The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-31
II Was Evolved by an Artist in Paris, Dlt Il
Did Not Work

Wien Charles Van Steen was studying
art at the Julien Academy in Paris he hap
pened to wander into Professor Charcots
clinic at the Saltpetrere one day. The great
psychologist was lecturing on hypnotism,
and made some experiments with hySterlc
patients of the Institution Suggestion was
the particular phase of that mysterious state
under discussion. The usual programme
was gone through. which consisted III max
ing the hypnotized subjects believe that
they were eating apples, when in reality
they bit into potatoes, and like su ggesn0ns'
What struck the young artist most was
the readiness with which the subjects were
made to mistake brOOmstckS ana can es loE
growing plants continues the Phlauelphla
Times TIE deception seemed to be so
thorough that the smell Of the articles was
relished bv the dupes just as II they lau
really been the roses and JessamlneS they
represented to them. Van Steen knew mat
a man of CharcOts standing In thes clentInc
world would never lend himself to decep-
ton, and therefore he could not doubt The
commences of the experiment Being an
artist, q man Of ready W.T. and OF an enter
prisng turn Of mind, Van Steen tnen anu
there evolved an ingenious scheme. mere
was on his easel at the time an diminished
painting representing "Ihe Burning u
Rome"
The foreground was occupied By an i'm
perial barge of stupendOus magnlncence.
On 4 raised dais sat Nero, harp in hand, rhap-
SOdiZing the cOnhagratiuu OF the city, which
appeared in a rudy line against the night
sky. The Emperor was surrounded by MS
courtierS, men and women, VINO repoSed
languidly on the steps leading 70 the velvet
couch Of their master.
Patches of color here, printing there and
only charcoal outline in another place gave
N tho q rather chaotic 1DOHafanc6
which Van Stepn had valniY endeaYored 10
overcome by hard work But hard work IS
one thing aud Inspiration another. nara
work may paint a stable, but II taxes IN
SpiratiGn to finish an historical painting with
sixty or seventy figures. and dtllculI lgnt
effect 10 boot. So the painting had pro-
crossed very slowly, mainly on account or
the artists inability TO secure models IN sui
licient numbers to pose Tor general sketc9
which, by the way, would have cost gcoi
deal more money than ne cOulu nave spent
for the purpose
The next morning he could hardly await
the hour when it would be proper Tor him
20 present himself at the professors ONCE.
He did not know DR.. ChaTc0t personally,
but. width the urbanity that is inherent IN
the Freuchman and the scholar, the SCI
enlist made the American soon feel at home
After some commonplace remarks the ar
fist asked:
professor, is it possible to hypnotic pee
pie who are not nervous sufferers p
Receiving an affirmative answer he fur
Their questioned:
90 YOU think it possible that l might be
hypnotiZei ?"
Are you willing to try?" asked tho pro-
fessOr
That is what Van Steen had wanted, and
he readily COnSeu ted TO be used as SUBJECT.
He succumbed even sooner to the magnetic
influence than Charc0t had expected. Van
Steen vas delighted. lie at once proceeded
to explain the object of his call as follows:
Professor" said he, will YOU be kind
enough 10 hypnotic me again and command
me 10 90 home TO my studio, where l VIII
mud beautiful group, such as l am trying
to paint on my canvas. Command me FUR
Their that | shall paint what l see, and ask
me 10 return when | am done, so mat you
may awaken me again"
CharcOt was amused and Interested at the
same time. lie made a few passes with his
slender hands over the artists face. who
Immediately passed into hypnotic state.
Then be gave the desired command s. Y an
Nteeu Immediately left the room and went
10 his studio. most beautiful vision
greeted his eye upon his entrance. Instead
Of the mauikin and table for paints, in place
of the wooden easeis and the broken plaster
cast OF the Venus de Milo, there Tep0sed the
most artisiically grouped assembly Of fair
women and brave men that any painter
esthetlc feeling could desire.
Van Stsen Immediately set 10 work paint
ing what he saw, and never left his easel
until twenty nine hours afterward. Then
he was thoroughly satisfied with having
made an exact reproduction OF the scene
before him. CharcOt received him with
feeling of curiosity not unmnEled with
alarm when the young painter pres ented
himself. besmeared with cO,ors, and with
the evident traces OF wakefulne5s IN his
eyes. He awakened his caller from the
trance The artist thanked him prOfusely,
and hurried Mt once back TO his studio. His
heart beat violently as he turned tie knob
of the door. He thrust the curtain back Of
il aside ana entered.
Then his eyes wandered toward his large
painting. There sat the Emperor Nero, and
at his feet sat a faithful representation Of
the studio mankin, with a seventeenth
century helmet on its head. The paint-table
stood al the end Of the boat where he had
sketched In a group OF dancing girls. His
tall easel occupied the most prominent posi-
ton on NeTo's boat, instead OF the graceful
cup-bearer that IL had re resented the day
before. There was very little within the
artists range Of vision in the studio til at
had not found space in the painting.
II certainly had been an ingenious scheme,
nut Charles Van SJeen had, alas. found out
that it did not work right. The mind had
the hallucination, but the optical apparatus
that guided his hand only followed reality,
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