Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-01

given in outline, trains the child's eye won-
derfully for quick perception of form.
Some Of the silhouettes are made for pic
toEial effect, among them many types Of
character, such as dudes, street vendors,
peasants at work, clowns performing aero
batic feats, italian bagpipers, duelling stu
dents, etc
The Origin of the silhouette
The origin Of the silhouette dates from the
middle of the last century. The following
story is told: During the reign of Louis
XIV. the Marquis Etienne de Silhout was
selected, by the Recommendation of the Mar
quise de Pompadour, for the extremely
dfacult Office of Minister of France. He
tried hard to evolve some order out of the
chaos of national finance, and commenced,
as usual in such cases, by cutting down
every State expense, but his endeavors were
in vain, and at the end Of eight months he
was glad to retire. In the meantime some
witty rascal cut to perfection q portrait Of
the Marquis out of piece of black paper;
of course only profile, and without eyes,
and exhibited copies in all the picture
shops The mob christened those porttsffss
silhouettes, because they we're "as black as
the seal of the Marquis, and as empty as his
treasury"
After that it became the fashion to have
ones portrait made Ia Silhouette, and it
was easily enough done, as it was in the
power of everyone to learn this simple art.
Peoole who wished to have their portrait
taken seated themselves, in the evening, in
q manner that the light of a candle threw
q distinct and correct shadow of their pro-
file on piece of paper fastened to the
wall. Then the outline of the shadow was
followed with pencil, and afterward cut
out. Naturally these silhouettes were
rather large, and to reduce them in size,
and to still keep the outline clear, needed q
person of some artistic ability. so it came
that large number of men made it their
profession, some of them acquiring great
skill, being able to cut the portraits directly
after the living model. These artists
travelled from town to town, going about
the beer gardens, cafes and restaurants, cut
ting out portrait whenever they found a
chance to do so, and afterward offering it
for small price. They did specially good
business at the fairs.
The Man Who Made 1t an Art.
However, toward the middle Of the GEN.
tury the silhouette threatened to be crushed
entirely out by photographic Only the
students retained the custom, and it would
have died out entirely if a young artist had
not suddenly appeared who cut out whole
groups of figures, of animals as well as hu-
poetic feeling that he raised the silhouette
to the rank of meritorious art, and since
then no artist considers it under his dignity
to now and then make silhouette for past
time, while others have made it a paying
part of their profession, on strictly artistic
principles
The man who worked this wonder was
Paul Konewka His works naturally play
an important and the most interesting part
in the exhibition, the more so as it has been
arranged BY some of his pupils. All his
leading works are there, his illustrations
for Goethe's ftFaust, Z" ''Uncle Toms Cabin"
and Shakespeare's midsummer Nights
Dream" and Falstaf (from s'Henry W..
Ludwig Detuh, well-known art critic,
said of Konewka, SIN refinement, beauty
and characteristic delineation of human
figures and animals, in pure outline, none,
even of the greatest artists Of nature, have
surpassed Konewka"
One thing is certain, that aside from
Stroll, who depicts the life of Tyrolese
peasants in silhouettes, there is nobody who
can rival him in this art.
A Rather Eccentric Genius
Konewka was scarcely three years old
when he showed the first signs OF MS peeul-
lar talent For hours he could quietly sit
at his sisters side and busy himself with
the scissors from her work-basket and
piece of paper. And these first trials were
neither timid, nor did they lack the power
of observation, which, in later years, gave
tn all his works such an extraordinary de-
dree of naturalness He was not older
than five when he first tried foreshortening,
and horse which turns its head dates from
that time.
He was a restless worker, and made thou
sands and thousands of pictures in the short
time that was granted to him; he died when
he was but 81. His working material, .
few sheets of black paper and a pair Of
scissors he always carried with him, and at
the slightest request would cut, with his
peculiar rapidIty, a charming little figure
from1magination, and generously give it
away to the first amateur but only on one
condition-that he was perfectly satisfied
with 1t. RUDOLPH BAUMAN.