The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-07-21
ARTISTS MODELS IN PARIS.
Curious Scenes in the Paris Studios.
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cause instances are not wanting OF great
ladies who for mere love Of the beautiful
have consented to reveal their charms Be-
tween the time of the duchess of Ferrara,
when exposed to Titian's dazzled eyes those;
contours immortahzed by his masterpieces,
and that Of those adorable Austrian baron
aesses whose beautiful faces aided ,Mackart
in the creation Of his most brilliant and
ssupurb work, we have seen daughter of
the house Of Alva standing naked before
the easel of Goya. -
3 I must also say VOID about those fair
modern patricians who allow: their hands
and feet to be copied-quite as much
through coquetry as through complaisance.
These are indeed entitled to the gratitude
of true lovers of art, for it has long been
recognized that professional models seldom
possess perfect extremities. The manual
labor and forced marches to which necessi-
ty condemns them from infancy deforms
their toes, thickens their ankles and dries
up their calculations. This encaeaider-
naes,t is not found in those fortunate women
who imprison their idle fingers in gloves,
and never 60 out except in their car
riages. gH
Nevertheless there are exceptions to this
rule. One winters day, at A Schefer's
studio, saw a frightful looking creature
enter, whose ridiculous body was surmount-
ed by a pimply and hairy face, and cover
ed with such bonnet as beggar- women
wear. can still remember her red nose,
her blear eyes and her blotched cheeks.
~Ah, so it is you, Rose" said the paint
err you are late. Come, pose as quick
as you cam" - j.
I was asking myself what charms such
a monster could offer for the brush of
son of Apelles, when Rose took her hands
out of her muff-hands which first appeared
to me two shapeless Jumps without any
definite outline, swaddled in rags, which
fell off one by one. To begin with, she
took off pair of mittens, then wooden
gloves, then kid gloves, then thread gloves,
Then from this quadruple filthy envelope
appeared two marvels-the hands of an
empress, with taper fingers, pink nails,
di pies at every joint, and such an attach
mems to the wrist as combined academic
perfection of form with a certain fresh and
youthful grace I have never seen equalled.
Rose earned 400 francs month. Three
fourths of her earnings were absorbed by
a wine merchant on the Boulevard Cichy.
There one night she yielded up the ghost,
smitten by alchoholc congestion Of the
brain. .s.. .g..
The most interesting of all models is the
one who can pose for the whole figure.
Such models are generally young, Neither
maternity nor age have altered the firmness
and smoothness Of their flesh. It is worth
while to see the placid air and superb in
difference with which these adolescents,
VINO undress themselves in the twinkling Of
an eye, leap upon the studio table to as
sumo the position desired by the artist
The most ought-after and the most ir-
reproachably formed are Jewesses. shall
u l. l,>11
dozen years ago. A conscientious paint
er, who was one Of my friends, had received
an order for Joan Of Arc He first hired
from saddlemaker of the Rue Saint Denis
an exceptionally. we'll stuffed horse, and
upon the back Of the animal harnessed
after the style of the epoch in which this
scene Of his painting was to be laid-he
put a blue velvet saddle we'll feurdelisee
with silver. Then he sent for Sarah, a
blonde of Ii summers, whose physical per
fectons were so renowned that artists still
boast Of them at the Cafe de Ia Nouville
Athenes. My friend resolved to paint her
| first naked in the saddle, the better to as
sure proportion to the body of the heroine
under her armour. I was in the studio
when Sarah, as lightly clad as Eve before
the tig. leaf episode, leaped into the saddle.
She placed her feet in the golden stirrups,
and with her right hand held aloft the sa-
cred orihamme with delightfully."- saucy
swagger. She had loosened and shaken
out her tawny hair, which, ripping down
over her white back, flung truly royal
mantle over her satiny skin. It was nc
upon the English, but bewildering and
magnificent amazon, whose aspect dumb
! founded me into silent admiration.
| Models who possess beautiful faces il
addition to perfection Of body are very rare.
Such models are always engaged by the
year, and under certain contracts, bv three
or four eminent artists. ~
l On this subject there are intsigues anc
maneuvers which often result in hot dis.
cussions and violent quarrels. I could CITE
the names of two celebrated sculptors who
on the occasion of the opening of the salon il
49,, had such hot words together that afte
a duel which took place without serious re.
suits, they never spoke to each other TO
five long years. It was all about certain
Clara who had vowed to one sculptor tina
she would not pose for the other. but hat
broken her vow. Clara only posed for tn,
legs her knee and the muscles CT he
calf we're absolutely unrivalled for symmet
~. Whenever faithfully modelled he
charms betrayed her; and X discovere.
from the legs of 2 - g Niobe that Clar
had been false to her agreement.
At the end of each setting the model re
ceives from ten to fifteen trans, according
to his or her plastic superiority, and, abov
all, according to the manner of posing
1mmobility and intelligence in posing ar
especially we'll recompensed. The Rapha
els Of Montmal ire keep to themselves a
the present time certain woman who earn
superb living simply by her magni6cen
manner Of wearing drapery. Not one fol,
of a robe moves when she poses. A pro
fame fellow once asked Delacroix why b
did not have manikin instead of the MAJ
who was posing for him in the purpl
mantle of Jupiter.
"a manikn," returned the author o
sSardanapalus,' "does not wear drapery
but stiffens it. /"
In fact, it is absolutely necessary thu
there should be breathing, living, sentien
being under the immobility of the draperJ
This may seem fantastic, but it is neyerthe
less true. The success Of and demand fc
models who, to use studio term, croie1
que c'est arrive {who act their part s
thoroughly that they feel themselves wins
, they act), prove this fact. The woma
above referred to possesses the art Of identi
flying herself with the situation to such
IS dnoraa that she 10 often rekainnd IA v,oco