The morning call., 1895-02-24
THEY DESERVE
ENCOURAGEMENT 7.
SAN FRANCISCO ARTISTS ARE
SMARTLY DISCUSSING LOCAL
PATRONS.
FOREIGN COPIES SOLD HERE.
SOME GOSSIP ABOUT WHAT Is
BEING DONE IN THE
STUDIOS.

1t has for some time been subject of
more or less talk and reasonable complaint
in art circles in this city that the local ar
lists themselves received no encourage
ment. Various reasons have been ascribed
but all failed to satisfy.
1t is broadly stated by artists of standing
that many of the patrons of art here, in so
far as they have been purchasers, have
purchased abroad, or through foreign deal
ers, and in a great number of cases obtained
copies where they imagined they had
originals. Bad advice and ignorance Of
the recognized and actual merit of local
productions are claimed to be largely the
causes of the present lack of local encour-
agement, but by far the most usual criti-
cism is that the press of the city has itself
| failed to interest the public in the actual
existence of the strong and creditable local
art atmosphere. The San Francisco art
schools this year show a class of pupils
| creditable to any city in the country, and
the studios of the older artists have no
| lack of pictures that would compare more
| than favorably with much of the trash
| bought abroad and brought to this city.
| The present portrait exhibition and the
coming spring exhibition at the Hopkins
Art Institute are the subjects of general
| discussion and preparation in the art cir
| cles of the city. 1t is more than probable
that were it not for the nature of the por-
! trait exhibition-that is were the object
| other than charitable-the hanging com
mittee might come in for quite a dose of
criticism. As 1t Is even those artists who
deplore the methods in use prefer not to
criticize harshly. The position of the
Duran portrait of Miss Hobart, facing the
entrance, is undoubtedly excellent for that
portrait, but the strong coloring is rather
| hard on the pictures on that side of the
room. 1.-THE Duran picture of Miss Hobart
| is killing in its effect on its neighbors, -
said well-known artist, ''but for all that l
would like myself to have such piRure as
| that hung Just in the same position To
paint picture that will kill others means
to monopoliZe considerable attention and
that is clear road to success"
The picturesque spots in San Francisco
| are likely to be largely represented in the
coming spring exhibition, and Weather
Clerk Harmon is earnestly besought to
provide grain of weather that will stand
hard outdoor work.
Miss Maren Frohch has found vege-
table garden somewhere which she declares
in the color and tone OF its cabbages is far
| beyond anything yet discovered in the
vicinity. There is also on the premises an
Italian woman whose clothes might
be mistaken for a pyrotechnical dis
play. According to Miss Frolich this gar
den is guarded by voracious gander, con-
querable only by a person of intrepid
bravery.
Miss Lou Wall is hard at work on a pic
ture of boy securing some copperware,
which, according to those who have been
| permitted to see it, promises to prove ex-
| ceptionally good.
| Mrs. L. Leeth and Miss Isabella Nor
rison have made discovery in the shape
of a most picturesque old garden, safely
hidden away within the city where they
are hard at work. Both ladies are work
| ing on figure pictures which will be ready
| for the spring exhibition.
Theophilus Richard, whose portraits at
the present exhibition are attracting at
tention, has just completed portrait of
E. f. Preston.
! II. w. Hansen of Alameda has lust
! hung in local art-dealer's gallery a new
water-color frontier scene portraying an
! Indian attack on plainsman within sight
of his cabin. The work is unusually
strong and quite broad
| Amedee Joullin hurt his brush hand
and is bemoaning his inability to start
work on two sand-dune pictures which he
| has in mind. Meanwhile he is nursing
| his hand and mentally painting his pic
| lures.
| David Neal writes from Munich that he
expects shortly to come back to San Fran
cisco on personal visit. In the future his
studio will be either in New York or Paris.