The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-19
STUDYING ART In PARIS.
HOW THE STUDENTS WORK AND
LIVE IN TIE LATIN QUARTER.

Five Dollars a Month for lodgings and
40 Gents a Day for Meals How
| Young Americans Jump Into Success
or FAilure-Yankee Girls in the Art
Schools Housekeeping and Study
by Twos and Fours.
Copyright, 1897
PARIS, June 8. To-day the art student is
a serious being and this fact is particularly
noticeable in Americans. They arrive as
a rule In Paris with limited capital and
still more limited vocabulary Of French.
The students first quest is for lodging.
which he Invariably seeks in the Latin
quarter. This term is applied TO that part
of Paris on the left bank of the Seine, in the
neigkborhood of the Boulevard st. Michel.
In the art atmosphere of this congenial To-
cality he secures room, usually on the
fifth floor Of hotel" where elevators are
unknown factors. For his room he pays
about SIS a month, service (which means
the making of his bed and supplying the
room with water included
His meals he takes at neighboring cafe
or oremerie, paying at the rate of cents for
breakfast, 10 for lunch and % for dinner.
Breakfast consists of large bowl of coffee
and two rolls; lunch of a couple Of fried
eggs or q chop, bread and potatoes; and
| dinner, soup, d meat, two vegetables and a
desert, with claret, white wine or beer at
discretion. This certainly seems to be suffi-
Gent physical qualification for mortals
| living i'll the region of the Latin quarter,
for they thrive on it. The students next
step is for a school, and although there are
scores Of studios, well-lighted and presided
over by we'll known painters OF Paris, into
which he is bound to drift later, invariably
ne arrives in Paris knowing only one-the
| Julien-wbich is the oldest, most famous
and most poorly ventilated of all. The
popularity Of this school Is a marvel to
many, for it has wide reputation for poor
models bad ventilation aud absolute lack
of "elbow room"
The secret of its succas however, is
simple. At the salon the Julien" pro-
fessors have unlimited Influence, their favor
ties are always well hung in the exh billions,
and have the favorable chances for obtain
ing mentions and medals. Poor ventilation,
then, has its attending compensations.
The newly arrived student enters the
Julien school, paying about 81 per month.
This school is, by the way, one of the most
expensive in Paris.
The monthly rate entities him to an easel
in the studio from O'Clock until ~ O'clock
daily, except Sundays. and to two criticisms
a week. The model is provided free, and in
the morning class study is always free from
the nude 1t is a wonder where all the
Italian models come from; tradition has it
that whole families pose ss a profession,
from the srandparent with long beard and
pRtriarohal air to the babe in arms. The
compensation they receive for such service
is "a week for men and s. for women-the
sttiugs, or more generally standings" last
four hours, with a rest of ten minutes at
Nba ENA Of Afgaar TfsuF,
unfortunately, have little idea of the
amount of labor and hard study necessary
before they can produce q really fair picture
from the French standpoint. His Partisan
neighbor, who draws patiently in charcoal
for five years before he attempts to exhibit.
is regarded with scorn and pity by the newly
arrived student Among the professors
there is theory that Americans Jump"
into success much moro quickly than the
French, but that having reached a certain
point they fail to make further progress
from lack of solid foundation. Many Of
the Americans admit the truth of this
theory, but fail to find means for correcting
this fault, Impotence being an inherent
trait OF their nation. Further, America
has not had centuries of art culture, and
relatives and friends at home expect marvels
in year OF two or lose patience with the
student on the other side and begin to won
der IL he IS studying aud whether he is not
merely amusing himself in the gay capital
| IN the fashion Of Murger's heroes.
The students day is divided to best ad-
vantage. After lunch no may study in a
costume class, where women are admitted,
he may paint "pot boilerh sketches for pop
ular selling) in his own room, or copy
pictures 10 the Louvre or Luxembourg. The
latter, not with any idea Of improvement,
for professors discourage copying as detri-
mental to originality, but in hope Of find
ing some American canvasses passing
through the galleries.
Criticism in q French studio is far differ
ent from that which one receives at home.
The first .dea Of the French master seems
TO be 70 make the student fully realize that
he knows absolutely nothing. That it is
presumption on his part even to ask for
criticism. Often the master spends only an
hour in looking at the work of sixty stu-
dents, from which an idea of the hasty re-
view each individual receives can be formed.
Only such criticisns ere made on three
days Of patient labor as ''look at the model,
you are working from imagination" bad
ia movemant,n 'bad in construction" "en
tirely too pretty" "look for the character"
| aud the highest praise ever given Is mot
bad" However, tina master soon learns to
know his class and when he finds pupil who
is earnest he interests himself sufficiently
t. ask him to bring his work to his private
studio Sunday mornings. Before the OPEN
ing of the salon. the pupil always submits
| his COURSES 10 LLe iuasJoE eJb nuu
and his decision is final.
There are several night schools in Paris.
! where the student may work from the nude
or in a costume class; and here it may be
stated that men and women nearly always
study separately in the 'lte" classes. In
one school only are women allowed to work
with men, privilege deeply resented by
the latter, who prefer working without re-
! straint.
Few Americans study at the Beaux Arts.
1t is free school, supported by the govern
ment and open to men of all nationalities,
but as the number admitted is limited,
the preliminary examinations are so diff
cult that the average American without
prior coaching cannot pass. The student
with limited time finds 1t more 30 his
advantage to pay small sum and enter
| school whose doors are never closed, for
often at the Beaux Arts whole classes are
suspended for three weeks at a time. as pun
ishment for lively pranks, aud in this way
the students are seriously interfered with.
So much for tine American men. Women
have their own individual life in art stud
les. They are, as a rule, older than the men,
being from 25 TO so. A few belong 70
wealthy families; more generally, however,
they havo taught art at homo, ana after
patiently saving for years have realized
their dream Of study in Paris