The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-23
A CHARMING PICTURE.
How a French Painter Makes Artistic POr-
traits of Pretty Girls.

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paid a visit, the other day, to the studio of
jules Lefebvre, which, like the parlOr of the
spider in the well known poem, is up a winding
stair" and the courteous owner thereof carries
out the likeness still further by having many
pretty things to show you when you're there. -
The accomplished painter of La Verite, and
Chloe, and The Dream is one of those artists
who do not care for a show studio, but whose
studio is literally an ''atelierH-a working place.
He was busted, when / entered, upon a reduction
of his charming Psyche, now the property
of Mrs, Matthew Baird, of Philadelphia,
the small copy being intended for the
engraver. But the picture that had come eX-
p&ressly to see was the portrait of a young New
York lady-Miss Wilson, the sister of Mrs.
Ogden Goelet. 1t is impossible to imagine a
more exquisite representation of the charm and
freshness of youthful maidenhood. The dainty
little head, revealed against a background of
cream-tinged whiteness, has the delicate charm
of the first rosebud of May. The lovely shoul-
ders and arms are set off in their rose-tinged and
rounded outlines by the vaporous draperies of a
dress in dead-white transparent gauze, the
slender hands reposing with interlaced
fingers on the young lady's lap. Thus
Lefebvre had set fer himself that always
difficult artistic task of blending together three
hues of white-the rosy white of the flesh, the
snow white of the dress, and the creamy white
Of the background-and he has accomplished it
with consummate skill and with admirable effect.
A mass of pale-blue and pink flowers behind the
white marble bench on which the young girl is
seated, blend their tlnts with the soft, cream
hued cloudiness of the background. The pic
ture is a vision of youth and springtime-
aerial, delicate, and ineXpressibiy charming.
M. Lefebvre is also at work on another por-
trait-that of Miss Lawrence, of New
York. He told me that for Miss Wilson's
portrait he had himself chosen the dress; he had
gone to the establishment of Mime. Doucet, Sc
lected the material, and had superintended the
arrangement of the diaphanous folds that lend
so aeral an effect to his picture. Then he drew
aside a curtain and revealed to me the untin-
ished picture at which he is at work for the
salon. 1t is a representation of Morning, a
female figure, nude, save for a floating drapery
of white transparent gauze-that is rising in the
air out of the mists that are curling upwards at
her feet from a pool studded with waterlilies.
A number of little zephyrs, small Cupid
like elves, hover around her, and one
audacious little fellow is trying to imprint
a kiss upon her throat. She bends away from
him, laughing, and the curve thus impaired to
the figure is exceedingly graceful. The back
ground is the golden and rOse-tinted atmosphere
of early sunrise. This most beautiful and poet
zeal work is destined to a noted art collector, of
New York, who ordered it as a pendant for a
picture that he already possessed, namely,
Bouguereau's Dawn" a female figure drinking
from the chalice of a flower. 1t was ordered
some two years ago, but Lefebvre is a very
slow and conscientious worker, and would not
attempt to execute the picture till he was fully
satisfied with his selection of a subject, and with
the result of his preliminary studies for it.