The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-11-18
PORTRAIT PAINTING.
With q Brief Reference to Landscape
Art.

The lot Of the artist, at best,
especially of the landscape artist, is
a hard one. Figure painting is
generally considered. nay, almost
universally acknowledged as the
higher branch of the art, though for
what reason even the most jealous
advocates of the grandeur and pre-
eminence Of figure painting arc fire..
quently ut serious loss to explain,
Even portrait painting is ranked
above it. / do not wish to say any
thing unfavorable to portrait paint
ing, for it is q noble art-but It's
prestige is secured by reason of the
overwhelm lg conceit which is so
common to human nature. One can
contemplate with some degree of
patience the desire so often
exhibited to have fine portraits
of loved ones who may be dead, or
absent, adjoining choice positions on
the household walls; not that those
loved enes are forgotten, but be-
cause the mute images looking
down upon us, serve as reminders
of days past, of actions done, land re-
call to our Indifferent hearts the
thought that only by comparison of
the past with the present-of the
days when they were here with the
hours now f1eeting-can warnings as
to future events be learned, and the
living be benefited by the past.
The failing of portrait paint
ing, however, does not lean
that way; unlike the village
priest of whom poor, good old Gold
smith wrote that "e'en his failings
lean'd to virtues side," portrait
painting, as an art which is generally
supposed to have an elevated and
ennobling effect, is a means which
those in position to employ it use
for the qualification Dwell, not the
wickedest appetite which is the por.
ton of poor humanity, but certainly
one of its meaHest and most effem-
mate traits. Its success depends
almost entirely upon gratifying the
conceit of the egatistical, self
satisfied, but patient object of the
painter. And when it is done, and
the subject is, by the artists cum
ming and prostituted genius,
made as attractive as outrp ged
truth will possibly admit, and as
amiable iii expression, stern, sturdy,
determined, reflective, or philan-
thropic. as the patient demands, it
is then taken and adOrns a promi-
nent place in the parlor, where it
serves the purpose of looking
glass; only. unlike a looking glass,
one can drop into an easy chair,
face himself. sit and admire ais fine
features. which are ever at their
best, and is not annoyed by the
sourness of expression that may be
az much a chara cteristic of him as
his conceit. The crow tracks
about his eyes do not force
themselves into violent prominence,
and he is not persistently
compelled to observe the marked |
difference that exists between the
he would like his face to
which constitutes one of
the principal beauties he contem-
plates in his own picture-and that
which poor mother nature, with all
her good intentions, with ali her de
sire to please, has endowed him.
After ones self-but first always
ones self-come those nearest and
dearest When toe artist has salts
fed us, personally and pictorially,
then he must satisfy us with regard
to our family, and their portraits,
with all the finish, heightened
effect, and increased attractiveness
which modern invention and mod
srn skill and ingenuity can supply,
are placed on the same walls, only
occupying less and less PROMINENT
positions, according to rank, in q
patriarchal se1se. Thus the ten.
1ency for self admiration is incul-
Gated in the bosom rather than obli-
and this too by means of an
art which should be elevating and
in it's effects. Contem-
plate the harmony which will pre-
vail during Sabbath days and win.
ter evenings, where the head of the |
has judiciously expended
enough means to secure a portrait
Of each member of his family.
There is no charm 80 potent in it's |
power to please as that derived from
seeing oneself. Here the head of the
family arranges himself comfortably |
in his easy chair, facing a fine por-
trait of himself-fine in q purely
sense as distinguished from
truth his better half takes her seat
beside him, facing her portrait, and
30 on down through the family, and
let them spend the evening in such |
pleasing contemplation as the object
on which the eye rests affords, and
I defy the spirit of discord to have
the slightest effect on that family.
Viewed from this point the portrait
painter achieves . result which all
the preachers, mOralists, philan-
thropists and philosophers havel
striven for in vain; but, oh! what a |
liar it makes of the artist. Ii heI
tells the truth, and thus elevates the |
standard of his inspired art, he can
only do sc for a brief period. This
will be a parallel case with that of !
the man whose horse when he had
taught it to live without eating
turned around and died; for when
he had reached q point where ha