The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-07-27

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epgravings therefrofh of Holman |
Hunts ''Christ in the Temple" Paul
"Magdalen Washing the
Feet of Christ" Raphael's michael the
Albert Durer's dragon of
the Apocalypse Michael Angeles
"Plague of the Fiery Serpents," Tin
toretto's Flight Into Egypt" Rubens'
''Descent from the Cross" Leonardo Da
Vinci's Last Supper" Claude's Queen
of Sheba," Bellini's Madonna" at Mi
Ian; Orcagna's Last Judgment and
hundreds of miles of pictures, if they
were put in line, illustrating, display
ing, dramatizing, irradiating Bible
truths until the Scriptures are not to-
day so much OH paper as on canvas, not
so much in ink as in all the colors OF
the spectrum. In 1883 forth from Stras-
burg, Germany, there came child that
was to eclipse in speed and boldness
anything and everything that the world
had ever seen since the first color ap-
peared on the sky at the creation, Paul
Gustave Dore. At II years of age he
published marvellous Autographs of his
own. Saying nothing of what he did
for Milton's Paradise Lost" amblazon-
ing it on the Afternoon of the world, he
takes up the book of books. the mon-
arch of literature, the Brple, and in his
pictures, ''The Creation of Light, - ''The
Trial of Abraham's Faith, "The Burial
of Sarah" Joseph Sold by His Breth-
rem" "The Brazen Serpent z 'Boaz and
Ruth David and Goliath" "rhe
Transfguration,'' ''The Marriage in
Cana" Babylon Fallen" and 2O5 Scrip
tural scenes in all, with a boldness and
a grasp and almost supernatural af-
flatus that make the heart throb and
the brain reel and the tears start and
the cheeks blanch and the entire nature
quake with the tremendous things of
God and eternity and the dead. ac-
tually staggered down the steps of the
London art gallery under the power of
Dore's Christ Leaving the Praetori-
nm" Profess you to be Christian man
or woman, and see no divine mission in
art, and acknowledge you no obligation
either in thanks to God or man?
The world and the church ought to
come to the higher appreciation of the
Divine mission of pictures, yet the au-
thors of them have generally been left
to semistarvation. West, the great
painter, toiled in unappreciation till,
being a great skater, while on the ice he
formed the acquaintance of Gen. Howe,
of the English army, who, through
coming to admire West as clever
skater, gradually came to appreciate as
much that which he accomplished by
his hand as by his heel. Poussin. the
mighty painter, was pursued and had
| nothing with which to defend himself
against the mob but the artists port
folio, which he held over his head to
keep off the stones hurled at him. The
pictures Of Richard Wilson, of England
were sold for fabulous sums of money
after his death, but the living painter
was glad to get for his "Alcyone" .
piece of Stilton cheese. From 1910 tt
1643 there were 1900 pictures willfqlly
destroyed. In the reign of Queer
Elizabeth it was the habit of some peo
| ple to spend much of their time il
knocking pictures to pieces. In thu
reign of Charles /. it was ordered by
parliament that all pictures of Chris
be burned. Painters were so badly
treated and humiliated in the beginning
of the eighteenth century that they
were lowered clear down out of tn,
sublimity of their art and obliged t.
give accounts of what they did will
their colors.
The oldest picture in England, por
trait of Chaucer, though now of grea
value. was picked out of a lumber gar
ret. Great were the trials of Quentin
Matsys, who toiled on from black
smiths anvil till. as painter, he wol
wide recognition. The first mission
aries to Mexico made the fatal mistak
of destroying pictures, for the loss Q
which art and religion must ever Ia
ment. But why go SO far back when i
this year of our Lord to be a painter, es
cept in rare exceptions. means povert
and neglect. poorly fed, poorly clat
, poorly housed, because poorly apprt
ciated? When hear man is paintel
have two feelings-one of admiratio
for the greatness of his soul, and th
other of commiseration for the needs I
, his body. But so it has been in all d,
partments of noble work. Some of th
mightiest have been hardly bestea'
Oliver Goldsmith had such big pate
on his coat over the left breast ths
: when he went anywhere he kept his HI
: in his hand closely pressed over tt
i patch. The world renowned Bisho
!. Asbury had salary of $54 yea
$ Painters are not the only ones who ha'
t endured the lack of appreciation. d
n men of wealth take under their patrol
1 age the suffering men of art. They Ii
: no complaint; they male no strike #
higher wages. But with a keenness
: nervous organization which almost a
II ways characterizes genius these artis
d suffer more than anyone but God cs
5. realize.
e There needs to obeaconcerted effort
Il the suffering artist Of America, not Sc
y timental discourse about what we o,
y To artists. but contracts that will ri