The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-01-03
WHOLE NO. 1913.
Artists and Tailsrs.

I Your stories OF Hunt remind me
of another, hardly less amusing,
and, like yours, illustrating his sense
of the dignity of his air, and his
peculiarly undignified way ofshow-
ing it.
During the last winter of his life,
he one day called upon the artist to
look upon a portrait which had been
returned with some expression of
dissatisfaction from the subject and
owner, and to give his friend, the
artist, the benefit of his judgment in
the matter OF changing and so i'm
proving the picture that it should
pass muster as a creditable work
Of art, even if it did not quite suit
the taste OF the patron.
The chief defect complained of
was the complexion, which WAS
thought to be sallow; and it WAS
true that in the process of giving tie
flesh warm glow the artist had
given an expression of local yellow
in the flesh tints-so strongly mark
ed that the complexion was yellow.
When Mr. Hunt entered the studio,
he looked at the portrait as it stood
upon the easel, and said: They
think it is too yellow. do they?
They always think it is too some
thing except good. Your yellows
are all righrwith your reds and the
general tone of the picture and that
is well enough. Look at that bit of
sky in your landscape pointing to
another picture.) Isn't that good
for sky to your trees and foreground?
But it isn't much like that" looking
upat the light which poured through
the window, "and who said it was?
The fact Is, people don't know any
thing about art, and the more they
knew about other things the less
they know about that. But they
know what they like and they
don't mean to pay till they get it.
Tney rank portrait painters with
tailors-nO fit, no pay. We ought
to make a stand against the unrea-
sonable demands of the public, and
let the patron share our risk. Of
course, we all do the best we can.
and we should be paid for our work
just as We pay our doctors and law
yers, whether they bring Us through
or not.
Il would have an order for a por-
trait mean the best thing that | can
do with a reasonable effort, and that
should fulfill my obligation and en-
title me to be paid. OF course |
like TO have people satisfied when |
am. but | am the one to be pleased.
| know something about my work
and they don't, and when | am will
ing to let a picture go, that ought to
stand for something, whether they
are satisfied or not But then there
Is another way. You know we
should all paint better portraits if
we didn't care a d-n for our sitters.
Suppose now when a patron calls to
order a portrait | should say, L will
not take your commission in the
usual form, but | viii hire you to
sit and pay you 81 an hour, and if /
YOU ike the picture when | call it (
done, you can have it for a stated
price, and If you don't like it you |
needn't take it-and there will be |
no favor either way
with sitter on such terms /
think | could turn out something
pretty good / know | should have
a good time. Id manipulate him
just as the barber does his victim,
and if he dared to open his head |
about art OF anything improving, | d |
stop hIs yup with a paint brush"
I'D just have my way till | got |
through. and then be couiC haYe his !
take it or leave il.