The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-31
FAMOUS PAINTER OF ANNALS


OF the celebrated paintings which have
,cen produced in the present century
enc Of the best known is the Horse FAIR.
rhis picture, which row hangs In tho |
Museum. New York, to which |
It was presented by Cornelius Vanderbilt,
the purchaser at the Stewart sale, made
Rosa Bonheur world known, aud although
II Is among the earliest OF her produce
lions. having been exhibited in the Salon
lfy-six years ago, 1t is the one, above all
others, with which her name is most FREE
quently associated and by which she Will
be best remembered.
The Horse Fair Inspired Horace Vcrnet
to proclaim Rosa Bonheur the FIRST female
artist that France had produced.
Hamerton calls her the most accom-
plished female painter that ever lived. "
Victor Hugo characterized the boldness OF
hel conception as sublime. "As a creative
artist" he said, Il place her first among
wtmen, living or dead. II you ask me
why she thus towers above her fellows,
by the majesty of her work silenciug every
detractor, will say it is because she lis
tens to God, and not to man. She is true
to self"
Nature predestined Rosa Bonheur for
painter. She did not become one without
remonstrance, and even opposition. Her
mother, il is true perceived the dawn OF
great ability in her child. AS early as
1929. the little girl was then I, Madame
rf,f
say what Rosa will be, but of this / feel
sure, she will be no ordinary woman
There were no women artists at that time
They were not to be tolerated, and wnen
Rosa, the daughter OF painter of reoog-
nized ability, and surrounded with works
of art to which her youthful mind was
readily impressionable, had quite naturally
developed a taste for drawing, NJ Bonheur
at first determined to check It. But the
passion In Rosa for drawing interfered
livery much with her other studies At
school her principal amusement was to
cover her copybooks with sketches Of
shepherds and shepherdesses, landscapes
and animals of all kinds. At 10 years oil
age her father thought that the time hat
come for her to learn an occupation
He apprentced her TO a couturisre, II
very little while Rosa rebelled. Needle
work proved as little suited to her taste as
book learning. The father who was al
accC mpllshed draughtsman, at last decided
to foster her artistic incinations. He be
gan 20 give her lessons, and soon father
and daughter worked together in thu
Louvre, copying pictures The appear
ance of the little girl with yellow braid
tied with II bit OF shoe string mixing
paints and helping her father in th'
Louvre vas a source of amusement tC
some, or censure from others. On ever!
hand indignation was expressed and NJ
Rouheur WIS severely demonstrated with
Let's cut of the braid. and I'll wea
boys clothes and be a hoy" said Rosa.
The next day Raymond Bonheur had
close cropped boy in trousers and blue
blouse to help him.
While she soon distinguished herself b,
her copies of the most beautiful works o
the old painters, it was not long befor
she began to be attracted to the subject
In which she later attained such high eX
cellenoe. When the Museum of the
Louvre was closed she would take her
sketching materials into the environs @
Paris, where she imblbed the love of verd
ure, OF sky, OF space aud OF air, which ar
as much features of her pictures as are tn,
animals they surround.
When Is years old she painted her frs
contributions for the Salon. a picture q
two pet rabbits and another representa-
sheep and goats, At the Salons OF tn
succeeding years many works from he
brush were exhibited their subjects bein
principally cows and horses. There wer
also studies OF animals in Scripture, an
by these latter MademOisele Bonheul
showed herself capable Of using the chls'
with as much skin and power as th'
brush,
5 When the was % the Salon awarded he
gold medal Of the third class Thre
years later the jury awarded her the pre-
miere medalle, She began the Hors
Fair when 2S 1t was the largest canv'
ever attempted by an animal painter.
? was exhibited at the Salon of 1858, I'll
picture became the rage of Paris. 1t W.
engraved by Thomas Landseer, then II
: finest line engraver in England. The priC
IT, brought at the Stewart sale was $500
$4,000 more than Mr., Stewart paid for
c All the honors of the Salcn were heapC
!, uron the young woman painter BY p
y cia decision all of her work hencefor
was declared exempt from examination
the jury of admission. Her fame hitler
q had been confined to France, but II no
/, crossed the channel and through Englai
Il became world wide.
The Horse Fair was sent some time a
e ter to the exhibition at Client where
II proved no less successful than It had be-
al Paris The citizens OF Client wishil
10 show their gratitude to the artist {
: the loan OF her work made her prese
IS OF a magnificent cameo, engraved after u
o picture itself Subsequently the Hor'
It Fair was sold to NJ Gambart, a pictu
: dealer who first took IL 10 England a
= then to America It finally passing into q
i possession Of Mr. Stewart and Mt his dea
u 10 the Metropolitan Museum, Rosa 30
heur painted two replicss of the pictul
l. enc OF which is at the present time in {
IS National Gallery OF London.