Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-10-13
GALLERY AND STUDIO
SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS AS
HELP TO PICTURE MAKING.
Mr.. Guy'- Discovery How Criticism on
Minor Faults Affects the Eyes Of
MouII lie Purchaser. - A
lOO-Foos Fishing Pole
LRrDoklyn Eagle.l


While artists are TO be re garded as the /
closest observers Of nature there are coca.
sional slips m their SO ling that surprise one.
The late SANFORD Clifford, whose reputation
for accuracy va, of the highest, and who
began a work with Il 9 most careful measure
ments and prospective studies, eould still
make blunlers that appeared surprising To
those who kusw him. While in Athens he
made a eric OF sketches and measurements
for his last pic ure, the Parthenon, in ruins
and seen in the warm, rosy light OF late
afternoon IL was his desire an intent tp
make ths details OF the building as accurate
as a photograph. Judge, then, Of his own
surprie, when he had called In his studio
neighbor, S. j. Guy, TO criticise his nearly
completed picture, at the remark OF that
artist. "Why, Mr.. Clifford, you've ut
Parthenpn that ha' facais OF only seven
columns whereas II really had eight
Careful a. he had been in the drawing OF
that work he had droppsd out the whole Of
a column.
A DISCOVERY.
Mr. Guy has the repute nj being the most
scientific of the paintersin New York He can
analyzs a COM osition, scale its merits and
detects AMI reveal its hidden curves AM
lines as accurately as the chemi { nnalySs,
a drug He it was who mads a discovery
respecting the Parthenon that is little
known, il known at all. by the public, II
is that while the columns supporting the
roof Of that most severely perfect and
serenely beautiful of temples are apparently
shaped with ii lelity to geomstric proper
ton, they have n recession on their outward
faces that Hmonnts to an inwarl lean.
though the inn ,r faces are vertical
Tie result II thi, is to make the columns
appear 10 diminish from effect OF distance
than from los, of mas, and through the
creation OF this subtle false perspective tue
temple is made to appear higher than II j.
An arrangement OF lines that repeat them
selves but also diminish as they ascend
thereby intensifying the eff ct OF di'tancs.
may be seen in the tower Of Trinity church
in Boston, while some of the grandeur Of
the new law courts in Brussels is due TO the
receding lines Of the dome.
UNAVOIDABLE CRITICISM.
That artists are occasionally jealous OF
| each other attachments and succe j. un-
| happily the ca g; but the picture dealer
| who,e remarks Rnent this matter started in
San Franci,co paper and are going the
rounds of the exchanges, undoubtedly male
an over-statement He says that artists 60
into his picture shop and make sly but In.
furious remarks about the picture Of rival
painter, with view 10 lodging a busy lit.
tie flea in the ear Of any chance purchaser
that will affect his opinion regarding those
other works in an unfavorable manner.
One case is instanced where an artist,
acting as mentor 10 rich but uncutursl
/ Californian who distru,ted his own ta,te,
| praised the landscape OF an arti.t who was
his SUPERIOR in this manner: at Is a very
fine picture. IL is well conceived; drawing
fr,t rate; al mirable color. like the trees,
the sky, the water. Still, il you want my
opinion, Pll tell you something. You zee
that small figure In the distance-ths figure
Of man ishingi II you will take the
trouble TO fini the scale of measurement
you will discover that the mans fishing pole
is over fifteen feet long"
LOST SALE
The rich man was on the point Of buying
the picture until his friend made this dis
covery, but that one little brush stroke,
that nobody would have noticed had he not
been searching for defects, threw the bar
gain of. The seeming fairness OF the crit.
cism made IL the more deadly. The dealer
/ lnbJhQCt4 luis Us Ouo CtSo htuOuk ulhult
and would have US believe that such oc-
currences are frequent They may be In
San Francisco, but the unwritten code OF
ethics that governs the artist fraternity
hersabout prevents their happening often
In these parts
An artist is at liberty TO find fault with
the pictures Of other painters, and he
generally uses that liberty when he thinks
occasion calls for it-as at the academy
| opsnings-but there is a difference between
an honest grumble and an underhand at
tempt TO take the bread from the mouth Of
fellow craftsman A mere line carelsssly
drawn, or spot Of color wrongly placed, Is
easy TO correct
A 100-FooT FISHING POLE.
As TO fishing poles, saw two weeks ago
In gallery landscape with a seated figure
of man who was fishing with a pole that
was 100 feet long, IL IL was foot This Gu
rious effect was produce1 by dropping the
end Of short fish line into the middle Of a
pond, that, Using the figure 10 measure by,
was not less than go feet wide BY draw.
| ing his brush down half an inch farther the
artist would have restored the normal per-
spective and the pole would have shrunk TO
one Of usual dimensions
Swain Clifford lost the sale of an impor-
tant work in an exhibition some years ago
for no reason except that a board in the
picture was too long, A dark line drawn
across the middle 10 make two boards OF il,
would have cost him but the labor Of a sec
ond, and would have secured an immedi-
ate cash return In this case, as in the San
Francisco episode, some smart" person
who discovered the defect took pains 10
point IL out TO every prospective buyer, who
directly lost 10 view the larger truths Of ma