Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-11


Res ia urant - Some American Artists
- Interesting Talk with One of fThem
- The New Academy Building The
Morality of Female Models I'm a
studio.
MUNICH Sept. 10.
To the Editor of the Journal COURIER:
But if you want to meet some of the
American art students, go down to the Wal
halla restaurant about seven O'Clock this
evening. It's modest place, but you know
we students can't always afford to put on,the
top shelf The speaker was a young man
who had left America ten years before in or
der to learn to paint in Europe, and who
| now stood, pallet and brush in hand, before
painting which he was copying in the New
Pinakothek,- F'Seni before the corpse of
Wallenstein." 1 had heard him address a
word or two of English to passer-by, and
with the audacity characteristic of the Amer
| lean abroad had ventured to introduce nv
| self on the strength of this fact, and to
| inquire about our art students in this the
leading art center of the German Empire
The copy of the death of Wallenstein was
destined for Cornell university hehad told
me, and had added: fsYou know we have to
| do copying as accessory to original work
| This Is the way we earn funds with which to
| prosecute original painting" Thanking nv
informant fer this pointer, I withdrew; and
| that evening after the appointed hour found
myself on the doorsteps of the WaIhalla As
I closed the door behind me and stood for a
moment removing my dripping rubber coat,
I took rapid survey of the room and its oc-
cupants. Ny keen eye lighted upon two
1 II
| a remote corner of the large room, alternate
| ly slipping the national beverage beer, and
| chatting after the animated American fash
| ion. Here were my victims, calmly said to
myself; and then I set capturing them in
| much the same way as the entomologist is
| wont to capture his insects. Drifting across
| the room in languid, nonchalant manner, [
| dropped down in one of the chairs at the
| same table, apparently oblivious of the pres
| ence of anybody else in the vicinity Then I
| picked up the bill of fare and ran my eye
| critically down its pages Now have learned
| from long and multifarious experience that
| the way to mans heart is through his stom-
ach If there is anything do know, and
know real hard it is this. So I resolved up
on stratagem which was sure would make
the enemy capitulate. FEBring me,' I said in
| clear ringing voice, ga good large piece of
pumpkin pie!" The effect was electrical.
Both heads dropped to the level of the table
instantly and melancholy groan went up
which touched me to the hearts core
| Gentlemen, - said, sit was not my purpose
| to cast such a gloom over this meeting''
Then paused for moment, to allow this
| intensity of their emotion to subside, while /
/ filed out an orthodox order for such things
! as are really to be had in Munich. After
time one of the twain Slowly lifted his head,
and murmured in mournful retrospective
voice: Pumpkin piei Then it really does
exist still. Tell me, tell me, is it not all hol-
dream he 100St2' he he'd
". His grief was to pathetic to be trifed
with, and SO [ said, eyes, pumpkin pie is
still tangible reality across the raging duck
pond" "Pray pardon these tears" he said,
wiping his infamed optics on the window
curtains, "but you might just as well have
| said boHed turkey and cranberry sauce. Tt
brought such tide of memories trooping up
before us,-memories of the faded and gone.''
From the bottom of my heart pitied him;
but he frightened up presently and said
'EBut we didn't have turkey Thenksgiv-
| ing. Only it was goose. But We labelled it
turkey" '.Sirs," I said, "I begin to per
ceive that you are American artists" Given
so'' was thepensive chorus. "Perhaps you
can shed some light then a question over
| which I have been pondering for long
time. Do you incline to the view that
artist ever thinks?' A moment of delibera-
ton followed, when the older and wiser of
the two replied: F'I should indeed hesitate
/ to go on record as entertaining such rash
belief Sometimes an artist stunbles against
an idea that looms up before him like dead
wall, or the broadside Of barn. Then he
sometimes absorbs the general outline of it,
just as nourishment is sometimes absorbed by
being placed in contact with the body of
man who has lost the of his regular di-
gestive apparatus STILL there is grave
doubt even on this point. 1t is at least GER
tain that Reubens was sadly astray when in
answer to the question Don't you sometimes
amuse yourself by painting? he made sar-
castle reply, No, usually amuse myself by
thinking over affairs of state I suppose
the masterpiece of all these famed artists
kind of 'growed' like ETopsy." ;"
Very likely. But tell me something about
artist life. How many meals do you eat a
day2" ''Two usually. We get up at eleven
O'Clock so that we don't have to have any
breakfast"
''Is it true that your chief diet is liver!''
oliver and calf's head Sometimes we have
bread and usually glass of beer. But we
find that regular meals promote obesity, and
interfere with fitness for work. Liver is
cheap, and there is no danger of its stimula-
ting the torpid brain"
''But don't you tire of it after awhile?"
eyes but we will not yield to any such
weakness. They always serve good deal
of it, and if our stomachs spleen against it
after a few mouthfuls, we just wrap up what
is left in piece of paper and stick it into
our pocket. This is an especially satisfactory
pTacU1ce, because we can 6IlofWarQS CheW
the paper, and extract some nutrition from
it.
tFWhere do you room!" F'In private
houses for the most part. Then there is the
hospital here which is open to students at
only three marks per year; and when a man
gets really hard up, he can succumb to some |
slight indisposition and put up there. 1t is |
a serious fact that some students find their |
way out of financial difficulty in this man
ner." /
t'Some more serious fact, please" "Well, |
badinage aside, there is not so much poverty |
as the world is apt to suppose among our |
number The total membership of the Royal |
Academy of Fine Arts is a little over 500 |
students at present. Of course the Germans |
are in the ascendancy from numerical point |
of view. Every nationality in Europe is |
represented. [ suppose We have a !
jap one or two Roumanians and Bulgarians |
not few Poles and SWedes liberal CON
stituency from Italy and France a very few
English, and usually forty or fifty Americans. |
It is simple statement of fact, think, when |
I say that the Americans stand very high in
point of talent and faithful labor. At the |
last exhibition there were thirty Americans |
with work entered, and twenty two of these
succeeded in carrying off honors Tho work |
of two of this number was purchased by the
academy, a rare honor. One of these men
has but one arm-his 1eft-to paint with.
Last year at certain time five prizes were
awarded, and the small band of Americans
secured three of them. The standard of |
admission is being elevated every year, SO |
that it requires good deal of skill in order
to secure entree."
fsDon't good many students come here to
fail of admission, and go away disappointed9'
eyes indeed. There is one quite pathetic
case here now. A man came here from New
Jersey, with work which he thought to show
to the faculty, and at once gain admission.
But he was of course compelled to perform
new work under the supervision of the pro-
fessors, and failed to meet the requirements.
He then engaged a private teacher, and
worked diligently for many months, when he
appealed for admission again, hut again
failed to pass the examination. He is now
without money, casting about him for some
thing to do, and not knowing whittier to
60"
stBut there is not much actual poverty of
the pinching, grinding sort?'' 'ENo,-I should
say not. We are most of US frugal, but we
do not lack for the comforts of life. The exz
penses are not SO high as you would imagine
Many student gets through on $3.50 year
The present cost of tuition is about $11 a
year in American money, though there is a
strong probability that this sum will be
raised to 81 in another wear Our sunD1ies