Milford chronicle., 1895-11-29
esRome's GREAT PICTURES.
They Cover Wide Range Of Subjects al
Are World Renowned.

They Cover n Wide Range Of Subjects anu
Are World Renowned.
Gerome has painted so many importans
pictures having a worldwide reputation
that it is impossible 10 go into many par
ticulars about thom in the present article
The illustration of Napoleon Before the
Sphinx" will, however, give some idea Of
his remarkable powers of invention and
his fertility OF ideas. Tho incident was
suggested by the Egyptian campaign of
the great emperor On tho vast plains Of
the desert rising solemnly up from the
burning sands, stands the great mysteri-
GUS stone figure the origin OF the meaning
Of which no man has yet been able to ex-
plain. In the distance VIC see the legions
Of the French army, while on his horse,
calmly and with speculative eye, sits the
marvel of his age The little man, hum
bic OF birth, without influence or money,
rising by the force Of circumstances and
his own strong Will and character to the
mightiest position among the rulers Of tho
earth, gn2as steudfastly at the storm beaten,
time worn monument Of past ages The
contrast is full Of suggestiN eness.
Or let us take his "Thirst." What
wonderful strength is here On the hot,
shimmcring, sun dried sands crouches the
mighty king Of beasts, very baby in his
weakness, overcome by the desire to wet
his parched tongue and painting for "a drop
Of water What awful lonelinessl What
fearful solitude, and what q dreary waste
It were moro pleasant to turn to the
glimpse he gives as Of the great oriental
city whose house tops minarets and spires
gloam under the brilliant eastern sky,
whore the piuus Mu5sulman calls the faith
ful to prayers. licrc may be noted the
artists wonderful powers of observation
and the extraordinary finish, nothing APP
parcntly escaping his attention. So too,
in tho Paohu's Runners, " where the re-
productions do nOt of course, give an
idea of the color, though Gerome's color
ing is not always fine. His best skill ap-
pears in drawing and in the arrangement
of his compositions. In the Bull Fight
err wo find that the artist is quite as
much at home in Spanish scenes as in
classical, oriental or modern French life.
he ontcrs into the brutality of the bull
ring, and showing us the coarse picadors
and tho excited audience, brings the Incl
dent before us very wildly.
In short, no matter what he undertakes
he prepares himself fer the task with much
and great deliberatiou. He
makes careful studies, he looks well into
his subjects and lac takes no end Of pains
Pictures do not come Of themselves, nor
arc they executed without almost endless
trouble. Artists are generally supposed by
people TO be moro or less in
spired and to dash of masterpieces at will. I
but the truth is a picture that has any (
claim to live and to deserve high apprecia- 4
ton is undertaken with as much fore
thought as tho building of ship. First |
the painter makes a sketch, searching out 4
in general way the best method of put I
ting his idea on canvas. Then, after many /
changes and alterations, studies are made /
Of the principal figures, Of tho draperies /
and Of the accessories. Now the scheme Of I
color must be arranged, and finally comes
tho painting, and the painstaking compile
lion Of all the paFts.-"A Famous French
Painter, by Arthur Hoeber, in st. Mich
Mas