The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-10-30
GALLERY AND STUDIO.
SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS AS, A
-saJ HELP TO PICTURE MAKING.
srr. Guys Discovery-How Criticism ON
Minor Fauits Affects the Eyes Of
Would BE Purchasers - A
B --- Ie0-Foo. Fishing Pole. szs..g
brooklyn Eagle.l


While artists are to be regarded a, the
closest observers Of nature there are coca
sional slips in their sesiny that surprise one.
The late SANFORD Clifford, whose reputation
Tor accuracy was OF the highest, and who
began q work with the most careful measure
ments and prospective studiss, could still
make biunders that appeare surpri ing to
those who knew him. While In Athens he
made series OF sketches and u.ea ,creu,snts
for his last picture. the Parthe iol. in ruins
and seen In the warm. TO y light of late
afternoon. It was his desire an intent to
make the details Of the building as accurate
as . photograph. Ju lge, then. Of his own
surpri Q, when he hal called | his studio
neighbor, s. ]. Guy, tn criticise his nearly
completed picture, at the rem lrk OF that
artist: "Why, Mr.. Clifford. you've got
Parthsnon that has q facaie of only seven
columns, whereas it really had eight"
Careful as he had been in the drawing OF
that work he had dropped out the whole OF
. column.
... A DISCOVERY.
Mr.. Guy has the repute OF being the most
scientific Of the paintersin Nav York. He can
analyzs composition, scale its merits and
defects and reveal It's hidden curves AMI
lines as accurately as the chemi analyses
drug. He it was who mads discovery
respecting the Parthenon that il little
known, IL known at all, by the public. 1t
Is that while the columns supporting the
root Of tiat most severely perfect and
serenely beautiful OF temples are apparently
shaped with fidelity to gsomstric proper
ton, they have recession on their outward
faces that amounts to an inward lean,
though the inner faces ars vertical
The result of this Is to make the columns
appear to diminish from effect Of distance
than from loss Of mas, and through the
creation OF this subtle false perspective the
temple Ii made to appear higher than 1t Is
An arrangement Of lines that repeat them-
selves but also diminish as they ascend.
thereby intensifying the effect OF distance.
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 CRITICISMS.
That artists are occasionally jealous Of
each others attachments and success Is I'M
happily the case; but the picture dealer
whose remarks anent this matter started in
San Francisco paper and are going the
rounds Of tine exchanges, undoubtedly made
an ovsr-statement He says that artists 60
into his picture shop and make sly but In.
furious remarks about the picture, Of rival
painters, with q view to lodging q busy lit
tie flea In the ear Of any chance purchaser
that will affect his opinion regarding thoee
other works In an unfavorable manner.
One case Is instanced where an artist,
acting as mentor to rich but uncultured
Californian who distrustei his own taste,
praised the landscape of an artist, who was
his superior, In this manner: ut Is very
fine picture. 1t Is well conceived; drawing
first rate; ad mirable color. ] like the trees,
the sky, the water. Still. II you want my
opinion, I'll tell you something. You see
that small figure In the distance-ths figure
Of man fishingi II you will take the
trouble to find the scale Of measurement
you will discover that the mans fishing pole
Is over fifteen feet long"
LOST A 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 or The seeming fairness Of the criti-
cism made IL the more deadly. The dealer
iEstanced this as one case among many,
and would have us believe that such oc-
currences are frequent They may DO in
San Francisco, but the unwritten code OF
ethics that governs the artist fraternity
hsrsabout prevents their happening often
In these parts s...s
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
opsrings-but there Is o difference between
an honest grumble and an underhand at
tempt to take the bread from the mouth Of
Q fellow craftsman A mere line carelsssly
drawn, or spot Of color wrongly placed, Il
easy to correct.
A 100-FooT FISHING POLE.
As to fishing poles, saw two weeks ago
In gallery a landscape with q seated figure
Of man who was fishing with pole that
was 100 feet long, IL it was foot This Gu
rious effect was produced by dropping the
end Of q short fish line into the middle Of q
pond, that, using the figure to measure by,
was not less than 200 feet wide. By draw
ing his brush down half an inch farther the
artist would have restored the normal per-
spectivs and the pole would have shrunk to
one OF usual Dimensions
Swain Clifford lost the sale of an impor-
tant work In an exhibition soma years ago
for no reason except that . board In the
picture was too long. A dark line drawn
across the middle to make two boards OF 1t,
would have cost him but the labor Of q 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 to
point it out to every prospective buyer, who
directly lost to view the larger truths Of ma
ture In the picture behind board that
was some feet longer than he was used to.