The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-13

THE STARTLING IIcTURE OF ERNEST fICHIo,
WHICH WAS REFUSED AT THE SALON.
lho Nh. Nam IN

THE STARTLING IIcTURE OF ERNEST fICHIo,
WHICH WAS REFUSED AT THE SALON.
From the Daily News April 23I
NJ Ernest Pichio the French artist, who has already
painted pictures OF Charles TX. Giving tho Signal for
the Massacre Of st. Bartholomcws Day." aud .Bau.
din Preparing Die for the Rights of the People, De-
comber 2 1851, has employed his pencil upon that
terrible scene which might be-caled 'The Massacre OF
the COMMUNISTS" wncn these wrctched offenders.
were butchered tho trench OF the great burial place
OF Paris. Ptre-la-Chalse, by the fire Of the mrai.
lcuses and volleys from the troops in May. 1877.
could scarcely be expected that the French govern.
menl and the Director OF tho Beaux Arts would per.
nit picture 10 be exhibited In the PARIS Salon,
however able 1t might DO as work Of art But the
picture has found place 10 the rooms OF the London
Slereoscopic Company's Gallery OF Fine Arts. H. Is
large canvas, measuring more than niEo leet long
aud SIX feet hgn, and this ample field becomes most
awful AkcldaIna, with the crowded group CT men,
women children every attitude Of agony, fierce
rage and despair in death; others, calm martyrs,
confronting tho cruel guns blazing before them. The
is dreadful 10 Look upon, Tor NJ. Pclo,
with powerful and most trutn-leng brush and the
most extraordinary nerve has not shrunk from paint
ing every harror That his Imagination could picture,
party from what he actually saw with mis- own eyes,
and partly rom description which appeared IN the
Daily Nems at the llnc We look IRON heaps OF dead
PRINCIPAL group Of some tulrty iorty figures
under tho wall OF the cemetery prominent stands
dignhed and ronned looking person. his gray head
coverel, his breast barred his cd cross
oi tho ambulance. He grasps the hand OF
friend VINO Silks, Dut ne n.lnscH Is only
wounded slightly. mother tails with boy
in her arms together and another woman behind, like
pctroicusc, spared Tor an instant raises her arm
her head against tho storm Of bullets, WHILE above
this group red-naired man. with mad, furious taco,
shakes the red scarf in Wild defiance. Further Aona
The wall the same groups OF igures falling under ne
hrc OF the soldiers seen, TIL the eye rests upon
the gloomy breadth oil the great city all dark and
soinDre the gray OF morning Turning from the
bloody work. which the artist, with perhaps pardona
bic satire, calls "Ihe Triumph OF Order" there
touches Of meaning 10 be found In the picture
I'm a "a m
inhulnan to 10 believed. Among tho fresh and
nourishing green trees around the graves appears
cross, and beneath these trees Two officers In Land
stand, OF whom fires his revolver at poor
wounded struggling man trying TO escape On too
wall which has the name OF 'sLe Muir des Com
munistes'' instead OF ''Lc Muir do Charonue," amid
the marks OF the bullets the blood OF the victims
are stl to be read the hooking words which were one
oil the OF tho Communists, "Fire Phumdnite ~
just above the figure oil venerable, old, hermt-ke
man, with a long white beard, who seems c0ntem.
plate the ebb orh life blood quite pacdIy. II
Pchio has indeed done his task we'll He has thrown
himself into what might be called tho cruOl1Y
OF the palette and the studio with unfnch 70
courage, and painted all inc horrors with intensity
anu reality perfectly amazing and terrible 10 behold
The difficulties ~ work Of THIS nature immense
that lew painters ever darc encounter them, aud
battle pieces, which must be PAINTED Tor giory's
sake cannot be painted as they are--thcy must no
made agreeable pictures, aud the horrors must he
LETT much possible Too often these pictures
made absurd and untrue by this artistic effort to
make things pleasant and show OF heroes in becoming
aud graceful attitudes. But there falling OF
sort IN NJ. Pcno's work he never loses the tragic
intensity OF his purpose anu be holds Tho spectator
with such spell of hoGror at tho CHASTITY sight that
the real scene comes up in tho IMAGINATION 10 all its