The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-09-15
ANECDOTES OF ARTISTS.

Vernet painted charge of cavalry,
and asked Gros to look at it. ats very
innocent, said Gros; ''your charge will
do no mischief, as | see the horses have
only two legs apiece" Gros painted an
allegorical picture, and asked Vernet to
look at it. Vernet went, his first ques-
tion was, "What is it meant to repre-
senta" weather" replied Gros.-
"What do you think of it?" "Very bad
weather, replied Vernet, putting up his
umbrella and walking out of the room.
When Dubufe's celebrated paintings
of "Adam and Eve" were on exhibition
at Edinburgh, Mr.. McNab, the curator
of the Botanical Gardens in that city, was
taken to see them, and asked for his
opinion. 81 think no great thing of the
painter" remarked the authority on
gardening. "Why, man Eve temptin'
Adam wi pippin O. variety that wasna
known until about twenty years ago 7"
This was as suggestive a bit of criticism
as that of the farmer who told George
Morland that he had never seen three
little pigs feeding without one of them
having its feet in the trough. Morland
altered his picture.
Cham, the French caricaturist, who
died in 1879, had very long legs. One
day he went into tailor's shop, chose
some cloth, and agreed to the price of
forty-fve francs for pair of pantaloons.
The tailor took his measure, and went
lower and lower, while his astonishment
went higher and higher. At last he
stopped little below the knee, and
threw his measure over his shoulder
"Well," said Cham, edo you stop thercl"
Monsieur, for forty-fve francs I can
not go lower" answered the tailor.
Horace Vernet is generally credited
with having originated the word 'schic,"
used to describe things striking and
agreeable, almost as much in English
speaking countries as in France. Vernet
had clever young pupil, who painted
so much like his master, and drew with
such strength and precision, that he
held him up as an example to all his class
of pupils. When pupil displeased him
he would say, ''Look at Chic"-that was
the name Of his favorite-"see how he
works; do as he does," etc. Chic died
young. Vernet felt very bad about it;
and when he went into his studio and
looked at the work of other pupils, he
would fold his hands, cast down his eyes
and say to himself, Gee nest pas Chic"
There is, however, another version, also
said to be the true and authentic one, of
this account, which is given in a letter
dated December, 1879, by the English
chaplain at Croix es-Roubaix, who heard
it from French gentleman, the word in
its present Specification was born in Ant
werp, in the studio of Rubens, and
among his pupils. 1t fell on a day that
one of Rubens' pictures was almost fin
ished and one of his pupils, Schick by
name, found himself alone with the all
but completed picture. Moved by the
spirit of mischief, Schick proceeded to
draw in the ceuter Of the picture fly
Some time afterward Rubens entered the
room and taking the fly for a real one. he
tried to catch it with his hand. But
when he saw what had been done, his
feelings may be imagined, and calling
his pupils together, he demanded who
was the culprit. The fellow pupils of
the culprit joined in saying that it was
Schick, for the good and sufficient reason
that no one else could have done so well.
Ever afterward, when anything was 80
well done that no one could improve it,
it was said to be Schick. 1t would thus
appear that what was at one time cant
word among Rubens' pupils, was then
forgotten, and long afterward found it's
way to the Boulevards from the studios
of Paris artists, among whom it signifed,
as it does still, aptitude, facility, or the
result of that.
One morning the walls of Paris were
found chalked with sketches of gigantic
pear, in which the frivolous citizens found
occasion of laughter. Crowds gathered
round the chalk designs, the police inter
fered, the spies listened. 1t could not
be concealed that in the preposterous
fruit the people saw the efiigy of their
monarch. For the hundreth time M.
Phillipon, the famous caricaturist was
dragged into the courts. He confronted
the jury with huge sheet of white pa
per, on which he hastily sketched big
Burgundy pear, in the lower parts round
and capacious, narrower near the stock,
and crowned with two or three careless
leaves. The jury could not deny that the
pear was purely horticultural design.
One might as well arrest any author of a
'Guide to the Garden" as the artist for
this illustration. With few casual dots
and lines M. Philipon produced a slight
change, which made the jury laugh
They recognized their prince, and the
artist asked them if it was fair to con-
denim him because an illustrious person
resembled vegetable product. The
caricaturist was acquitted.
If any ambitious young artist would
like to eclipse the fame of the late Sir
Edwin Landseer, he would do we'll to
ponder an anecdote which has recently
been told of plucky painter, 1t is said
that while the celebrated Martin. the
"dompteur," was staying at Ghent, in
1925, he noticed among the most con
slant attendants at his menagerie young
man, who, by reason of the drawing ma
terials he brought with him and freely
employed, stood confessed an artist
Nort1p ,,I @bo -,