The morning call., 1893-08-01
HIS QUEER WAYS.
Artist kahler Is Well
Known Here.
A VERY ERRATIC GENIUS.
He Would Destroy Painting Rather
Than Have 1t Sold for Less
Than He Asked.
A VERY ERRATIC GENIUS.

German section or the art palace at Chi
cago and which was iound to have been
cut with knife on Sunday. is we'll known
in San Francisco art circles and the story
that he might be responsible for the dis
figuring Of his own picture was not at all
difficult of belief for those of his friends
here who knew something of his queer
characteristics.
Kahler arrived in this city about two
years ago. coming here from Melbourne.
Australia. where he had been for five
years and where he had esta blished an ex-
cellent reputation as an artist. He came
originally from Austria, but studied In
Munich, where his work attracted atten-
ton. though at that time be was a young
man.
Kahier's movements were always
clouded in mystery. When he worked in
his studio it was with his door locked and
he frequently did some OF his best work
at most unusual h urs OF the night. He
would someti mes take dinner with his
friends, perhaps spending the entire even
ing at the club with his associates, and
then In the early morning hours he would
slip back to his studio and there, by means
oi artificial light. he would produce some
wonderful effects.
kahler was The most productive of any
of the San Francisco artists during his
| stay here. In that brief period he COM
pleted as many as hundred pictures,
though probably not more than dozen
were disposed Of.
He WAS high-prced artist, and it is to
that fact that many of his acquaintance
attribute the destruction Of his painting
now in Chicago. He would often destr0y
"A painting, which might be almost or even
entirely completed, If there was anything
about it THAT did not please him. and he
very much preferred consening one of
his gems to some dark corner rather than
part with it for less than he considered it
worth.
or the pain ings which he sold while 10
San Francisco, the most notable is Cats"
owned by Mrs. l. c. Johnson. the price of
which has neve( been made public.
Three others purSased by Mrs. johnson
cost her SIS 600. Two of these were
sketches OF Kahler's studio.
A visit 10 his udio did not furnish ma
terials for any estimate of what he mig t
be engaged In. He scarcely ever kept more
than half dozen finished or nearly Fl aished
pictures on the easelS, while a number OF
ske tches were on the walls, but twice as
many more finished canvaseS were rlevery
concealed benin curtains and stored away
In all SORTS of out-Of-the-way places. These
were only brought out occasionally when
some intimate friend or suspected lover
IL art visited him.
Kahler's work was much admired for its
strength of collar 1t was 10 this that he
particularly excelled. and there are few
artists of his time that have given rs much
study to that particular feature of their
work.
"If Kahler cut bis own picture" said one
of his friends yesterday, she did not do 1t
for the sake of notoriety. He did not
crave public notice, and said he could not
sell his work through the papers.
II should rather think that he had been
tempted to sell by some of the offers which
ne had received. and. fearing that his
weaker self might get the better OF him,
and he would be induced to sell. he tried to
destroy it.
THAT was just matter of princirle
with him. II picture was not worth
what he asked for II, it was worth rothing,
and it cnuld not be bought for cent below
his original demand.
II know that he always carried a very
sharp blade. II was a custom which he
brought with him from Europe. In the
part of Austria where he was raised knives
are the recognized weapons Of defense.
and while he never used one in that way.
yet the habit of carrying one chung to him.
II know of many things about him that
were very peculiar" continued the gentle
man. "He always broke the glass from
which he drank his wine. At the club he
would stand and drain his cup. and then
pitch il over his shoulder. and it would be
shattered on tho floor. Kaher. in the mean
time. never moving muscle. He N ght
do this any number Of times until the floor
was strewn with fragments, and IN the
morning he would call for his bill and pay
for the damage.
This was just his ay of enjoying life,
and he was never intoxicated when he
took these queer notions.
"Once | remembpr we were QOinp homa
late at night, when be- suddenly made up
his mind that he would be served with
bottle OF wine 10 the middle of the street,
as he might have seen done in Venice or
in Rome. So he set table out in the
middle OF Market street, and he prrsua AIDED
the waiter TO bring the wine out to him,
and we drank 1t there in the center of the
city's thOreugbfare.
when Sarah BeInhardt visited San
francisco ne made q few sketches for n
portrait, but did nothing with them until
within two weeks Of the actress arrival,
Oh her return trip from Australia. Then
he suddenly decided that he must make
that or raft. and he dropped completely
out of sight, and none of his friends saw
him for two weeks. and at the end Of that
time the picture was completed.
But he had hurried so that the work
was not well done, and the or,rait was
rather severely criticized when it was
placed on exhibition. The actress herself
was not pleased with il. and KahIer was
SO dissatisfied and Disguised that when he
took the picture back to his studio il dis
appeared. and what became Of it no one
ever knew. / frequently asked him to
show 1t to me, but hr always refused.
II happened TO be with him once when
we went into ono Of the artstores here.
We Glanced upon an engraving made by a |
celebrated firm Ia Paris, COPIED from nna
Of his Melbourne paintings. He inquired
the price. and upon being informed tnat II
was $50 he promptly paid fur 1t and car.
ried the engraving to his studio. WI here he
already had several of them. l asked
what In the world he wanted with another
copy. and he SAID that 1t was worth $50,
but no one else would appreciate it, and
rather than have 1t sold for smaller fig
ure he would buy 1t himself.
"Kahlsr was as erratic a genius as have
ever known. and am sure that he would
do just what he has been accused Of doing
ii he felt that his picture was being under
rated, for this would be regarded as an
affront to him as an artist. and that would
be just his method Of ging it,
EVE MnDE EAtcTAIr~