New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-03-15
ART NEWS AND COMMENTS.
THE WEEK IN ART CIRCLES.
row SOME ARTISTS USE rHoroGRAPHY-SCTEs OF

camera by artists has been carried tar that more ue
tailed explanations seem called for now There are
three methods OF employing photography to do an I'm
portant part OF the artists WORK. and these methods
ia unfortunately necessary to say have been adopted by
several artists by few OF tho older we'll by some
OF the younger men. The bOldcst way OF using the
ia the throwing mp OF negative directly upon
the artists canvas paper which is seusitzed with
silver or platinum salts The negative may have been
taken directly from life, It nay be from sketch 1t
placed in solar camera" which the roofs
OF rho fOgraphc galleries appears like combination OF
large and snail drygoods box mounted upon stand
The smaller box which Is kept pointed at tho SUM- con-
tans the negative and lens. In the larger box Is an
easel upon which tho artists canvas or paper Is placed
at distance from tho lens corresponding to the size de-
sired for tho enlargement. The process OF ohttlnng
solar prints IS OF cOurso oleraby familiar, although
the name what misleading, much OF this work j.
done at present by the aid OF the electric light The
original negative Il enlarged I'm general way like n
storeoptcon image OF small szc except that the enlarge
nen is received upon somsitiled ground and is perma
mont. The unfamiliar feature Il that these solar
prints may he eitrrward cOlored and appear as original
oil or water paintings This method has Leon used
in portrait painting The artist persr AIDES his subject 10
sit for photograph IN the pose desired, then has the
negative enlarged upon his canvas promptly lays on
color. ana the portrait advances with rap1ity highly
gratifying to the sitter at h' occasional visits. Again.
where an artist desiros paint interior he photo
graph tho with his models posed therein, aud have
this negative enlarged upon his canvas This has been
done III the Of genres aud street scenes as well as
with portraits and lnterOs In interiors, the cameras
well known eXacgeraon OF distance often gives small
rooms the effect OF large apartments In street scenes
building. often appear to be leaning forward or back
ward or otherwise out" owing to the cameras dis
torton which has not been corrected by adjusting tue
" swing back" Yet in some artists faithfully
follow the errors of the believing that photos-
rauny must he correct and thus betray themselves
Many artists are clever amateur photographers ana
make their own negatives. But tor enlargement'
they 20 to profession several OF whom are largely
occupied with work OF this kind tor artists. The result
OF painting ii these enargcmrntS Is obviously
TO be properly called a cOlorci photograph
The second method that OF drawing upon CANVAS or
paper the outlines given by Photography II the reader
will recall magic lantern image, he Will see that any
one by keeping out of the light could easily follow out
with pencil the image on the and indicate the
shading THIS what the artist does. For this the en-
lagng of the professionals are usually hired by
the hour The artist with his negative either after
sketch from life aud with his canvas or paper Iii
not unnatural that he should never acknowledge the
motive for obtaining such assistance His plea is
that he Is OycrcrOwed With work too busy to draw
IN his subject himself in tho approx ed Where
this has been done large scale rs by designers OF
large stained glass windows the artist may find it con
venicnt to have an enlargng camera OF his own one
we'll known designer has been the na OF posing and
his models. then placing this NEGATIVE in
ena ging camera aud throwing up the image O the
desired for the win low upon Tapcr where the image
was followed ont with pencil the result being an Oriei
nal design" Another designer made an original sketch,
and enlarged this Is des IN this being really
his own work Some OF the figure studies which haveap
pearcd not only In oil and color, but in black and
white exhibitions. have been helped out in this way
Certain Samagund studies from the nude have been
really photographs from models enlarged and outlined,
traced In tracing the third OF these three dubious
methods the artist has his subject photographed upon
thin paper nownas light stenhach the back of which
blacencd. usually with powered French crayon This
pinned the canvas or paper and the lines OF the
photograph followed out with hard pencil or stylus,
shading being indicated by rough lines. 80 that when the
photograph is removed the artist has upon his canvas
correct tracing his subject indicating shade rs well as
outlines. His work is to apply the coorinS. por
trait OF eminent Roman Catholic eoeesiastc who died
year ago was prepared in this way. The paper which
dampencd sde shrauk As 10 pull the feat
ures ont OF drawing the great CONSERVATION of the
artist who failed to understand the difficulty until the
hs assistance. II Isl well-knO
that most OF the socaed crayon artists who ads ertse
tree hand portraits UPON the methods described
above. But it has hardly seemed possible that even
Aoademioians well as clever young
painters should avail themselves OF mechanical assist
auce to this extent
These three methods are the ones commonly used By
artists who have learned to depend upon the camera,
although thers other ways OF employing photography
in what is supposed to be entirely original work There
is nothing more audacious however, than way OF pre-
parag Illustrative drawings which is simply to over
the lines of photograph with ink bleach out
the photograph with cyanide Of potassium and submit
resulting sketch original pen and ink dfawing
Even tie etcher uses photography in various ways one
OF the moro common is to tain positive Of tue sub
ject which is printed SensCzed carbon tissue This
is dampcDed with hot water aud applied to the copper
plate More hot water dissOlIes the tissue except where
has been rendered noube by the action Of light The
lines OF the drawing aud the shading to extent
therefore left upon the copper Ts the etcher las an
accurate drawing directly upon his plate, ana no can
continue he pleases. Something OF this kind is often
done in etching after paintings. the many perfectly
proper ways in which phOtOgI Apply can be made of
service artists unfamiliar. The scdlptOr may
keeps record OF his work by Ihotographng his clay
models Of he may find it useful to photograph draperes,
lust AS the camera may preserve for the painter bits OF
landscapes foliage, water instantaneous views Of
figures, all of which may give valuable hints, provided
that the painter does not follow them sAyishly There
is dealer in FOurteenthst who keeps Large stock Of
foreign photographs OF models, principally nude,
intended solely for artists. These photographs
show infinite variety Of poses and grouping and
they are used considerable extent by artists in this
city. This painting from photograph instead Of from
life is OF unfortunate and where the artist copies
literally one OF hese Photographic groups gives it
name. and exhibits the painting an original COM
position no sacrifices both the dignity OF his art and his
self respect evidently II he Ia painted
a solar print or tracing.
The artists whose Incidence iucaraciy is helped out
by the usually prefer tracngs being less liable
TO detection than solar prints The furnishes the
entire skeleton the drawing o. what pat forth the
painters work 1t would be only JUS for the OF
photo graphers to accompany the names OF
lists as resort methods in exhibition catalogues
II Will he readily understood that these artists in
decided minority. No one who knows anything OF New
York artists fail to recognize that the iOrty
conscientious wOrk regards their studio methods
no wOnld 10 avail themselves privately OF me-
chanical assistance. Inc majority should DO aOe to n
ucBco their weaker brethren 10 conduct moro becoming
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