The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-05-12
STUDENTS FRIEND.
A DEALER IN coLoRs IN THE LATIN
QUARTER OF PARIS.

knows not M. Foinet, that student is
but q humble creature, pitifully new to
the republic of painters And who is
Foinet? He has little shop in an an
cient winding street Of the old quarter,
the Rue Notre Dame de Champs, and
there keeps colors for the accommoda-
tion of impecunious painters. 1t is lit
tie shop truly, with q bandbox Of sale
manger just behind, the minute salon
and living rooms above, but many a
celebrity laid the foundation for his
fame in the pigments cheerily furnished
by Foinet. Now 6S, good nature and
the wholesome reflection Of his benevo.
lence from the fancies Of thousand
friends have kept this marchand de
couleurs to the appearance Of 40. His
youthiulness remarked, "Ah." he says,
with twinkle Of his kindly blue eyes,
'it keeps one in good color to deal IN
good colorsr" As he deals only in the
best Of colors, "those fit for the making
Of masterpieces, 1t Is quite in keeping
khat he should have the rosy freshness
that reddish hair and mustache compile
ment, and which seem to belong only to
the glow Of vigor still in flower.
Having had twoscore years of ex.
perience in the trade that Is so closely
akin to art, Foinet has more the charac-
ter of an artist than Of tradesman, and
q glance around the walls of his costly
establishment betrays who are his
friends among those who have "ar-
ived." Here are pieces by Dataille, by
Bonnst, by Jean Paul Laurens, by Ga
rolus-Duran, by Cazin, by Geri Melchers,
by Chretien, by Paul Steck, by Yongind
(whose little pieces have sold for as
much as 5000 and 1000 francs each
since his death), the original Of Frago-
nard's "La Balancoire," evidences
enough Of Foinet's intimate relations
with artists who, famous afterward,
have been indebted to the man Of colors
for many sustaining kindness.
A veritable patron, Mecenas Of points,
1t is necessary that Foinet be we'll to do,
and we'll to do he is, and with the means
to crafty his benevolence he has also
the taste to minister comfort to the re-
fined appetite. Foinet's little suppers in
the shop are as celebrated as Foinet him
self, and to be hidden to one Of them is
a mark Of distinction-an honor the
ambitious youth covets, courtesy the
most successful esteems. The suppera
are served in the shop. and wines of
choice vintage, served in bottles crusted
with cellar mold, are so literally dis
pensed that sobriety at the end Of the
evening is accounted an insult to the
host. Bacchus is the presiding deity
ever, and when his votaries revolve into
the salon where coffee is poured it il not
permitted that one Of them be able per-
fectly to declare how many candles are
burning. Yet woe to the culprit who
has so weak head that he riots in his
cups. Foinet values him and his pros
poets not q jot. Men who have it in them
to "arrive" will not slander good wine
by playing the fool under it, is Foinet's
opinion.
If carefully watched young painter
suddenly gets we'll hung or captures
somewhere medal, the color merchant,
radiant over the achievement, gives one
Of these notable suppers in honor Of his
protege, and the result is much the same
as when Beau Brummel made a man
by taking his arm for walk in the
Mall. The supper is the confession Of
faith-Foinet's intimation that he be-
lieves the painter has, to all intents and
purposes, "arrived, though he says one
requires 10 years in which really "to
arrive" What phrase that isl How
significant And what vast force it
has in the French world of art and let
tersl "He'll arrive" No higher compli-
ment may be spoken by master of pupil,
"He has arrived" The crown is on his
head. And SO Foinet, who has seen so
many men "arrive" and knows by sort
Of mastery intuition who is likely to
"arrive," has that superb patience and
that unwavering confidence which are
necessary to make either great genius
or a noble creditor.
Let any student with talent only as u
grain of mustard seed and with it hon.
est perseverance, 60 to Foinet, and the
ruby faced patron will trust him till the
light goes out of the moon or floods into
the painters atelier. Indeed, Foinet is
as little in love with sensitive debtor
as he is with too temperate banqueter.
Be it understood that more than one
art student in the QUARTER Latin would
find it impossible to pursue his or her
studies were it not for the philanthropio
Foinet, who gives them credit month
after month for their paints and has the
grace Of soul not to impose upon them
the martyrdom Of debt. Paints are ex-
pensive, and some students who have
barely enough for bread would fare i'll
for working materials but for this sim
Pile hearted and genuine bienfaiteur in
the old fashioned street near the Lux.
embourg. That this frank generosity is
not ignobly betrayed may be inferred
from the fact Of the Dealers compara-
tive opulence. Nevertheless he will
shake his head in compassionate sadness
as he says: "There are too many stu
dents Of art who ought to be students Of
agriculture. They could NOV landscapes
better than they can paint them. 1t is
sad to see one quite without talent
struggling to succeed in an art that has
no pity whatever for mediocrity. But
And that shrug Of the shoulders which
is more eloquent and more impressive
than monologue. Chicago Times
Herald