The morning call., 1893-06-11
ART IN FRANCE.
The Work of Two Great
Painters.
ROLLS CENTENNIAL PICTURE
A Novel Method of Composition.
What Has Been Accomplished
by Roybet.
Correspondence of THE MORNING CALL


OF the pictures exhibited in the two
salons, Rolls "Centenaire" in the Salon
du Champ de Mars and Roybet's 'Propos
Galants" in the Salon des Champs Elysees
attract the most attention.
Monsieur Rolls immense canvas was
ordered by the State for the Versailles
| Museum as a souvenir of the Centenary
celebration in 1889. The painting is his
torical document President Garnet has
| just finished his speech and Is surrourde ed
| by motley crowd, while on the tempo
rary platform. near the Latona Fountain.
| Park OF Versailles, are crowded Senators.
| Deputies and officers in brilliant uniforms
| The enthusiasm of the people seems un-
bounded and in the distance the music of
n military band is stfled by the brayos of
the people, the applause from 4 thousand
throats. In the foreground every face is
portrait. but amid all the splendid uni
! forms stands out in bold relief the black
coat of President Carnot.
When Mr.. Roll was painting this picture
| visited his studio in the Rue Brrmontier,
near the Notifications The studio is an
7 immense hall, situated between house and
| garden. 1t is in this studio that the artist
paints his great compositions. but next to
| this is smaller ateller. filled with studies
and portraits. On an oaken sdeboard ]
saw DronZes signed Rodin and Barye, and
| half hidden by the draperies was tableau
de genre. the picture of two laughing girls
The artist himself, with his blonde beard
| and cutled mustache, his bright eyes and
splendid stature, is in appearance a mod
| ern Rubans.
He has way Of his own for composing
his great works, and LIE Centenaire was
made from series OF sketches. Women
standing on tipt0e, men waving their hats
dignifed Senators and Deputies were first
roughly drawn, then cut in outline ard
pasted on the large canvas. In this way
it is very easy for Mr.. Roll to prepare his
effects of composition and color, and when
all is ready he begins the serious work Of
finishing
he considers the Park of Versailles a
splendid framework for national fete and
the greatest opportunity for brilliant col
oring.
The foundation" was Rolls first great
work, and this is now in the possession of
the Museum at Havre, but his first picture
which attracted public attention was a
landscape in the Ion of 1870. II was at
tributed by the critics to a son of Daubi-
gny, and this fact was most fia,tering to
the young artist.
After that he had the courage to begin
"tLe Miners Strike" to which picture he
devoted several years. He made his first
studies for the work in mining center of
France, then herring of a strike In Bel
GUM he visited the mines, saw the hungry
women and children. the angry men. the
| attacks on the gendarmes-all that makes
a strike terrible-and the Belgian strike is
| the subject of his picture, bought by the
State for the ridiculous sum of 5000 francs,
| nd pla oah in ha Chop ,l,ar of 70
| lenci"unes.
Roll devoted his time almost entirely to
the study OF the lower classes. so that the
Centenaire is departure from the way he
has marked out for himself. I'll faGt etre
de son temps" said Daumier, the grea t
caricaturist. and MI Roll seems to have
adopted this sentence for his motto. He
Is true modern artist, and, in the opinion
Of the French. he bears the same relation
to art that Znla does to literature.
In the Ecole des Beaux Arts Roll was
tue pupil of Bonnat and Gerome; but in
this school his proud. independent spirit
allowed him to remain only the time aDso-
lutely necessary for his studies. And
when the artists were divided into two
classes-intn two salnns-Roll was one of
the ardent supporters of what he calls the
aristocratie ouverte-an artistic aristoc-
racy-where all talented young artists are
received with open arms.
Whether or no he receives medal Mr..
Roybeps "Pr0pos Galants" is the picture of
the Champs -Elysees salon. The two per-
sonageS are mouSquetaire and woman
dressing duck; the scene is a covered
courtyard.
The woman is seated by wall, on
which are hung dressed chickens and u
rabbit, while at her feet one sees a mount
ain of gray feathers and an earthen kettle.
The blood of the duck. the chickens and
| the rabbit is spattered on the towel, used
for an apron. and the woman is laughing
heartily at the compliments falling from
the llps OF the mousQuetaire. whose dilap-
| ldated clothes have seen much service.
| lhe execution is marvellous, the subjects
are most lifelike, and although there is
| notnlng IN The picture that appeals to a re-
fined taste, every one acknowledges that
great as are the works of Roybet, not one
can equal this in composition and color.
MIR. Royoet is Of the same school as
Franz Halls, the HARLEM painter, than
whom none could better paint ringing
laugh. Halls threw himself. heart and
| soul, into his pictures Of carousals and
! jOiv t0pers, and ROybet Is equally at home
In this style of painting.
Some time ago Mr.. R'ybet exhibited his
works at the Georges Petit gallery, anG l
doubt if. outside of Holland. one has ever
seen such collection of Flemish drunk
ards, Dutch card-players. mousquetaires
aud cavairymen of the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries.
And yet R0ybet Ia not especially well
known in Paris. We have an idea OF the
high place he holds in French art of this
century by visiting the museums of Cob
leniz and Frankfort
Roybet is the most modest among paint
ers and very gracefully bears the weight
ot his glory. His studio is situated at q
Rue du Mont-Thabor. IL is preceded by a.
yestibule containing oriental bibelots and
porcelains. The studio itself has very
high ceiling and is decorated with superb
staned-gass windows. One sees Flemish
| brahuts of the twelfth century. two rare
| pieces of furniture made by Ducerceau,
marvellous old andirons, Italian stuccu
work of great value, representing the
Madonna ana child; wonderful places OF
| carved wood. a crown of Lucca della
Robbia, and many other objets dart, one
| more curious than the other
| Roybet never poses, and when one visits
] his studio he receives with the greatest
! c0rdiality. BY his comrades he is called
the artist gentleman" but he shuts HIM
self away from the world perhaps more
than any other great artist.
When once his friendship is gained Roy
bet is true and steadfast, but lie dislikes
| banal acquaintances. detests ntrigues, and
is Indifferent 10 compliments. Visitors to
his studio cannot refrain from exclama-
| items of enthusiasm as he shows work
after work. but Roybet always speaks of
| these pictures AS he would speak of an
others painting. For him art is responsi-
ble for MI, and painter is only the means
l sNEv ialx !,