The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-07-12
AN INSANE ARTIST.
The Maniac Painter of a Picture
Which AdOrns the California
State Capitol.

At the end of the long corridor on the
ground floor of the state capitol build
ing in Sacramento hangs a remarkable
picture. 1t is hunting scene, in wh:2h
is depicted man crouching in an at
titude of expectancy, gun in hand.
awaiting the approach of flock OF
ducks. BY his side lies a dog, whose
eyes arc also fixed on the approaching
birds. and near the hunter crouches a
half-grown boy, also watching. The
first thing to attract the attention of
the visitor is the insane glare in the eyes
of all the subjects portrayed on the can
vas, or rather on the piece of bedtick-
ing, for it is upon the latter material
that the picture has been painted. This
glare is accounted for by the fact that
the artist is a maniac and at the present
time an inmate of the insane hospital at
Stockton. He was at one time por-
trait painter of note. whose constant
application to his profession weakened
his brain.
After his Incarceration, unprovided
with the implements of his beloved art
and longing to portray the wild fancies
that thronged upon him. he carefully
ripped up the covering of his mattress,
spread it upon the floor of his apart
ment, opened a vein in his arm to pro-
cure carmine and began tracing the red
handkerchief with which he covered
the head of his principal subject. Find
ing it useless to attempt to wean him
from his ruling passion, the authori-
ties furnished him with materials, and
this picture was the outcome. 1t is
claimed that when working with brush
and colors he is as gentle and quiet as a
child. 1t is only when these are taken
from him that he raves. That the pic
ture and its subject possesses merit of
a decided order has been conceded by
many connoisseurs. To the close
student there are many details in the
subject portrayed on the crude bed
ticking that plainly speak of the artist 5
vagaries, and to those unacquainted
with its history these details are simply
objectionable. For instance. the flags
and cat-tails on the right of the group
bend toward the center, as though
swayed by the wind. while those on the
left bend TO meet them. giving the i'm
preston that the wind was blowing
both ways. But in the main, taking
each object portrayed as an entirety,
they plainly show the artist, even hid
den as he is behind the cloud of in
sanity.
The coloring is as dead in tone as the
artists own life, and yet blends in its
entirety, showing none of the glaring
inconsistencies that can be detected in
many of the details. Who is the artist,
| what his former life, his family ties, his
| boyhood ambitions and longings, his
successes and failures until the period
| in which his brain gave away, will prob
ably never be known. as his past seems
| shrouded in mystery. At the asylum in
Stockton he was known simply as an
| East Indian. His birthplace was the
island of Jamaica.
This unknown artist has prototype
in the Napa insane asylum who has
traced one of the most grewsome sub
| jects imaginable, the skeleton of child
| perched on the shoulders of its mother,
whose eyeless, bare skull has an upward
cant and whose twisted jaws seem dis
torted in an attempted smile on her off
spring. The border around this re-
markable phantasy of a disordered
brain shows a remarkable delicacy OF
tracery and outline and a wonderful
| knowledge of anatomy, as every OBJ
| ject portrayed is different and perfect
| The artist in this case was formerly one
of the best-known fresco painters in
San Francisco, and is said to be en-
| ployed in the painting department al
| Napa. He is known as George.-San
Francisco Bulletin.