Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-07-11
In the Studio.

Campana was an artist, and he en-
joyed the artistic temperament to
degree. He was Californian, but
half dozen years in New York and
Paris sufficed to put the stamp of the
studio upon him, and had given him
moderate degree of capability in his
chosen work of portraiture.
He had returned from abroad with
some large canvases, an etching or
two by Whistler, and some photo
graphs with the names of Meissonier
and Bouguereau in the corners. He
had also a Donatello bust, a rosary
from st. Michael and violin. With
these essentials he established stu
do, and was prepared to delineate the
American visage at moderate living
price per canvas. He did some teach
ing, too, to help out his resources at
those times (of somewhat frequent
occurrence, it is true) when no Amer
lean sought to be delineated.
He was a handsome fellow, with
frank blue eyes and yellow hair, which,
in spite of his Italian name, were the
dowry of his Saxon mother. In Paris
he had worn pointed beard, but on
his return home he had bowed to the
inclination of a face clean Shaven.
When he smiled, it was noticed that
his eyes, lips and teeth contributed to
merry and pleasing effect; but his
usual manner was serious. He seemed,
indeed, a trif1e blase, and standing,
toes outward, with his hands in his
pockets, he would dwell on serious
views of existence in way that show
ed him to be student of Spencer. He
had also read a good deal of Schopen-
hauer.
He was most serious toward his pu-
pills. One of these was little teacher
who studied drawing with Campana
for the sake of her school work, and
also for the love of the art. She was
still very young; but after her gradu-
alton she had journeyed abroad with
wealthy maiden aunt, and she had
studied drawing for year in Paris
atelier. Her aunt had not exactly ap-
proved of her art; SO when their brief
season of sight seeing was over, she
left her niece with much advice, mon
ey enough to simply carry her through
one year of art study and her blessing.
The young teacher stood somewhat
in awe of Campana-his experience of
Paris, his touches of genius, his grand
manner; even his way of thrusting his
fingers through his tumbled yellow
hair seemed to her to have touch of
the artistic about it.
But she was content to worship
whatever was artistic about him from
afar. She knew that he did not believe
much in women or their art, SO she
was silent and persevering in his pres
ence. Not that she was not usually
silent and usually persevering, but she
felt that these qualities were most po-
tent as a silent refutation of the notion
that women could not pursue art fo1
its own sake, and as men did, without
the thought Of any interruptions OF
sentiment.
Her silence and perseverance were
not unappreciated. Campana held he1
up as a model to the light minded land
gloried over what he called her grit TIC
the dilettanti who frequented his stu
do.
He told her, with his customary
frankness, that she was fool to have
LETT Paris, and she delighted in him fol
saying so. He always called her mad
emoiselle, as tribute, perhaps, to hel
French. She spoke the language de-
ightfully.
At times, when she was very inten
upon her work, he allowed himself tC
admire her as color study.
She wore glasses on her small nose
and her face was quite rosy tinted
especially when she was interested, a.
she always was, over her painting
The glasses gave her the air of dis
tinction which they impart to face:
that they do not seem TO make older
But Campana never allowed himself
to express or even indirectly reveal tc
her that he found her complexion
pretty or her form pleasing. He knew
for one thing that he was quite capa-
bic Of disturbing the feminine hear