New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-02-01

GOSSIP PROM STUDIO AND GALLEaY.

FOR ARTS rs MILL, As AND MRS. LANGLEY.
IRON TTE gIGULAg COaRssr0NpEST 90 TIE lhi"'HF~'
LONDON Jan 20.-Nrs Thomps'n-Brilcr Is ~
artist who is repuled 10 have gained hcc reputation
by an accident. and who has made II soot ana pr
.netuated il nv her ogn sincerity an talent. The
accident was her name. domt know whether 'h'
starry has ever Appeared in print. but u has bron
peated So often among English artists th'i'
whether true or not. it las long passed for tTue.
You remember that Miss 1hompson-thi7 was years
before she bee me Mrs. Bntlcr-eXhhtcd her now
famou. picture Of The Roll Call at the Royal Acad-
emv Ii was a striking picture; full of certain
kind o. merit unhackncyed in treatment. vigorous
and nrrhaps n little sensational II atracf ed some
but not much. attention AT the private view. AT
the dinner in the evening the Prince OF Wales re-
ferred to # in terms Of very warm praise. ard II
instantly became one If the pictures q the year
al! things considered, he picture OF the year.
work Of art which appealed to the patriotic ana
soldiorly pride OF Eugishmen, ana which royalty
bad thought worthy Of notice and Of pubhc
eulogy. could not fail to score great
success independently of its merits which, never
thelcss. were considerable. As the Prince vas ieaV-
IN the gallery he said to Sir Henry Thoup5on,
gave yonr daughter n good lift. hope" don't
know how Sir Henry managed 20 eAplai1 to the
Prince that the Miss Thompson who had pa'h'en
the " Roll Cal" and the Miss Thompson who was
Sir Uenrv's daughter and known to be stu' mt OF
art were in fact, two different persons. HIS HoyaI
HIghness who ia most good-1atnred person had
meant TO do kindness to friend His good inten-
lions were diverted. but not thrown away. his
panegyric fixed the career of deserving ariist'
vino since then mas steadily pursued tho path
marked out for her by the brilliant success OF her
first important work.
Mrs. Butler is now engaged on q picture repre-
scnting the gallant defence of korkes DIR. II
was undertaken some months since b. command OF
The Queen and is to be shown to tho public ~
the ensuing exhibition of the Royal Academy IN
MAY. It Is already 80 far advanced that
the meaning and main features Of the picture may
DO perceived and those who have seen il describe
it as the most promising of all this ladys efforts.
She las studied her subject With her usual hde'iiy
and enthusiasm IL is not her fashion 10 generaliZe,
or to trust TO her Imagination for the fact OF her
work. The defences of Rorke's Drift are repro
duced from sketches made on the spot. Not content
with sketches she has had some of the moalie bags
OF which tho improvised breastwork consisted
brought TO England, and has painted from them.
She has been down to Portsmouth 10 see and study
the very men Of the oath VINO defended tho post.
She has seen Bromhead and Chsrd, the two heroes
of the day They are the central figures OF the can
vas. and an officer who knows them and has seen
the picture tells Inc that MFs Butler has brought out
the character as well as features of these officers.
Bromhead, one of the most gallant of men. hal
never had reputati0 FOR great ability. lie VAS,
beside little deaf. The organization OF the de-
fence and construction of the works fell upon
Chard, an engineer officer In the picture.
Bromhead Is consulting Chard. lean
ing forward in the natural attitude OF deaf
man. In one corner-a portrait, like all the other
chef 6gures-appeaTs Hischi the brave sergeant
whose right shoulder was shot away early in the
fight He has crammoi bis arm into his belt for
support and ia hurryng forward into the eight with
his other arm full of cartridges TO roplenish the
pouches OF his comrades. Elsewhere may be seen
the fighting parson-I am sorry have forgotten bis
name-o! whom it is related that he rebuked pro-
fame private with these words; " Shoot ~ many OF
them "a you like, my man, but don't swear at themT
With these and msny other episodes Mrs. Butler has
so eulivened her picture that her zoldIercriic de
clares it dramatic It's vivacty and the force Of It's
storytelling; while in every point OF detail the
army regulations are observed will minute exact-
tude.
The French painter Of battle-peces VI. de Neu-
vile. ia at work on the same incident He has been
over to England, and carries back with him models
of English uniforms and accoutrements together
with what he considers n sufficient narrative of the
event But how are you going to paint the men
themselves ~ querIed a friend. ION. l shall find
plenty of French soldiers TO Sit" answered NJ do
Melville. The contrast between the jauuty self
confidence of the Gallo artist and the English wOm-
ans patient study Of facts will strike every one.
And there will be some curiosity to see what sort Of
warrior will figure NJ. de Ncuyile's canvas from
the combination of French bodies and British uni
forms. Il shall have TO make them bigger; that's
ALL" said NJ. de Melville, with characteristic con-
tentmont in his powers of idealizatlon His picture,
am told, Is undertaken on Il commission from hne
art pu blishing house in London. The painter of LIE
Bourget il sure to produce learned and brilliant
picture, but whether it will look much like Rorke's
Drift is another question. Even NJ. PhilippOteauXs
Englishmen in his Waterloo pictures have flavor
of tho Faubourgs about them, and NJ. Philippe
teaux is nevertheless reckoned rather unusually
conscientious in adhering TO nature and history.
II is too early yet to say much about studios.
Not a few of the artists put off beginning thor
Academy pictures till late in the Winter Many are
occupied with private commissions given under "A
stipulation that the work shall not be exhibited TO
the public. One and all complain Of the weather.
IL has been all but impossible 10 paint In such
light rather in such darkness has spread over
london these three months past. The artists
studios are mostly to be found in neghbOrnoods re-
mote from the regions OF densest fog. yet the same
complaint comes up from Kensington from Holland
Park from ST. Johns Wood, and from wherever else
the artist pitches his tent. Said Mr.. Boughton the
other day "The American friends who are press
ing me for promised pictures would think less
hardly of If they knew that there have been but
two good days for painting during the last SIX
weeks" Said another artist: 81 get but an hour or
two a day at best for work sometimes not ten
Minutes; aud when moment comes IN
which | can venture TO put In little
color, | dash away in kind of fury"
Never suppose were men so backward with their
work, for never was such n season known. The
portrait-painters must keep the brush going for
IL. -. ----.II a LIZ L