Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-03-25
painting or Death.

Painting or Death
An artist of talent who went to pursu
his studies in Algiers, has recently return
ed to Paris, bringing from his artistic expe
dition true treasures of curiosity and study
monuments, interiors, types of all races
costumes, animals stuffed, DC. He bring:
also exact copies made by himself of the
original pictures which decorated one O
the palaces of the ancient Days. The cop
les indicate very strange originals, but the
circumstances under which the originals
were executed are stranger still.
About the beginning of the present Cen
tury, the reiguing pey of Algiers had all
the European captires led guarded into
the courtyard. Advancing toward the
first captive, he asked hoarsely-
"Do you know how to paint9"
"No," was the answer, sI do not"
The Dey made sign, and the captive
was instantly beheaded.
"Do you know how to paint?" he asked
of the second.
He, frightened at the fate of the first,
hesitated to reply, and in ancther moment
his head relied on the floor.
"Do you know how to paint?" was still
the question asked.
"No-that isl believe-I think that"
"Ah! you are MT sure" exclaimed the
Dey, and lie shared the fate of his COM
rades.
The fourth captive was an intrepid and
audacious Partisan, an old grna;n de Paris
who had very often stopped on the doors
of wine cellers or of restaurants TO look at
the little baubs illustrative of daubs and
full glasses, venison, pies and legs of pork.
"Do know how to paint?" he exclaim-
ed, when the question was put to him. Il
am the best pupil of the illustrious David
the painter Of the Emperor. What do
you require, oh ! sweet and clement Dey 2"
"You shall speedily know what l wish,"
said the Dey, proceeding on.
The example of the Partisan had told
the Others what they ought to do; they all
replied that they knew how to paint. The
Dey, enchanted at his success, placed all
these painters-there were about thirty
under the orders of the Partisan, and then
ordered this battalion of impromptu artists
to ornament the walls of one of his palaces
with paintings.
81 wish," said he, "that you should paint
Mecca, the tomb of the Prophet, my prin-
ciple naval victories, and everything you
like, provided the paintings be worthy of
me; if not, 1 shall cut off your heads"
Colors and brushes were provided, and
our painters set about their work. The
Partisan was imaginative. The Mussul-
man religion forbidding the representation
of the human figure, bis task was already
he painted the sea and naval
battles, where ships were only seen and not
a sailor. Bullets and bombs crossed each
other in the air, obscured by clouds of
fame and smoke; but not an artilleryman
was seen behind the pieces. Aaiding him
self by his memory of magic lantern, he
made the sky of fair blue, in which he
painted the sun, moon and stars. Then he
painted the great phenomena of nature,
storms, torrents, volcanoes in eruption Eom-
iting flames and smoke. The Partisan and
his battalion of painters employed the live
hest colors, and though the effect produced
was not harmonious, it was dazzling. The
Dey was enchanted. Happily, foreign con-
noisseurs in painting never penetrating in
to his palace, no criticism was made, and
the Partisan passed, in the eyes of the Dey,
for one of the greatest painters of France.
Not only did he and his associates preserve
their heads on their shoulders, but to rec
ompense them the Dey gave them their
liberty.
These are the paintings which true art
st has copied. Strange as they are, they
Are things which denote singular intelli-
yence on the part of the Partisan. They
are moreover an interesting specimen of
what the most absolute in experience, and
the most complete ignorance of art, can
produce when obliged to struggle against
necessity and for the preservation of life
for the Boston Gazette.
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