New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-26
C1ROLUS DURANS IDEAS ABOUT ART
Ernrn Ths WhttshrN R,rfrir


Carolus Duran was born at Lille, about nne-and-
thirty wears ago, and has that striking aspect
which have always remarked as being common 10
all great artists-an aspect which l can only de-
scribe as one expressing luminous originality. ms
long black hair now slightly uuged with gray, Is
i,rnsbcd hack from an ample forehead beneath
which two splcndldly expressive eyes, brilliant,
penetrating. tender, and Dold, gleam IKE u"o
stars He received my CONGRATULATIONS with that
refined courtesy and cordial amiablllty whcn mas
won him such success in the Grdnde monde ana
made him par excellence the fashionable portrait
painter OF France. j, ~. . 40.
many familiar objects. Here are all the studies Tor
the celebrated equestrian portrait CdrOlus Duran
nointed of his siser-in-law hdlle Crolzete, OF the
Comedie Fran,aise. here is the famous portrait OF
his daughter-one OF ms very greate"t ehorts; mere
a remarkable portrait OF Sp3I ish Iilehd' WIZ
iudpiuC tom what sees here, would nave heeh a
model worthy OF a EelasqueZ here are the fOiln
which all Paris has heard OF, for II l., a known
fact in the French metropolis thaU CaIOiHs luI"li
j. crazy about fencing, ara mere Is Tue ccio"dt''I
n,ammOtb palette-thr largest palette ever artist
nsed | fancv-on which the reserved or wayward
cnlors are toved with, caiOled and caressed uhtii
they become TecOnClicd one 10 another anu SIciu
M tbe full secret OF their united SlIthdoI. BJ 40
gr.es as the bceallast-hOur approached VI;
Duran's friends and admirers TOOK theh naI anu
left us To our chat. The great artist - y El't 90
line charms OF the goddess Nicotna and 1t Is Win
cigarette between his lips that IL begins. -
. ALWAYS tell my pupils hrst thaf the iolio"inR
"a in NV onlnIOn the golden maxim WhIcn all VINO
would succeed as artists should adopt LoSe slolY
more than money, art more tlan glory, anu u"IiIo
more than art. l am, uLIlAe HahJ "I'iS'9' " N4'
cple of nature" .. -. -, .ho
most important step to take (" ] inquired.
"The education OF the eye is the most important
Educate the eye before you educate the haiid me
hand will become cunning soon enough "heu tho
o.. has learnt to see whereas II the hand De cdu-
Gated before the eye one may never see. now I"
nv mind all that Is not Indispensable III a picture
is distinctly harmful. Redundancy y latali
Tvcrvthing should have its meaning. ITS place ana
lis distinct utility. There is no such thing possible
IN a picture a needless accuracy. "hch inc &C
cuIacy needless 1t does actual nlsc1lel ~ ung
whoe Then again, everything IN a pcIule shOuIu
he brought about naturally aud not abruptly. 10
take n trivial illustration Suppose aln teachhg
a pupil to paint lady who is turning. 90 hot
ddr1v Mace the model in the middle of the room
nnd make her turn. She must walk about for
While and then turn naturally. There Is education
for the eve in the preliminary stages ana on" 'hus
gets the full value OF her turning postuIc, - -, p,
What 10 yOur mind. is one OF the most essential
elements of good picture ASKED ~, brs;os+c,IIv
Plenty of air There can never DE 700 hucH "I III
picture ~ .,,,ested 70 the great colorist
~ of course me replied Z" but did IT never
s+riEc Won how the greatest cOl0rsts have Always
come from the countries here there IS colpala
lively hut little colOrf II IL not from the sunhleab
parts OF Italy that we have the greatest n;ssei .
of color No; it is rather in comparatively gloomy
clmes that an artist feels the full value OF co1rs
This is curious iact. ana II you look lhIo ait H'
| tory YOU will find am right" .
teaching embodied in subject y inquirer. ..o
| q All that is of the most vital importance 10 the
artist Tens for example, in the lessons give my
pupils inv ariably point ont all the meaning that
| ca, Inc extracted from a subject Take the victims
| NJ Gree as an instance. | show them the iull
lesson EN- bodied in this story. and then tell them
| how TO treat it, describe TO them the WORKOUT de-
| hsnchee the sot the glutton II is lot necessary
| that the companions OF Ulysses should be depicted
with shouts and tails to show the pubhc that they
| have ceased to be men and have undergone some
| transformation r.. ,,;:.
| But one of our leading artists lTItton livIere.
treated that subject differently. lie gave the
pigs "a human expression"
:. That to my mind is not the proper treatment
| renled Duran. "That sayOrs n ore ~ caflcatuTe
| than Of real art. The thing to do Is to sho" that
| fine men ale pig, not that the pigs are mem . -
Your tn must be most interesting reading
| remarked. ,,t. -.
! some day They may be OF service perhaps to
| art . - -.
After few more words ABOUT the great masters
| mr. The way Carolus Duran utterly dcspi>es the
| IDOL of Vienna Haus MacEartl took my leave of
the greatest French colorst now living ana one OF
| fLe most charming and unaffected men whom
| Providence mas ever endo we'd with genus