The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-05-16
DIscouRAoINo AN ARTIST.

Alex. E.. Sweet, in an editorial letter, addressed to the editor of this paper, says:
 Huddle is in New York. He has just got back from Munich, Germany. I for got that you are not personally acquainted with Huddle. He is as artist, and prob ably the best in the south. He is VT ginian by birth, but after failing to de- stroy the United States government dur. ing the war he moved to Austin, Texas, where he has painted the portraits of most of the leading citizens,
 For the last six months he has been in Munich, Germany, where the best beer in the world is brewed. studying the old Dutch masters. Huddle has come back wi.h so much knowledge of techniques, compositions, mezzotints, etc., that l don't believe he has left any of them be- hind him. He is so full of art that he doesn't care to talk about anything else, but have discouraged him.
 "You must come around to my room at the Ashland House and see my pie lures. I've got ahead of Rembrandt "
 Now, Huddle, stop right there. Quit br rigging. You are pretty good at spoil ing canvas, but it will take you week or so to get ahead of Rembrandt. Why, there are not more than twenty or thirty painters in New York who are ahead of Rembrandt"
 {" didn't mean that was a better ar tist than Rembrandt, but that I had copied three or four of his heads"
 Nov, look here, Huddle; believe you have been doing the most of your work with beer mug. Rembrandt only had one head. He was not in dime museum"
 Alter that he didn't say anything more about Van Dyke, Rembrandt, Rubens and the rest of the students at Munich for day or so. Then he broke out in the same old place.
 !" tell you, that portrait of Rembrandt, painted by himself, is wonderful. Such colorl It is wonderful Wonderful
 Painted his own face, did you say i? There's nothing wonderful about that Thousands of women paint their own faces, and Rembrandt couldn't touch them on color with fortv.foot pole. l know"
 Quit your nonsense. Rembrandt used mirror"
 "Well, what ofit2 Some of the artists l am talking about did not use mirror in painting their faces, but they used glass, which is the same thing. I've know lots of men in Texas who used glass and other ingredients in painting their own faces, and they never bragged about it like Rembrandt. Of course, have never seen the coloring of Rem brandt's face, but if it had more color in it than the faces of some of tue San Antonio artists, he is a good one, sure. ] am willing to concede that some of those Dutch artists were good at painting faces but, tell me, did you see at Munich CT any other German city, an artist who could come up to Ben Thompson in painting town red2 Ben was a poor Texas boy. and had no classical advantages. Don go back on Texas. lknow you are going back to Texas, but don't go back on Texas. Own up, now. that Ben Thomp- son had real genius."
 Huddle refused to talk to me much more on that subject, but few days af- terwards he broke out again:-
 "Can anything equal the old Dutch masters ?"
 "Now, Huddle, quit blowing about the old masters. l knew lots of old masters in the south before the war, some of them owned lots of niggers, and those old southern masters were gentlemen from the ground up, and they were the equals of any old Dutch masters that ever lived. Some of their former slaves will tell you so to this day, and living in Texas, you ought to know it. How many niggers did Rembrandt own before the war5 How many bales of cotton did Ruben raise to the acrep Talk to me about your old Dutch masters"
 That quieted him. think you will have chance to see him. He is going back to Texas pretty soon. Ever since 1 told him that you loved art, and had treated me on credit at the saloon at the Little Rock depot, he talks of going home to Texas by that route, and stopping over for week or so with you. He wants to show you his mug. his Bavarian beer mug, mean. Y.u will enjoy his talk ab ,ut the old masters at the depot saloon at Little Rock.
 A Fleet