New-York tribune., 1886-03-07
SOME FRENCH PICTURES.
BAUDRY'S LAST RK-CABANEL-THE Ell
EPHANTINE NADAR.

the fashionable world that of the Fine AIT is only
a-bloom during certain months of the year. o.
course the grand annual show is theSaion i'll the
| Champs ElysEes. But there are from February tC
the end Of April minor shows of good deal of in
tercst. After the first of May the whole interest ol
the ar-lovIng pubic is concentrated on tne major
exhibition IN the Champs Elysees. Illustrated no
tees are gwen III many OF the Journals. ana the
best art critics. between the opening and
closing days, furnish the press almost daily
carefully written articles on the
paintings, sculptures, drawings and engravings.
The poorest people take advantage of sunday be
! ing a gratis day to attend the Salon. which some
times contains as many 1000 pictures. When
July comes round every one is surieIted with
| imagery. Prizes are awarded. the Salon Is shut,
and ne artists do not wait for the Chambers 10
close, to rush away from the metropolis.
The exhibitions now open are those of BUnlon
Artistiquc damliariy called Les Mlrhtonsl in the
| Place Ncndome. tine Ccrce ArtIstIque ct LiteraIre
of the Rue VolLey, and the Sedelmeyer Gal err IN
Ia Eue de Ia Rochefoucauld. The Cerce Artstlque
ct Littcrairc Is uicknamcd Les PleGs Crottes or
the Muddy Feet, in contradlstinction to Les MIrh-
tons which is Il club of fine gentlemen wealthy
enough to ride in elegant Carriages and
on Thoroughbred horses. At the Place
Vend0mc Royalist-cum- B,napartist politics pre-
| vail Ihc Marquis de Massa's plays are acted
there boforc they performed at the FrancalS.
This author used to write pieces for the Court
| theatre az COmpiogne. which. although the finest
! ladies acted in them young girls were not allowed
| to sec on the stage NJ. de Massa's marquIsatc was
! The only one created by the First Napoleon The
! due de Morny and tlen displays his airs and
graces on the boards of Les MirlItons as dancing
qirl. The first interview between the
Duke of Bragauza and the Princess Amele.
! If he
place there at a sorte edfrdie, which was attended
by tue fine flower OF the Oreanst and Bouapartist
! cotcrcs.
| Conycntionaty reigns and governs at the
MIrlitOus exhibitions, where Wlntcrualters feeble
prettincss was adOrcd and where Cabalels elegant
| lnsincerty and hfelessneSs is now worslItpped.
| Names are what chiefly run after by the Hang
! ing Committee. The gentlemen forming 1t VIII
! accent any trash provided a weil-known sigma
! ture is at the bottom. and often reject
] masterpieces because the authors are unknown or
original. Originality is Thought wee hy io nome
! Asgani At the Rue de Yolucy there Is mach
! wider to,crat on for independence and personal
| feeling But n tendency to be fashIon-!ed Is show
ing itself there also, and Bouguereau mhlcnce IS
| too great in the Hanging COMMITTEE. However he
dld not find fault with BlstIcn Lepages trust IN hls
| inner hight That gifted young painter who was
cut on last year his prime, exhibited some OF his
most or gnal and powerfully pauteI works at the
Rue oc Yolncy, which has not however. vet shown
any sympathy for the imprcssloulsts who have fol-
lowed Manets lead.
Les Miriitons are the elder brethren
by many years of les Pl"ds CrotteS.
Their exhibition takes place ground floor, IN
richly carpetcd and doDr-curtained room, with "A
glazed roof Servants wearing handsome Nyeres
show in the visitor who. this year, Is struck Oh
entering with painting. the frame Of which is
draped IN black Grape 1t - the last work of Panl
Baudry and an unfinished portrait OF th' son Ol 'he
late car and his morgauatIc "Ite, the Princess
Docoroukl. II was begun about ten days before
the gIitcd aud spiold.dly cultivated painter died.
The lad Is in velvet Jacket AID slim aud very tail
for his age. The legs up TO the thighs are IA boots
Of soft leather that wrinkle like Swedish glove
lie stands IN a straddln- posture. his atu-
tule i. at once boyish aud impadeat. Perhaps
the word brazen" might apply to IT. The face
il pale eiTcminato aud surrounded with snIck of
naXcn hair winch II painted IN the ircrst mtnurr
When Naudry was working at II, dar" say ~
thought OF the NeRsqu"Z portrait ot tue ltt
Spaiish lnfanta at the Louyre. what dln amazed
ai is that an artist dying of tine disease whcu
killed BauLry was not only 80 strongly Impressed
n, ne evidently by his subject bat able to con-
Nry hls Impression with 80 nuch power
HIS inalaly n brllu-clte"hiinS one
"A. Il one which prevents the brain taNiug1 stnng
.,rp ot anything he execution oI IN" picture ~
whnt the French call summary. There was not
81
model the features. Each effect o the brush seems
n lucky hit BaudrY IN all his lite never dld an,
thing better-OT perhaps 40 we'll lie style lS lil-
pres ionst far color goes, AMI tue drawing -
simply admirable IN its easy correctness CdoaneIs
portrait ot himself - almost IN JuNiipoSitl9A hat
a contrayt Here all ~ elaboration and careful
study. dandy could not have becn more
particular about tho pairing OF ms ual.s tAal tle
painter wa' about every to4ch oi pe"c anu orlSl;
Nothing Is mproysed. lhis portrait Is intended
for a Museum of Fine Art Academlclansln IN Belgium.
Cabanol Is IN velvet jacket and before hs easel
with hts palette on his thumb There i hO'o utt
resemblance in every feature, hut general want oi
hfo. like better hls portrait Of young @irl No
body does fashionable women as they desire 10 look
better than Cabaue. lie transub'tantmte1
poudrs de ,iE aud other war pant INTO briu,iIul
skin tissue with just enough OF m0"beI tsG
10 harmonlZe with luxurious surrounding,
aud vet not to reach the point of sickness
There Is very hylng portrait or = man by t"ll'
anoi her equally speaking one by WeucGer and an
audacious one of Nadar In red hanuel shirt by
Carou' Duran. Nadar is a queer hsh' %nh enloya
Parsian celebrity. lie lsa giant and has II pas
sol for baOouing An elephant mlg1t w'th as
much propriety set up to be ioTd Of the ne air a.
Npda d ms pnde %hom IfSms'' 6G he
might have been the son.. lie IS very abusing
writer aud his pen is employed by the editors OF
many journals. As a photographer he has ah
EurSpean reputation. HIS Photographic establish
ment ls I'm the Rue AnjOu 5 HonoIe facing tho
Chapelle Expiatorle. and contains on The grouhh
nlshed apartments. Immense Japaneso p..a'',ss
hide the top lights, and form sort OF
shade for, the lustres attached to thsir
handles Nadar without being an enthusiasuG
admirer of WaRners music has placed
hIs salons az the disposal of Judth Ganter, for her
Wagperan panoiorts concerts Every one RSS Ie
Qlant-to whom Carolus does not render tuIi
Justice The impression of elephantne buIk ana
colossal stature 10 not gwen and the blue eyes
have not the fine faculty for showing human SYM
pathy. which makes those OF Nadar 50 peculiarly
attractive.
NJ