The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-01-19
ART IN FRANCE.

A Niuer Dis~old. in Cincinnati Sat. Night. The chlsf painters of the Napoleonic era xere Francois Gerard, Antoine lear ,,ros and Pierre Narcisse Guern. The forner was the son of an attache of a french ambassador al Rome. in which z,y the artist was born in i77o, his no,her being an Italian lady. He was brought to Paris when I, years of age, aud owing to his great passion for de signing, was placed in the atelier of the sculptor Palou. Afterwards he became a pupil of David. His first successful picture was |" David Justifying the Chase susannah," now m the Louvre When me revolution broke out he was named member of the revolutionary tribunal by his friend David. who was identified with the movement. and in order to avoid the terrible functions he feigned illness. He became famous as portrait painter in lSoo, when all the celebrities desired to be painted by him. Napoleon confided 10 him the execution of official portraits, and commanded him to paint, in ISo6. inc battle of Austerlitz, which he did not complete until tour years afterwards. Gerard's portraits are celebrated as stud les of costume, and he displayed great skill in representing his subjects in the most favorable light. To-day they pos sess much greater artistic meri, than the pictures of public ceremonies ard battles which were so much in vogue when he painted. It is observed that while taste changes Tn the selection of themes and style of handling, good portrait is inde- pendent Of these variations, and IS al- ways admired. Gerard's portrait of Can
 eva, the celebrated Italian sculptor, IS at the Louvre, and one of his bes, works. His most imposing picture is |" Entrance Of Henry ". into Paris, ?, March. s9l Henry had fought four years for his throne as a defender oi protes,an,ism, during which time he was kept ou. of his capital, and it was only by abJuring ,hx, faith and becoming a Catholic that oppo- siiion ceased. The picture in the Louvre $ repetition in reduced form of another picture now in the gallery of Versailles, for which the artist was paid i2, 900 if.
 Gros was native of Paris. He was a pupil and favoritc of David. who did all n his power 10 advance him. He studied m Rome, Florence and Geneva, his ad- niration being greatly excited in the latter place by the works of Rubens, tan Dyck and Puget. He became ac- quaihted with Josephine in i7o6. who look him with her to Milan and presented him to her husband, General Bonapartc. then in midst of his Italian successes. The battle of Arcola, gained in Novem- Der of that year. furnished him with the subject for his hrst great battle piece. He represented Napoleon carving the iri-colored flag and crossing the bridge a' the head of his grenadiers. The pic;- are gratiiied Napoleon very much, and ne caused i: 10 be engraved by Longhi a; his own expense and gave the plate to inc young artist. Afterwards he procured aposition for him in the army, attaching him to his own headquarters as inspector ot reviews. an honorary position simply. Painters. though fond of a brush, are rarely useful in a battle. Napoleon in i-97 appointed Gros one of the commis- son to choose objects of art suitable for decorating the gallery of the Louvre, 3 duty which he performed with taste and Judgment. He returned to Paris in 8oI after an absence of nine years He was then thirty years of age, and up to tha,
 time his chief work had been portraits and some subjects antique. Then he undertook the work of illustrating the Napoleonic wars on those great stretches of canvas which rendered him so famous. One of his largest pictures in the Louvre represents Bonaparte visiting the pest hospital in Jaffa- The interior of rich mosque is shown, surrounded by court and converted into a hospital Bona parte. accompanied by some of his gen. erals, touches without apparent fear the samors which the pest has produced on he body of sailor. who is upright be fore him. 4 young French surgeon, victim to the contagion which he was heroically striving to check. IS seen dying among group of stricken men in vari- o1s stages of the malady. On the other side two Arabs are distributing bread to the convalescents. This was painted by Cros a, Versailles in rSoi. the work of less than SIX months, which is remarkable, considering the size of the canvas and the number of figures introduced, many of them portraits. The scene depicted vas an actual fart. This picture, ex- posed at the Salon. gave Grcs an i'm mense popularity at once, and he was showered with honors. The artists oi Paris attached to the sunni, a long branch of palm, and covered the frame with crowns, and banquet, over which David presided, was given in his honor. AnoeAer of Gros' cmv1sses, sdn larger than the above, represents Napoleon visit to the battle6eld of Eylan- The gen. cal is discovered splendidly mounted, surrounded by his staff, among whom Sault, Nurat and Dzvoust are easily re- coguized- Some Lisherarians press Hsund him and implore his pity. In the diseaace Eylan is seen in flames, and soEne lines of French troops are leading away their prisoners of war.
 za:nssaex hs. Gxcs of Exa-.,s and