New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-04
STUDYING ART.
UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES PARTLY HUMOR-
Gus AND PARTLY PATHETIC.


You have taken painting lessons perhaps you have
even taught. but yon wish to become an artist and
you determine 10 have a course of study under the
| best masters. You have examined the catalogues
of the Art Students League read the require
ments for admission to the various classes and
resolved 10 draw awhile from the antique before
entering the life class. You submit your cast
drawing and await the verdict of the committee
with full confidence in their ability to know n
work of art when they see it. You tear open the
little billet they scn1 YOU: Recommended TO the
Preparatory Antique" You are astOundcd in
dignant but you accept the decision Perhaps,
after all il is better be large toad in small
puddle than a small toad in pond. At least you
will shine in the Preparatory Antique So you
find yourself, the following morning, in the dngy
classroom on the third floor of the Art League
building.
IT, would he difficult to imagine surroundings
more destitute of artistic effect The ceilings are
low the walls upholstered and the room, for bet
ter concentration of light divided into little al
covcs by rough burap screens. against which the
casts are arranged. In default of easels are rows
of wooden chairs with pegs in the seats, TO hold
drawing boards You sit on low stool and
double up your legs in the smallest possible space.
Facility in this acrobatic feat comes with practice.
The alcoves are crowded with aesthctically gowned
maidcns in big aprons. and young men with Their
hair in their eyes. There is n confusion of
tongues mingled with n monotonous scratch
scratch of charcoal over the paper. Nou are he
wldcrcd YOU don't quite know what In do next
Your ncighbor is q brown-eycd girl in high red
apron. She is very good-naturel and shows you
where 10 find place to work. You sit down III
front Of hideous plaster foot all angles instead
Of curves. The br0wn-cycd one instructs you To
half-closc your eyes and observe how the lights
and shades divide into two great masses. Won are
expected 10 make an outline. as simply MS possible,
avoiding all detail. and then with the point OF
your charcoal, lay in the shadows in one broad,
fut tone.
After working all day and falling TO make
anything approaching a perfect outline. Noh De-
gin 10 nave a suspicion that Sou are not gong
To do much shining. even in the Preparatory
Antique. This suspicion is verified after the
first visit of the instructor who informs you that
your drawing is ont Of angle, out of plumb, on
of proportion. out Of everything but faults. (ou
arr utterly crushed, but your ambition is fired and
you pick mp your charcoal and 60 10 work with
desperate energy and are rewarded next week
with the All. not 80 bad which comes 10 hc
swcctcr music in your ears than auy loyc-song
any one ever sung under your window III Tia"
moonlight
The first thing an art student must learn l.
that which has been called the greatest ~ all
knowcdge-that he knows nothing-about draw
ing. After he has struggled for some weeks
with block hands and feet. which look 50 easy
~ draw. but are really 50 hard, after he has
listened 10 the good-natured but altogether IN
sparng criticisms OF his fellow students. 10 say
nothing Of tho mcrcilcsS comments of the in
s'ruct0r. he is pretty sure 70 he dcnudcd Of a
poodly share Of original vanity. The process Of
Uranium reducing however is kept up all through
the students career. IL comes easier 10 the
feminine than 70 the masculine element. Watch
them in the galleries. on thosr days when students
are admitted oil their tickets. Tho women are
quietly absorbed. their comments are whispered
TO one-another and any audible remarks couchcd
in the jsrgon of the studios is tolcrably certain
to come from some group Of young men There
is comparatively little social intercourse between
the men and women students. In any other CO
educational Institution considerable flirting is
done but cas-, Of nal devotion is So rare in
an art school A. 10 attract universal attention.
The big aprons and The vclyctrcn coats rit side
by side in an but the life classes. and no NOR,
tender speeches an exchanged than, By Joyet
You've got some whacknR good color in that.
The truth Is. the girl art student is not inclined
10 hir' She is absorbed IN her ambition. SIG I'
a bohemian. She lives up four flights al slalls
in a sccond-ratc boarding house. She reduce her
laundry bill 10y washing her own handkerchief,
and pasting them on the mirror 10 div. She
spends all her spare time trying 10 piece OFT
her abSurdlv small income. She dccoratcs mean
cards and sachrt bags. She designs wallpaper and
calico, she makes soap advertisements. size
teaches. one brave lttlc elr gives two music
lessons every morning for her board and room.
If the men are as poverty stricken - the women
they do mol say - much about No. The girls
take their financial difficulties gigantic Joke.
one maiden came 10 school on Monday morninI
and RECALLED the class with tale of how she and
her roommate had ducd the day before. on pea
nuts and beer. Far from plying such ad,crsiiJ.
the audience applaudcd this piece Of rampant
bohcmiansm with wild delight. small wonder
If Oh such diet or with such experiences the girl
art student loses her neIVe feminine CUquptry and
faces the world with all the frank and free
amaradcric tina, sense OF fearless liberty gives
Then. too, the ar; student Is exempt from the
obligation - look pretty. She doe, look pretty
In spite OF her paint bcdaulrd apron and snabhy
gown She knows exactly the place 10 knot ter
curly locks she knows what colors 10 wear and
abslrlitics of fashion Ike The hustle and the wasp
waist attract her not Mere pink and whit"
prcttness il not rtvcd over by artistic souls but
II one is type If one posscssl-, real beauty of
cOlorng OF form, nowhere VIII She receive more
genuine admiration and true homage than among
her fcllow-studcnts. One young widow
rapturously pronounced "a Botticclh.7 and De-
ing an obginr creature, she posed for bust IN
the modelling class, portrait III the Chase paint
ing and for sketches TO nearly half the school
Small is the tuition fee IN the best art
schools many genuinely talented people are Un-
able 10 afford regular lessons. There is one
woman artist in Ncw-Yorl who went IL Boston
some years ago with the avOwcd intention Of study
ing art She had 70 paint "pO'-bOers' FOX her
board and had absolutely no money for lessons
Nothing dnunicd, she took an armfu OF canyasc'
ia the studio Of William VI. Hunt Ia ask for
criticism The artist was not at home, and the
poor girl had 10 trudge back with her pictures
second time she climbed the long flights of
sat down on the floor in the hall, and waited
Night came, but not the artist. There only
one thing left To do. She wrote little note,
10 paint and how impossible 1t was for her 10 pay
for lessons how much She admired Mr.. Hunt, and
how she had come 10 live In Boston, just 10 that
She might once in great while. have criticism
a. SLc Icll lLc min and lLc CluNu.r.