"He said you must leave the lodgings or pay. viii
come again tomorrow"
"Let them come" said Tchartkof gloomiy. And
he turned himself upon thecomfortless sofa with IA
feeling akin TO desperation.
TchartkoH was young artist of considerable pro-
misc, and whose pencil was at this time remarked
for its accuracy, and near approach to the truthful
ness Of nature But he had faults which procured
him frequent admonitons from the professor under
whom he studied. "You have talent" he would say
to him; 'it will be sin 10 ruin it by carcessness and
by pursuing erroneous ideas and principles You are
too Impatient; too apt to be fascinated by novelty
and to neglect rules hnllowed by time and expert
ence, laws immutable as those of the Medes Be
ware, lest you become mere fashionable painter
Your colours, observe, are not unirequently Sc
ected in defiance of good taste; your drawing il
often feeble, sometimes positively incorrect your
outlines want clearness. You run after flashy kind
of chara-oscuro, the lighting up Of your picture is
meant only to strike the eye the first glance And
you have passion for the Introduction of finory
taste for dandifed costume All this is dangerous,
and may lead You into the fatal habit OF painting
mere fashionable pictures pretty portraits and the
like, which yield money, but can never give fame
Do that, and your talent is lost and thrown AWAY
BE patient, watt reflect chasen your taste BY study
and wean yourself from that hankering after pretti-
ness and dandyism. Leave such tricks TO those who
care but for gold, and propose yourself higher aim
the never-dying laurels Of Titan or an Angelo
The professor meant well, and was right in the
main. Tcharkolf was apt to indulge in the fashy
and the superficial But he had sufficient strength of
of mind 10 control this dangerous tendency, and a
purer taste was gradually but percephbly developing
itself in him. As yet he could not quite appreciate
all the depth of Raphael, but he was strongly fasci.
mated by the broad and rapid touch of Guido; he
would stand enchanted before ritians portraits and
had high appreciation of the Flemish school Yet
the darkened and sober tone chaacterizng old pic
lures did not quite please satisfy him; nor did he
in his innermost mind altogether agree with the pro-
lessor, when the latter expatated to him on that
mysterious power which places the old masters at
such Unreasonable distance above the modcrns In
some respects he almost fancied them surpassed by
the nineteenth century; that the imitation of nature
had somehow become, in modern times, more vivid,
and lively and faithful: in word his mind was in
that luctuating unsettled state In which the minds
of young people are apt to be when they have reach
ed particular point Of proficiency in their art and
feel proud internal conviction Of talent Often was
he filled with rage when he saw some travelling
French or German painter by the mere effect Of trick
and habit by readiness of pencil and ashy colorine,
catching the multitude, aud making a fortune These
impressions made their way into his mind, not in
moments when he was buried, body and soul, in his
work, and forgot food and drink and oil outward
but th.