The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-21
BOUTET DE MONVEL'S IDOL.
She Is the Virgin of Orleans, Joan of
Arc


De Monvel has two studios; one in
Paris in the Rue Val de Grace, near a
public school whose pupils offer models
perpetually for the artist; and the
other at Nemours in his country house.
on the edge of the Fontainebleau for
est. Here he has been all summer at
work upon the decorations for DOM
remy, which are the most important
things he has ever done
Apart from the group of children who
unconsciously played so momentous a
role in the early life of Boutet, was
another child whom he revered and
worshiped; the Virgin of Orleans, Joan
of Arc. His passion for this heroine
was quickened by the constant remin-
iscences of her in his native town of
Orleans.
Reviewing herncareer step by step,
he lived over and over again her brave
deeds and heroic acts, her simple con-
victions, and her cruel martyrdom, un-
til he felt, believed and suffered as she
had. And to this love of her he has
given expression, first in a series of
pictures accompanying her story sim
ply told for children: and now in these
mural decorations, built in memory of
Great delicacy of feeling, an unerring
sense of color and harmony, knowledge
of history, and more than all, a love
and appreciation Of Jeanne dare, have
together made these freScoeS charming
in composition, brilliant as decorations,
interesting as documer IS and mastery
as works of art.
The Illustrations of her life, bound
with the story in a slender volume,
he 1OIa htaf n1IY of world
the text has been translated into Eng
lish The original water colors for
this work are for sale in Paris at $1,000
for the series. Orleans would have
bought them long ago for her museum,
were it not for her tagging appreciation
and somewhat sceptical estimation of
the heroine saint, due, perhaps, to
lurking faint of Anglo-SaXon in the
towns traditions.
Monsieur de Monvel has two sons,
whose portraits he has worked into the
Domremy frescoes, after the manner
of the old Italian masters. Surrounded
by various members of his family, his
home life is of the genuine, admirable
sort which must yet appeal to French
men of letters before they portray it
in such a way as to convince foreigners
that all French society is not as Bour-
get sees it. SO united are the De Mon
vel family that the fathers decision to
visit America last winter was greeted
with protests yet the artist persisted
in his desire to see this country, whose
people interest him so deeply, and to
study and picture the American chill
dren as he has the French.
One Afternoon when the plan was in
discussion, a young American happen
ing to call upon them at Nemours,
expressed surprise at the quantity and
beauty of the roses and jasmine in the
garden. Madam de Monvel, turning to
her husband, exclaimed with convic-
ton: You see, they have no flowers
in America; only think what desert
it must be!''
Chance led De Monvel to the discov-
cry of his especial genius. Natural
timidity and reserve were augmented
by the conditions of life induced by
poverty; courage and fortitude were
giving way to hunger and despair.
when at last a publisher of children's
books discovered Boutet de Monvel and
commissioned him TO illustrate a
child's history of France.
Il painted children because they ask
ed me to- he said. Il would have
drawn soldiers if they had ordered
them But it is to be presumed that
he would not have done them so WELL
for an unconscious influence had been
early at work upon his impressionable
mind, determining the nature of his
future success. He was the oldest of
large family of children; his con-
slant companions in their serious, as
in their mirthful moments, in their
games as in their studies, they made
upon the sensitive artist-mind impress
sons which later became pictures for
the worlds galleries, signed by the
silent, thoughtful older brother, Boutet
de MOnVel