New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-19
BONE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
"REMINISCENCES OF GEORGE FULLERy

From TIE Atlantic Monthly
Toward the close of one afternoon, when george
rnller was tired, having been at work on two por-
traits Rats ali day. dropped in, and we had long
samSling talk about Millet, Corot, Hcnncr the old
masters and art in general Fuller was IN genial
taikatiye twilight mood and am sorry that can
remember only a part of what he said lie was
good talker because he was SO much IN earnest,
RPortrait painting said he "lsa downright grind
and il IL were not so interesting it would be quite
Too hard work. My eyes get tired look King aud my
legs walking to and fro If can satisfy the sttef
family am happy. | very shaky about the
hands in Mis- portrait, and worked like fury
over them If he knew | was painting on the hands,
those hands would grow perfectly rigid so urea
TO fool him, sometimes by saying now am gong 70
work on the hair, or the coat and then he would
forget about his hands so got chance to observe
them when they were natural HIS VIE PLEASED
me by saying, whom she saw the portrait, hoSo
are his hands. sure enough, and nobody else; IN
that portrait of Miss the dress bothered me
more than a little Ircpalnted it | don't know how
many times 1t was always too prominent,
wanted to get away from 1t wanted 10 ge' so C,tar
thing between il and me. At last whch the s,',ea
was not here, simplted it, and got IL 10 SUI "io
better" ti,,. o,d
devotedly he worked over every part OF Poitldi,l
lin he was satisfied that IT as good as he couId
make il. In fact, moro than lew persons wGng
surprised by the portraits III the fulcr McUioiiaI
Txhibition they had much quality" and the
best were remarkable for warm ana rich hai"o"S
Had Fuller had been educated thoroughly IN his
art believe he would have left name far greater
than any of modern times. lie hated his materials
10 have had them under almost perfect COntf0l IKE
Velasauez aud there Is no saving what he win ms
exquisite ideals, might not have accomplished; vi
course this Is suppOSlng great deal As II lH' ne
accomplished surprising things through iOrco Hl
will aud loving labor. though u most faulty woik-
man. lie never had what ls cAHed lacuily III nv
slightest degree Men who have II. he once re-
marked. seldom have anything Important 10 sly.
I believe Inc was thinking of modern men whom he
said this for he know too much not % adniie ING
mechanical superiority al many ola Dn'rn , Hnh
Flemish works, for instance the mpilVts " W I
could make appeal 10 his sympaihleS. ie ~,
par1ed tricks of technique with indifference u NOT
with contempt. one of his iavQrte pIaciires W9s
g. scfape his pictures with the h4sll-htn"e. i9
wished by the means to permit the cool gIays "l
the under. painting Ia show through ana telsper
the warm nesh-tOnssi but hc finally Carried the
practice 10 excess. applying N apparently without
djsctiminaiion 10 nesh dfnpefies bach ground etc.
II became nAnhstisIn bit he defended " Nv say
Ing tbai u made 10 difference which etid ol The
brush YOU painted with atHihatk ~ tended tu'oNe
Tho whole eiouhd Of the pieciio7 ~ the at, bnt
which WIS liable 10 be misintefpisted'
Ito never studied ab,oad bal spent about eight
months ~ Tie yHm th0h travelling ~ lui"pn hhu
seeing the works Of tho old iAhRteis lie dl1 not
bslleVs that Aheii'an Young Wrh snpn.h h"'A y,
stTuot0h ~ Paris, liz ed FiArl lhrh 10 stay ~
this country, lie consldeied that the Tine was
almost ripe for the Foundation oi ,Na'lohhl
"sch0ol" OF at, aud thAi II was delayed ny the
Standardization of 80 many OF our young men
"They never Ontgrow The foreign habll OF ihoighii
IN which they are unC0nscously being framed an
the while they are IN France" ho SAID. In ms
view the manual training they received AT the
same time was not perfect in its way as TO atone
for this calamity Undoubtedly the artistic gods
before which he himself first worShiped were the
early Amencans-Allston, StuaIt and C9piey'
When he roolned with thomas Ball the sculptor,
In Boston in the early days, all the young aTtsts
looked upon AlstOn as the bright particular star IN
the American armament. AiterwaId, through al
The palmv days of the Dusseldorf school and of the
French school Fuller hroodcd III the silence OF his
home over those gracious iauceS OF his which were
later to find adequate expression on canvas TO
bring him measure of fame he hardly expected,
but which was surely no more than his dne.