The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11
SUMNER ART COLONIES.
THEY r. PLENTY IN EUROPE AND
NUMEROUS IN THIS COUNTRY.

Europe Is 1ull oil. summer art colonies. Iar-
~ticularly in Paris each one Of the successful
artists has his Mecca, and when June comes
around he packs his skotching traps and sets
summer worshipping. All the aspiring STU
dents who believe that his nrt is the only
true art. and that he is its prophet. trail after
him. and do q great deal Of prophet worship
ping and n greater deal of bad sketching. In
October they troop back to Paris, and the chief
winter amusement there lies in the efforts Of
each student to guess what the Impressions
brought back by fellow artists were meant TO
represent.
or course. that isn't the unvarying pro-
gramme An immense amount OF excellent
work is done during tho summer outing. and
there's a picturesque quality about q sum
mer In Vagabondla that iaeminently enter
tanning. Brittany and Normandy are literally
infested with summer art colonies. In Hol-
land they are plentiful as windmills. and ono
runs across them in out-of-the-way hooks OF
England. English artists do not take very
kindly to the summer school. They prefer
focking by themselves, congenial companies
of Olympians. The presence of callow stu
dents would spoil the II. A. flavor OF their nee
tar and ambrosia. But several of the French
masters have a passion for rural England. and
each summer lead their flocks to English pas
lures.
Lasar. who is to-day one of the most popular
and successful teachers among the French
men. spends his mme in England and
gathers a number Of his pupils around him
there. Incidentally. he is n benefactor to the
country, for while the English rustics look
upon tho painter folk as weird and a trife
appalling, they have an immense respect for
the opinions Of the queer human phenomena.
and artist intercession has saved many a pic
turesque feature Of old England from vandal-
ism. Report has 1t that Lasar drifted into an
artist dictatorship In one seaport village and
made It one Of the most charming bits in the
west countrie."
The place was delightful in itself. and the
simple folk, tremendously impressed by hav-
ing an artist from Paris among them. handed
themselves and the village over to him with
touching confidence. He was invited to
make a speech in the Town Hall; and. while
talking isn't his fort, he waxed eloquent over
the artistic possibilities o: the village. He
Numbered against modern architectural mon
strosities. he encouraged flower growing. he
eulogized hedges and decried ornamented
iron fences. He made suggestions as to the
color of wicket gates and cottages. He told
the gaping villagers that there was no reason
why Venice should have q monopoly of color
in harhor views and urged the sailors to paint
their sails and craft q la Venise.
Being out Of his own country. the prophet
was not without honor. and the villagers put
themselves trustingly into his hands with the
result that there is a gem Of q village In the
west countrie." On one point only did the sea-
airing part OF the population draw the line.
The authorities came to Lasar In despair.
The townsiolk would paint their sails in ochre
and lumber. They were reckless as to the
color OF cottage and gate. Boat prows could
take on any hue. but the hulls OF the boats
must be black. There the sailors made their
stand. No man OF them would sail in a boat
that wasn't black hulled. It would be court
ing wreck and disaster. His Honor the Mayor
was impotent before the superstition and was
UNNECESSARILY relieved when assured that
black hulls were within the province of high
art.
Up In Holland. at Egmont op den Hoef.
George Hitchcock and Gary Melchers are the
attractions around which a colony of summer
art students centres. Melchers has been
known to say un~complimentary things about
those same aspiring students. In fact. he ex-
subject and threatens TO abandon Holland al
together and 6eta k, himself to untroddea
Businesses where me species art student
Mr.. HfiitScheoet, however. bears up under the
ailiesio o1ford p%er inp Sot the f tiG tEnrIo OF tn the in
trils. He lives in the most Dutch Of Dutch
houses, eats his soup from genuine old
dog cart Thereby reducing his Dutch neigh
bors q degree nearer paralysis than their nor
n Rn sa ftfII1fs aP But n even GntdE e {ISIsg1 to te fns hP are 9eese
sional student some OF the secrets Of Dutch
atmosphere. The German, artists 20 to the
Black Forest and the Tyrol.
Venice and Sienna have, regular summer
France are full OF art students in summer. and
there. mora than elsewhere. are DDnDrtlnitipS
for plein air studies in the altogether, expert
ments with the problems beloved OF the mod
models lay the foundation for the lung trouble
which. developed in %drauGhty, Paris studios.
In, the United States the summer art col
ony, Is n recent institution. but the number Of
such communities multiplies yearly. Wind
imposing collections OF artists. and Norwich
and Shinnecoek have regular summer art
in some respects. for there. students find pro-
vision for Comfortable living as we'll as for
honest working. Artists have. a way q over
soul. helps flesh no more than flesh helps
soul" but Il sensible woman. who isn't an ar
well as for aspiring souls, built the main dor
mitory and ATTRACTIVE cottages which form the
nucleus around which the Shinuecock art vii
lage, clusters. She arranged for 4 restaurant
in the main building SO that, the students
wouldn't. as usual. prepare meals in one small
tin pan oyer a diminqtive oil stove. and she
put u digniiied matron in charge TO leaven. the
artistic atmosphere with the leaven of serious
responsibility. She is the fairy gOdmother Of
the institution; and the first, article in the
Shlnnecock creed is devout belief in her abil-
ity to turn the most incorporating pump
kin into q coach and four.
A crowd of students are leaving Shinnecock
now. but they sigh oyer it; and the lucky few
who can stay down there through September
and October are the envy OF their fellows. for
those, are the glorious months Of the Long
put it the other day. There's no use trying 70
paint the blooming place when it turns itself
loose in September. Nothing but impress
sio%nism gone mad could DO anything with it,
and frlvolling isn't the rule; but the life Isn't
by any means without cakes and ale. In fact,
1t Is 30 entertaining that many Of the cottages
are occupied by summer residents who do not
dabblc In paint. but who like the unconven-
tlonal, picturesque tone of life in the art com
munity.
The girl students live in the main building,
occupy cottages with their families. own cot
tages themselves, or board In the neighbor-
ing farmhouses. As for the men. they, as n
rule. board with the farmers, and report says
that they are u serious crowd. A pretty New
York girl, who doesn't know much about art
in the ~.ShiunecOGk sense. but has Just re-
turDp1 from n Wait with an artist frinUI Mt tho