New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-01
A MODERN ARTIST.
TIE STUDIO OF ALBERT BEsNARD.

Paris August 20.
r,oro ,s moro 10 be seen In the studios Of Albert
pesnard than can be grasped In one vislt or t"o'
or oven ten 1t may be az we'll perhaps Delore
write OF what he IL doing, TO say something
about what he has done for the Deneht OF those
who do not yet happen to know MIN NJ ALBERT
rosnard Is the man who first MADE SENSATION
In 1885 at the Salon Of the Champs EIysees "here
no exhibited a large "panneau decorauf as oar
g., IN connection as In execution. 1t was before
tho DAVIS Of symbolism. Allegor:es were taDooe"
,ben nv those who wished to be IN the move
man, while the more arduOus and complicated
nrobems Of light were not yet Attacked Inc
.,,a, called his subject Paris" It represented
paris at night the lie de la cite with Nore
name seen from under the dark arch Of bridge
AGAINST this luminous background he had placed
ono ~ the French river barges laden with oas-
It,. % ,ru,t and wreaths Of leaves and carrying
49,. s,a,erhly beautiful women. one sitting one
,,rdiry and clasping two babes 10 her bosom
.uo Gazing out at the city Naked children
on,bolIed around the spar Of the barge. playing
NTH parlands and bright paper lanterns. ms
ncture Is now no more, but AT the Ecoie de fhar-
marie at the so-called Marie du Louvre ana at
TIE Hotel de vile visitors to Paris can see spec-
mons ~ the decorative work OF the artist on me
sama Ines-a combination ~ realism and symooi-
ism. with a special pursuit OF the mystery Oh
llght-more firmly grasped and much further
nursued At the Ecole de Pharmacie ne mas pre-
sented typical from the life OF the student
and medical man. pictures OF sickness ana conVa-
Iescence Of study and experimenting, OF hero-
gathering in the fields in the brilliant spring SUM-
light-all invested with typical and convincing
Significance by the warm sympathy anu
noa,,c tamoerament Of the painter and
mill fol n
servation and exuberance in color and light In
the marriage hall Of the Marie du Louvre he has
na,nted the morning midday and evening Of life
in three compositions. one OF which Is the famous
lie soir de la Vie" full Of poetic beauty II
represents an oldCouple sitting side by side In the
starlight and looking out over the fields. while
their daughter and her children are preparing
supper in the lamplt hut within.
As an easel PAINTER NJ. Besnard is known as the
painter Of the exquisite naked woman, croucning
down to the freight, now In the Luxemoourg' OK
the portrait Of Nine. Jourdain lazy IN paie
heotrope. standing in the doorway OF palcony
in the crossght from the rich. warm CANDLE
light from within and the ardent electric ilgne
from without; Of many beautiful pastels or water
colors of fantastic subjects, stepped in twilight or
bathed In sunshine Of numberless heads Of In
tense coppery red hair against an open window
with stretch Of intense sunlit green OF many
portraits of vivid and striking personality. seen
in rose-veiled lampght or brilliant sunlight NJ.
.Resnard holds that portraits should be painted
In the natural setting and surroundings OF the
models not in the arranged light Of the studio.
but in some of the weird beautiful effects OF
every day. in which they are constantly moving.
II we would but open our eyes 10 see. He can be
ouIet too and use his knowledge OF light so dis
creetlv that II almost passes unperceived, ADJ
sorbed as IL Is in the rich play of color and text
ure.
There Is in his studio now half-length portrait
Of dark handsome woman in softly draped
mantle or shawl Of rich Chinese blue an exquisite
piece of painting. Among other noticeable thitss
there are Of course, the delightful e'chngs sca'-
tered around in profusion; studies OF horses stray
sketches of movement careful compositions. and
a whole series La Sere de la Femme, OF the
typica Incidents of woman's life. Then there are
Algerian things brought home last year; water
colors pastes and sketches, highly interesting as
all will conceive who appreciate the peculiar
qualities OF the artists talent and understand
how the intense coloring. vivid contrasts and SUI
perb types of Africa must appeal to them All
his exhibits at the Salon this year were paintings
Of Algerian subjects one OF them, THE Horse
Market" was bought for the Luxembourg.
In the lower studio are three enormous canvases
very roughly underpainted for a ecture-room at
the Sorbonne The centre panel is TO represent
new birth from decay" or life out or death'
vigorous baby sucking dead woman are the
central figures: the rest Is only masses Of paint
thrown on with no sparing hand in large. fiat.
even flakes Of strong colors One side panel rep
resents the stream OF life a man impelling
woman down toward a splendidly rolling stream.
The third panel THE Stream Of Death. which,
according TO the sketch Is 10 represent death ana
corruption in a very forcble form. is as yet MOTH
ing but vigorous underpaintng In bright greens
and blues.
The studio OF NJ. Besnard is in a pleasant,
breezy quarter of Paris near the northwestern
fortifcations one not so fashionable that human
sympathies do not thrive there for the house OPP
posite the Besnards is inhabited by thrifty work.
people; not as 10 be crude, not SO pleoeian
as to be saualid 1t does not strike one as a leafy
quarter but there is no knowing. Gardens Turk
in the most unsupported places in Paris. and the
most commonplace blocks have, when LAID pare
for alterations, core Of beautiful Oh garuens
most refreshing to behold. The boulevard ana
fine avenue uniformity that the traveller sees Is
often really and fguratvely the mask OF rlch
and varied life; this is what makes residence IN
Paris-real living not merely staying-so vaIu-
able and the life of the artist so interesting.
There is one very French garden not ten MN
utes walk from the last studio we visited. IL IS
not big; only A large plot or ground some ttes
and flowers behind grille IL is very small. but
enough to give secusion TO a quaint. clean niue
house, running along one side Of the garden ana
turning it's gable end Frenchwse u the qulet
street II Is the home and studio Of an artist
who needs no Introduction to American readers
since his visit last winter-M. Ranaeli. Many
Of my readers will doubtless remember the httle
house and garden and the long and pretty cor
ridor that connected the house with the studio.
having seen the private exhibition last year.
which attracted SO much attention IL was prac-
! tically exhibition tnat went 10 .>eW-
York later only the setting OF the home. the quiet,
tasteful arrangement. gave II threefold charm.
In Paris II was novelty OF its KIND. 'One-man
exhibitions are rare there. even al the picture
d. NJ this kind quite a