The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-01-06
SENTIMENTAL BEINGS
MALE ARTISTS ARE MIGHTY QUEER
FELLOWS WHEN SINGLE.

lily Falls In Love-His Income, However,
Often Serves to Keep Him Single.
Very few Of our younger artists are
married, but it may be accepted as fact
that they all want to be. Cupid finds no
mark so tempting to his shaft as that
presented by a painter at his easel.
Studio life and sentiment are almost
anonymous terms. Why this should
be so is easily explained. An artists life
is almost invariably lonely one. No
matter how sociable his temperament
may be, his working hours are generally
spent in silence and seclusion. Being
essentially of sensitive nature he longs
for such sympathy as women alone can
give. The failure of picture or its
complete success are matters that re-
quire more coincidence or congratulation
than can be expressed by brother
painter The kindliest of neighbors can
not go further than to say: Look here,
old fellow, am awful sorry that they
sent your picture back from the acade-
my. It's beastly shame. That's what
call it." Or: by Jove, old man, you're
in luck. know lots of fellows with a
big name who have been working for
year back to catch the Shaw or Evans
prize, and you got it away from 'em all.
But you always were lucky dog"
A woman does these things better.
That is the reason he wants to marry
her. The painter is naturally romantic
In his opinion girlhood is always an
gelic. He may have individual pref
srence for blonds or brunettes, for little
or tall or intellectual or womanly wom-
en-, but the entire sex is still beautiful
to him, not perhaps in its physical fea-
lures, but in its mental possibilities.
Hence he is always in love and restrained
from matrimony only by the difficulty
of supporting two people on an income
that is barely sufficient for one. To be
an artist you must be an idealist. Stu
dio life has extraordinary vicissitudes at
times, but it is always made up more or
less of visionary elements. Occasionally
the artists dreams turn into Nightmares,
and he has very bad quarter of an
hour. But when events disillusionize
him he mopes for short period and pro-
ceeds to fall in love with new charmer.
Last spring two young men, one
painter, his companion sculptor, were
joint occupants of a studio in New
York. These departments of art do not
always agree, inasmuch as the dust and
dirt of a sculptor's modelling platform in
terfere considerably with the purity of a
portrait makers paints But neither of
the young fellows was rich, and by club
bing together they managed to pay the
rent Of larger studio than they could
have had separately. The sculptor made
as little dust as possible and kept it well
down by frequently using a water
sprinkler. Not to be behindhand in
courtesy, the painter was patient, and by
keeping a sheet Of drapery in constant
readiness was enabled instantly to cover
his canvas when his comrade unavoid-
ably threw out cloud of powdered
plaster of paris. They were comrades
in every sense Of the word, and had a
union of pocketbooks as well as of SYM
pathies. On one occasion the sculptor
was so hard up ON the final receipt of a
commission for large statue that he
was unable to buy the clay necessary for
his model, whereupon the painter de-
MED himself cigars, took to pipe and
by this economy got enough money to
pay for the necessary materials.
Some time afterward the artist re-
ceived an important order and had not
the wherewithal to purchase the large
canvas essential for its execution. The
sculptor said nothing, but putting on
his street coat went out for walk. An
hour later he came back accompanied
by boy, and between them they car
ried canvas twelve feet long by six
wide. 1t was windy day, and the
sculptor was quite exhausted by the
effort of getting his unruly burden past
gusty corners. But after few minutes
breathing spell the two friends en-
braced each other affectionately an6
went to work in their respective corners
So ideal friendship as this ought to
have lasted throughout lifetime. But
an event happened which changed
the current of amiability in the studio
and estranged the two young men sc
that at present they are not even nod
ding acquaintances.
One day the painter received an ordel
for sketch of man in armor. The
sculptor readily consented to pose fol
his friend, and after some effort finally
got himself buckled into a suit of mail
BY one of those accidents that some
times occur at the most inopportun,
times the sculptor's fiancee happened t,
call at the studio chaperoned by a livel,
married relative. In order to get int,
the armor the sculptor, who is of larg
frame, had to strip to the skin. To ge
out of the suit of mail was not to be con
sidered. So he had to stand awkward,
listening to the merry laughter of the Ia
dies over his comical appearance. Hi
iancee, encouraged by the witty com
ments of her friend, made such fun Q
the unfortunate sculptor that he becam
furious and broke off the engagement
That evening he employed a truckma
and removed all his things from the stu
lilo without vouchsafng as much as good
by to his chum. The experience effecte
IN entire change in his opinion Of the Ii