The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-11-12
SCENE PAINTING
SOME HINTS TO THE PUBLIC RE-
GARDING A SPECIAL DEPART
MENT OF THE PAINTERS
ART NOT WELL UN-
DERSTOOD.

the Chicago Tribune. The author
who is now at work in the Sal
Lake Theatre, desires to say that hi
STRUCTURES on the Chicago public ant
press, for non-appreciation of the
scenic artists abor, do not apply
here, where both press and people
are keen to acknowledge merit and
bestoW proper credit.
Chicago, Dec. IS. = Theatrica,
scenery is painted in Edistemper,
the dry color being mixed with a
vehicle consisting of glue and water
much the same as is used WithlWhit.
ing for calcimining rooms. Stage
scenery and drop-curtains are never
painted in oil colors. While the
color is less brilliant than when
mixed with oils (the artist being
compelled to get his brilliancy by
Skillful arrangement of dull color,
the glare of varnish and oil is
avoided which would destroy the
realism of The scene. Scenery, then,
being painted in water colors, the
danger from fire is much less than
is popularity supposed; in fact, when
it does take fire, it burns very
slowly for a long time. The can
vas is much less combustible than
before being painted. Scenes
painted on both sides are almost
fre-proof.
The qualities required of a first
class scenic artist are of q much
higher order than is generally sup
posed, and the technical difficulties
to be overcome to produce any bril-
liant effect 9OhGte0eT. for the stsge,
are so numerous that, with a
thorough knowledge of drawing,
color and composition, and the clear
est possible idea on the part of the
artist of what he desires to do, he
will fail utterly, without great plac-
tice. to convey to the audience the
effect that he may have already, in
his brain, arranged in the clearest
and most tangible shape. The
artist in oil colorS can produce any
effect which his mind conceives.
The scenic-artist must first overcome
many very great obstacles. One of
the chief difficulties arises from the
fact that the colors dry out several
shades lighter than they are when
applied. Throw a little water on
the floor and the difference in color
will illustrate this dificulty.) The
artist is compelled to paint with one
color while thinking of another. He
must think with every brush-mark
how the colors will dry out" The
difficulty in doing this can be i'm
agined.when it is considered that all
exterior scenes are painted from a
palette, making a constant change
of thousands of different tints.
Then the effect of night light is a
serious drawback. Whoever has
observed the changes in the colors
of fabrics from the light of day to
the artificial light of gas must have
noticed how some colors are
heightened and others dimmed by
being brought under the yellow gas
light.
The scene-painter working in the
broad glare of day, must consider
with every brush mark the effect of
this gaslight on his color. A bril-
liant effect by daylight may, under
an artificial light, be entirely de-
stroyed, and also the reverse holds
true; but that must not be accident
with the scenic-artiSt.
Do the audience in the theatre
ever realize the immense difficulty
of painting a scene while within
three or at most four feet from the
canvas, to produce the proper eff
feet at a distance of from fifty to
$50 feet. the artist being compelled
to see his work in his minds eye at
this distance, when his first oppor-
tunity to see his entire work has
been finished and on the stage? The
result of constant practice in this
direction is, that, as he acquires
knowledge, and consequently power
and decision, he gradually chooses
larger brushes, until the skillful
artist is enabled with the toughest
and apparently most hideous
"sWashes" of the calclmining brush
to produce effects as soft, tender,
and full of appropriate meaning as
IS done by the most labored, pains
taking care on smaller surfaces by
many landscade painters. In scene
painting, as in all other art, it is
only the novice who takes the life
out of his work by petty, contempt
ible smoothing down with small
brushes. Pictures are made to be
seen, not smeIled," said Reynolds.
In decorative painting mechanical
finish is the important requisite, but
in scene painting it is no more an
excellence than is mechanical finish
in any other art.
The popular impression is that be-
cause scenes are thus painted with
broad, bold, rough marks it is
scarcely more than a grade or so ad.
yanced beyond mere decorative
painting; but think for a moment
of the knowledge of drawing. per.
Ispective, composition and color re
lquired to enable the artist to pro
duce on these large surfaces a scene
which to the audience must be
lrealism, when he can only see at any
time limited portion SAY ten fee
Isquare) Of his work-on a "drop'
Isay thirty feet by fifty-while work.
ling within three feet of his canyoc