The Monte Vista journal., 1899-12-23
A XMAS PAINTING.

Oiomede was q painter. He belonged
the impressionist school. True.
ne word SCHOOL" IL an insult to an
!npressionist. The very fact Of his
existence is . protest against schools:
he can never Be encompassed by =
school; 1t il against his canons TO take
instruction In anything. He must dis
cover everything by intuition, drawing.
composition. coloring, lights and shad-
ows.
And then. also. Diomede was a good
looking fellow.
Handsome women liked him. He
liked lampreys. oysters, 3ellied snipe.
champagne and Bordeaux.
But his ambition exceeded all his
other passions. It was boundless,
He didn't care snap for the old
masters. He ignored the Italians. In
his eyes Rubens was a play-card pain
ter. Rembrandt sign-painter, De La
Croix q dauber. or his contempora-
ries. Meissonier was a bon-ton colorist
Makart not painter at all, nothing
but kalsominer.
Nothing but rubbish. all that has
ever been put on canvas.
Poetry was nothing! The ideal was
insanity! Impression-that was every
thing!
Diomede's pictures were creations,
all Of them, OF extraordinary concep-
tion!
His Sleeping Wench" was some
thing wonderful. Only the soles o.;
her feet were visible. Her head was
out Of sight. 1t was hanging down
over the further side OF cot. The
rest was concealed by her raised knees.
for her feet were propped up against
the spring-board. A long arm extend
Ing the whole length Of the picture and
fish clutching 4 whisky flask bore
witness that the woman sleeping there
was sutler-wench.
His animal paintings were still bet
ter. His Drinking Cow" represented
large dairy stable from which two
horns and two ears protruded. The
rest Of the head was In the stable
quite naturally. Above It a serpentine
growth stretched. which, had 1t been
worked out more carefully. might have
been discerned to be the cows tail.
with which she was switching the
dies away while she was drinking,
His landscapes. too. were quite
original. Conspicuous among them
was sunrise at midnight on the Isle
OF Ava Saxa. at sight OF which q
friend Of his once exclaimed:
Il say. old man. l hardly think your
uncle's face Is quite as red as all that. -
He thought 1t was a portrait. But 1t
was only the suns orb. and what
seemed to be the shoulders were two
black cliffs on the Isle Of Ava Saxa. and
the white expanse In front, which
looked like a pique waistcoat. was q
held of snow.
His placards OF still-life were famous
on account OF the circumstances that
they could be hung with any corner
up without detracting from their excel
lence.
The picture OF his that created an
especial sensation looked. when viewed
from 4 distance Of ten feet. like q con-
tsmplative thought floating before the
DISK OF the rising moon. On closer in
spsction 1t proved to be q rat crawling
out OF hole and making for an over
turned copper stewing pan. the bottom
os which formed the background,
His ability vas also exsmplifled in
battle pictures. Notable among these
was the "cossack Charge" One hum
drsd horses In 4 row. Just a. many
Cossack heads-ths shoulder Of the
furthefmost one also appearing-and
the same number OF iances, all making
for . trench the opposite embankmsnt
Of which was so far that each Cosssck
Of them. together with the horses, was
inevitably doomed to suicide the very
neat moment. But II Is precisely this
which constitutes the genius OF coneep-
tion. For the second line Of Cossacks,
pressing on behind. shall thus be
enabled to Eallop comfortably across
the ditch evened BY the bodies Of their
self-sacrihcing comrades.
Despite this versatility. he could not
succeed In getting . picture huAs in
the Salon. Old painters are narrow.
minded.
The Exhibition Of the Rejected"
gave him all the space he wanted. A
much larger public admired his paint.
ings there than II they had been &C.
cepted at the Salon. But. somehow.
nobody semeed anxious to buy. And
yet they were offered At = high enough
figure. Not one Of them was marked
below 10000 franco. This 10 also a
dogma Of impressionism. that none of
Its disciples shall dispose Of his MIC
;ures cheap.
They represented q whole treasury.
But whenever ". Diomede Inquired
about the prospects the art dealer who
had given him an advance upon them
always scratched his head and looked
dubious.
DO you know. ". Dlomede." said
N. Luchs. the art dealer, one day. II
have met somebody who IL making ali
sorts Of inquiries about your"
"A European"
NO. An American"
IL II were = European ! wouldn't
caro- to waste any time on him. IL he
an oil king?"
No. II 10 4 queen. the owner Of n
silver mine Miss Deborah stoppa."
"Ah! Miss Deborah stopps. who IL
20 celebrated on account OF her dia-
monds. and likewise on account Of not
permitting any cooking to bs done on
Sunday and not frequcnting the the.
utefaf Ynu uee fhaf's n vrnmnn \ n.y..-