The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-01-11
NEW PICTURE OF VOLCANO
Artist Howard Hitchcock Considers il
the Best Painted by Him.
VIII be Placed on Exhibition Here and
Probably Sent to san Fran
cisco-Interview.

A representative OF lnlS paper Wis
tied the studio of D. Howard Hitchcock
yesterday and found the artist at work
putting the finishing touches on large
painting Of the Volcano. In the course
pleasantly upon the picture as follows:
Il consider this the best representa-
tion of the Volcano l have yet pro-
duced. Into it has been put all the
| knowledge of the subject it has taken
me years to acquire.
You see, it shows the fire-lake by
daylight, with strong sunlight effect
that, to my mind, enhances rather than
detracts from the force of the fire,
| which must be strong in nature 20 show
at all under such conditions.
1T was an interesting color problem.
The depth of the pit helped it's solution,
and the result is still true to nature.
Another interesting problem was
that of the perspective-to represent a
hole in the earth. Poor Tavenier used
to say, You cannot paint the hole in
the ground. The fact is, you can APP
proximate it, as l believe this canvas
shows.
1.-The blue masses of vapor are not
always present during the greatest ac>
tivity of the Volcano, but they have
been present ever since the breakdown,
in "a
CAS- l understand it, the same condi-
tions now hold, so this picture may
rightly be said to represent the lake as
it now appears-with the fire perhaps
at a slightly greater elevation in the
pit.
THE depth represented is about 600
feet, from the highest point to the sur
face of molten lava beneath the smoke.
when l was there in '94 the white
vapor was rising, as shown, from under
the right-hand ledge The blue-suI-
phur vapor was coming out from all
sides, making it a delicate question as
to the point of approach to the brink -
Probably this painting will be sent
to San francisco for exhibition. 1t
will be placed on public exhibition in
Honolulu before it is sent away, as peo-
pie here are thoroughly interested in
the greatest volcano on earth, and will
be glad of the opportunity of seeing
such an excellent representation of it.
Certainly Mr.. Hitchcock's latest
painting of the crater of Kilauea and
country surrounding is masterpiece,
and far exceeds all other efforts made
by him.
There is one point that stands out
prominently, and that is the care
taken TO show just enough of the bub-
bling, angry lava. The mistake in
the past has been that the pictures
have shown too much of this and too
little OF the surroundings. This has
been done time and time again, and
the impression has gone abroad with
the pictures that an attempt has been
made to exaggerate the real state of
affairs, as certain artists have con-
ceded there is a temptation to do. Mr..
HitchcOck's paintings allow play for
the imagination, and at the same
time gives true representation of the
awful yaWDlng cavity in the earth
holding the hot, molten lava.
The cliffs of lava surrounding and
the vapor floating away over them in
the direction OF the prevailing winds,
the delicate cloud effects above the
stretches of picturesque country 10
the distance, all go to make up a
scene of rare excellence which must
bring home to Hawaii's favorite artist
sense Of satisfaction at the thought
of so successful an effort.