The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-10-09
IN A LONDON GALLERY
WHERE AMBITIOUS ART STUDENTS
THRoNo FOR STUDY.

Men aud women who Make n Living by
Copying the works Of Recognized Mas.
ters-ree Days In the National Gallery
of London and the Crowd Attending.
On two days IN the week, Thursdays and
Fridays, fee is charged for admission to
the National gallery, Trafalgar square, Lon
don. This does not diminish the attend
Ance, but changes its character. Instead
Of the usual throng Of tourists and home
visitors, most Of whom stroll In a bewilder-
ed manner from chamber to chamber Ia 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 q the men will join in conversation.
The visitors for the most part are painters,
students, dealers or connoisseurs.
OF course these painters are Mt 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 IL must not be supposed that
such a me,il Of earning 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 ms
4 immediate and direct source of pecu-
MARY benefit A painter who was known to
sell his copies rs originals would not be
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 pass, even If 1t show but little
merit, or by n 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 n specialist-that IL,
he devotes him sell to acquiring the style Of
some one master, copying his pictures ex-
clusively, and cases Are not altogether rare
wherein famous paintings have been 40
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 n recognized
master and had no difficulty in disposng
| 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 miscrably poor and died at last OF
starvation and drink. An especially re-
markable 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 at time before the
| picture he had selected, committing Ia
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 immens,
amount Of work done there every year
Most of the work, If sold, is sold for what II
purports TO be, and therein lies the oppor
tunity for purchasers who want good paint
ings. Not u few painters of unmstakabl,
talent give themselves up to copying be
cause it assures them living less precari
GUS than might be earned by creative worl
alone Moreover, to copy on fee days in tn,
National gallery is in itself an advertise
ment CT no mean value, for dealers ar,
lowering about all the time ready to picl
up an excellent copy ut bargain, or. as Il
frequently the case, to give a commission
trr new work, a real original, from tn
| iush Of any painter whose work strike
them as having the requisite style ant
power.
Besides the dealers there are always pri
vate buyers on hand, some of them Amer
cans, who happen to know the possibilitie
Of obtaining good pictures ut low price
and are not slow to take advantage of tn
opportunity. That the opportunities ma,
be excellent, so far rs prices go, may be in
ferred from the plight of an Italian VIII
was patiently copying an old Dutch pic
ture. He frankly admitted that he had N
commission; that he was copying solely il
the hope that he might sell his copy for
little food. He came from Naples, wher
he had run through fortune, aud had beel
four months In London. During that tim
he had sold one small picture of his own
and that for mere trife. 80 have take
TO copying" he said simply.
Some Of the copyists make good incomes
One man who came under the writer's oil
servation had lived for several years on on
picture in the Bethnel Green museum. II
had copied it more than 80 times. A IA
vorite among the copyists is Murillo's 'Si
John the Baptist" One painter alone ha
made and sold dozen copies of 1t.
There are more women than men anon
the .copyists, and critical observers of Ion
stending say that in recent years the wor
Of women has undergone a remarkable in
provement in breadth and strength of treat
ment. Perhaps this has not been unatfect
ed by the better accommodations afforde
to women than men In the National ga
lery. 1t becomes veritable club for won
en- painters and their friends on fee day
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 al
hungry or thirsty, they repair for refresl
ments to a room in the basement especial
prepared for them, where ordinary lunch
cons may be purchased. The men do nc
come In for this. Ample room is provide
for the storage of easels and unfinished caI
vases for all artists. but those Of the NAL
persuasion must go to the nearest pub
for their mug Of ale and veal pie.-Ne'
York Sun.
:. His Great Loss.