The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-02-11
Written for the Flag of our Union. |
THE PAINTERS CHRISTMAS.
BY FRANCIS A. DuR1vAeE.

1t is Christmas day, and finer one never
dawned upon creation. The sun arose with
out cloud, and now his cheering beams are
gradually melting the fanciful frost work on
the windows, which in the beauty of its ara
besques AMI their wonderful intr;cacy so mock
the handiwork of man. The day has been
luShered in with joyous demonstration. The
tyoung in whose breasts the founts of hope
and JOY ar: ever spraasing, have been the most
lexpsnsiye in Their msniIe> tt;ons, while the
Jagged, often the prompters and ministers Of this
delight, have been wa back to the past by
the glee around them which sheds sort OF
sunset ray on the evening of life. -...s'.
And now the forenoon is wearing on, and
the huge bells, swinging in the steeples, are
sending forth their deep tones, like chorus ol
nlu Sical giants, and summoning the people of
New York to prayer and praise and thanks
giving, in temples converted into bowers and
groves by the wealth of their sylvan decora-
tons.
But this glorious sunshine How it fills
the air The fine PARTICLES of snow, sitting
from the housetops and the wIndow-cappings
catch the golden radiance and the whole at
mosphere seems filled with diamond dust
Glorious sunshinei Smile of God! how woebe-
gone would be earth without thee! The bright
sunshine IS equally the poor mans heritage
with the Ifsh mans. But the latter excludes
it from his princely halls by jeIlous drapeTies
1t fades the carpet on the floor, and the pic
lures on the walls, and cracks the costly furni-
ture. But into the poor mans window it
pourS . welcome radiance. Into the prison
cell. streams sometimes, like a ray of hope
gliding into lonely heart. Let us follow the
course ola pencil of its rays through the win
dows of an upper room In L.spenard street.
and see what it will reveal.
From this particular window the sunshine
is commonly excluded by thick, green cur
tain, but now the curtain has been removed,
and there is no bvrrier to the broad light of
day. 1t is painters studio.
The piles of canvasses covered with glorious
heads, with lovely landscapes, with stirring
hattle-pieces, attest industry and talent, but
indicate, alas lack Of patronage. Before a
blank canvass on the easel sits a figure, pale
Islight and handsome young man, with the
pore-crayon resting idly in his hand, as mo
tionlesS as the lay figure in the corner.
80 what end,' thus run his sthoughts-"jo
I pursue these trains Of ideas? To what end
transfer to the canvass the images that crowd
my brain? To my eyes they seem bright and
Iattractive-but the world views them not in
and produced defornities where thought to
create beauties? Or is art itself ignored in the
absorption of other pursuit and doomed to
scouragement in this favored land? Who of
i. teeming !1ousands OF this city whose hearts
are now leaping at the strike of the joy-bells,
wastes thought on the poor artist who is
spending his Christmas in lonely garrett"
low knock at the door disturbed Harvey
Asllton's reverie.
''Come in"
The answer to the invitation was the entrance
of young man rather below the medium sta
ture, wrapped in rich furred cloak hiseark
hair appearing in clusters beneath his cap, md
a heavy, black mustache concealing the con-
tours of his mouth. y
"Mr. Ashton, 1 presumed said, the ssran-
ger, in low. musical tone.
"At your service, sir" replied the artist
Perhaps | am intruding?'
"Not at ALL have no engagement.,'
"Then you will permit me to look at some
of your performances? 7a e43SF
"Willingly." =
The stranger passed in rapid review, doz-
en- of Ashton's finished works, making such
remarks upon them as convinced the painter
that his visitor was connoisseur, while the
accent and idiom in which he expressed him.
self showed that he was foreigner A re-
mark that he dropped touching picture in
the Dresden Gallery induced Ashton to ex-
claim:
80, if could only visit Dresden, Paris and
Rome and Florence!"
4 "You will go there, of course" said the
stranger.
There seems no chance of it. ] am depen
dent on my profession, and am either lun
skilled in it, or the public do not appreciate
me-my pictures do not SELL" ..v.e...
"Are you aware of their value? What, fo
instance, do you ask for that large landscape
= with the skirt of wood and the broad river il
the foreground" - L
81 have asked a hundred dollars for it."
"Fie! it is you who are running your pro
fession. As pictures 20, it is worth five hun
dred. The arts should have proportionat
lvalue. Don't you know that signora Rosar