Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-01-07
a French Flower Paio,er.


Writing of the eleven examples of
Fantin, the flower painter, in the Society
of French Artists Exhibition this sea-
son, the Pail Mall Gazette says: "A
certain happy association between the
artists purpose and his executive power
is characteristic Of what is best in French
painting. However slight the intention
however modest the design, we are struck
at once by this impression of complete
ness and balance only to be gained by a
workman who can measure accurately
his own capabilities. The result need
not be impressive, very often it is not
even beautiful; but there is always left
the genuine artistic quality Of perfect
fitness, the satisfying effect Of confident
achievement There is no painter who
gains this effect more certainly than
Fantin. His technical mastery is great,
and it appears even greater through the
iudicious choice Of such aspects Of his
subject as he can perfectly realize. His
understanding of the growth and natn-
raj disposition Of flowers is an excep.
tional gift, and his evident delight in re.
producing go much beauty as he per.
ceives gives to his work the peculiar at.
traction OF perfectly spontaneous per.
formance. There is no such arti6ce in
his mode of treatment as destroys the
natural simplicity that belongs to his
subject--the vision no less than the ex
preston is direct and sincere, and each
group OF roses or dahlias bears the mark
Of convincing reality and the trace Of
actual imitation. Remembering how
often flowers have received very differ
ent Interpretation in art, it is impossible
not to feel the fascination Of this more
faithful method. We even note with in.
terest how the painter has recorded the
defective form OF individual blossoms
and has expressed the crushed and tum.
bled appearance Of punches Of roses
held tightly together. Fahtin studies
the forms OF flowers as some other
French painters study the human form,
with a desire TO realize their imperfec-
Itions no less closely than their beauties;
and by this means he succeedings in
securing for his work an ex:raor-
binary impression Of vitality. And
his system Of manipulation is
perfectly fitted to the scope OF bis in
tent. He can reproduce, by clever
imitation Of texture, something of the
character OF the particular flowers
granting to rose leaves their perishable
quality and producing not less success
fully the strong outlines of dahlias and
the harder tints of peonies. But al
though this ia wholly artistic kind ol
treatment, and satisfying within its lin.
its, we cannot think that the artist pos
sesses with any completeness the secret
| of beauty in flowers. 1t is ro doubt bet
ter to have this direct and partially
fsithful realization than the waxen arti
Gcialty, worthless from the point OF view
Of either nature or art, which has SC
often done duty Tor flower painting. But
the choice does not lie wholly between
the extremes. A profounder sense Of
flower like beauty would not take from
the reality of the result; it would only
substitute higher for lower kind oi
realism. Here we have an effect which
strives chiefly after illusion, and save
IN the Single elenenV vi Culori up
proaches very near to success; but the
forms of flowers no less than Other
forms can yield without less to more
abstract order of composition than ii
granted to them by NJ. Fantin. We re
cognize 10 his work very small trace O
considered design; the disposition O
each group is fixed rather by accident
and although this helps the impression
Of superficial reality, it is not favorable
to profound Interpretation Of beauty
On the side of color the artists work il
open to more positive objection. Their
is no remembrance of sun or summer il
the chosen scheme, and as an example
Of how the beauty may be taken out o
nature, we would point TO the whit
roses exhibited here. which are cold il
themselves, and set in background
that is still cooler. In wintry blooms th'
artist comes nearer to success. BE Cal
realize the bright hard tints OF dahlias
where the color is strong rather thai
warm, but his means sometimes fail
= when greater delicacy is needed.