The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-12-04
In LONDON GALLERY
WHERE AMBITIOUS ART STUDENTS
THRoNG FOR STUDY.

Men and Women who Make IA Living by
Copying the Works of Recognized Mas
ters-Fco Days In the National Gallery
of London and the Crowd Attending.
On two days in the week, Thursdays and
Fridays, II fee is charged for admission to
the National gallery, Trafalgar square, Lon
don. This does not diminish the attend
ancc, but changes its character. Instead
of the usual throng of tourists aud home
visitors, most of whom stroll in bewilder-
ed manner from chamber to chamber in the
great building, there is an attendance OF
men and women who gather in groups be
fore the most famous masterpieces. Most
of the women chatter volubly, and not
few of the men will join in conversation.
The visitors for the most part are painters,
students, dealers or connoisseurs.
OF course these painters are at the gallery
to make copies of pictures, but what con
noisseur or amateur would care to invest
in copies Well, copying paintings is bread
and butter to small army of London
painters, but it must not be supposed that
such q mets>l of earning u living meets
with the approval or even knowledge of
those in authority at the museum and gal
leries. On the contrary, every possible eff
fort is made to discountenance the practice
using the privileges of the galleries as
immediate and direct source of pecu-
MARY benefit \ painter who was known to
sell his copies as originals would not be
1 permitted to enter the galleries on student
days
On the other hand, encouragement is
shown to students who desire to copy. Any
one can get immediate permission by pro
ducing a specimen of work which Will
serve as II pass, even if it show but little
merit, or 10y a letter of recommendation
| from any known artist or art teacher. I'm
| der such circumstances it Is no wonder that
| clever painters, who are willing to stoop to
/ fraud, are able to pursue their business I'M
/ disturbed in the great galleries. A painter
of this class usually is specialist-that is,
he dcvotes himself to acquiring the style of
some one master, copying his pictures ex-
clusively, and cases are not altogether rare
wherein famous paintings have been 50
cleverly reproduced as to deceive connois-
seurs.
The writer knows of one instance in re
cent years in which the INSCRIPTIONS
painter spent the greater part of his life in
copying the water colOrs of a recognized
master and had no difficulty in disposing
of every copy as an original. The copies
were generally disposed of through dishOn-
est dealers, but though purchasers paid
literally for the fakes the painter him
self profited little by his skill, for he was
always miserably poor and died at last of
starvation and drink. An especially re-
marl.able feature of this mans work was
the fact that he copied from memory. Dur
ing the last years of his life, at least, he
never brought his easel and palette to the
National gallery, but he often went there
and stood for hours ut a time before the
picture he had selected, committing to
memory every detail of outline and color
effect Whether it was his method to re
turn after having completed his copy to re-
view his work by a second or third study of
the original the writer does not know.
The number of copies made in the great
galleries to be sold under false representa-
tions is small compared to the immense
amount of work done there every year.
Most of the work, if sold, is sold for what it
purports to be, and therein lies the oppor-
tunity for purchasers who want good paint
] ings. Not IA few painters of unmistakable
/ talent give themselves up to copying be-
cause it assures them living less precari-
Gus than might be earned by creative work
alone. Moreover, to copy on fee days in the
| National gallery is in itself an advertise
ment of no mean value, for dealers are
lowering about all the time ready to pick
up an excellent copy at bargain, or, as is
frequently the case, to give a commission
trr u new work, real original, from the
[ lush of any painter whose work strikes
them as having the requisite style and
power
Besides the dealers there are always pri-
vate buyers or hand, some of them Ameri-
cans, who happen to know the possibilities
/ Ot Dppl at ri
and are not slow to take advantage of the
opportunity. That the opportunities may
be excellent, so far as prices go, may be in
ferred from the plight of an Italian who
was patiently copying an old Dutch pic
ture. He frankly admitted that he had nc
commission; that he was copying solely in
the hope that he might sell his copy for a
little food. He came from Naples, where
he had run through fortune, aud had been
four months in London. During that time
he had sold one small picture of his own
and that for a mere trife 80 have takeI
to copying" he said simply.
Some of the copyists make good incomes
One man who came under the writer's OBJ
servatiOn had lived for several years on on,
picture in the Bethuel Green museum. IL
had copied it more than 80 times. A ia
vorite among the copyists is Murillo's st
JOnn Ine bapIlsu. One painter alone ma
made and sold IA dozen copies of it.
There are more women than men amonj
the copyists, and critical observers of lonl
standing say that in recent years the worl
of women has undergone a remarkable i'm
? provement in breadth and strength of treat
ment. Perhaps this has not been unaffect
] ed by the better accommodations afforde,
! to women than men in the National gal
r lery. 1t becomes veritable club for WON
. en- painters and their friends on fee days
= The friends trot along and take their sew
ing and ply their needle industriously Will
the artists stick colors on canvas and TAX
part in conversation. Whenever they ar
hungry or thirsty, they repair for refresh
, ments to room in the basement especial,
+ prepared for them, where ordinary lunch
cons may be purchased. The men do no
come in for this. Ample room is provide,
for the storage Of easels and unfinished can
vases for all artists, but those of the NAL
persuasion must go to the nearest pub
for their mug of ale md a veal pie.-Ne'
York Sun.
l Irving's sketch Book"
The charm of the Sketch Book" is NJ
difficult TO define Sunshine lights up eV
cry page, and a cheerful kindliness glow
upon them all. From the "Sketch Book
2 we must date the revival of Christina
feasting, although no doubt Irving wa