The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-29
Painter and Prophet.
How John Sargent the Greatest Living Artist Saw Into
Woanan's Soul and ForetOd Her Doom Stories of
the World-famous American and
His EccentricitieS.
His EccentricitieS.

4 effects and drapery brought him as
rich patronage asstnis country afforded.
I Now however. his popularity is SCARED,
LIE not overshadowed, by that OF Muller
TJrys who. made his first fame as
marveIousIy able painter Of satin Try.
I from the most modest beginnings. h'rs
rapidly grown into an artist With TN
1 income Of very nearly SSe,Oe0 a year'
and in consequence he possesses the
! most sumptuouS studio. undoubtedly
/ in this country. So sincerely is his
talent esteemed by society that his
sitters make no denlur at tine price
/ S5.000--he asks for an oil portrait, and
the great picture he made Of Mrs,
Seward Webb goWned in white saStn
and sables, with her boy in a satsG
court suit beside her, won him his
artistic spurs.
Three spacious. high vadited rooms.
hung and furnished with genuine
artistic treasures. is Ury's studio.
where the most brilliant Bohemian re-
cepttons in New York are given every
winter, and one of these rooms has
fame all it's owe because of its walls
of wood, stained TO inky biackness and
then 0yerlaid with sixteen coats OF
coach varnishs Sconces full of wax
candles and a few choice pieces of
carved IVORY anu 9ENIEuf are SEeNSIGt
upon this remarkable background, that
reflects like the richest French plate
mirrors and that displays pretty
woman to the most admirable effect.
John Sargent, the Prophet.
Great as is his fame and DESTROYS, as
every man and woman may be to go
down to posterfty, as portrayed by
John Sargent, the majority of possible
sitters shrink from his brush. Nearly
every winter Sargent Games over to fiil
a few orders, for he will only take a
few, and he never gives a price on ms
work until it is completed. Then he
| estimates the value of portrait on
the strength of his own criticism OF It's
merits. If he likes it himself he will
put On a staggering price. as in the
case of the late Calvin Brice; if he
feels displeased with the result he will
cody tear UP the whole thing or place
most moderate estimate upon it. and
women fear him because he paints them
as his cold, calm. analytical gaze OBJ
serves them, not as vanity or hattery
might inspire, and with almost nervous
dread his sitter waits to see how he
/ will paint his or her eyes.
There is a tale going the rounds Of
the studios that on one occasion when
Sargent delivered a portrait of a pretty
!
fused to accept it, on account of the
eyes, declaring they were the eyes of a
mad woman, not those of their relative
Sargent, the painter of the soul, insist
ed they were her, eyes as he had seen
them and would make no alteration,
and there the discussion came TO an
end, apparently, but time proved what
a wizard the painter was, for before
twelve months had passed the poor lady
lOSa baY. ind mfr
Paints Diamonds Until They Sparkle
OF the whsle galaxy of brilliant for
eignerS who were in the habit of COM
ing every winter to America to reap
with their brushes the fine harvest of
dollars that home talent now gathers
in Carolus. Theraud and Chatrain are
| among those who still find they can
successfully compete with the able
Americans.
Theraud is yet able to ask the big
gest prices of any artist for his por-
traits. He will not so much as take up
his brushes under a guarantee of less
than $1,000 and he asks and gets as
high as $4,000 and $4,000 for full
| length picture, such as the notable por-
trait of the Duchess of Marlborough.
Like thrifty Gaul he rents a, small
but plain, studio, in whatever city he
settles temporarily, and, elderly man as
he is, renders himself so captivating to
I his sitters that after one interview the
shock of his big price wears off, he is
asked to the choicest social functions,
and with the women his chief charm is
that he can paint diamonds until they
actually sparkle ON the canvas and
that no woman looks commonplace
when Theraud portrays her.
All his old ladies are stately as
duchesses. his young women are
nymphs and his velvet is as beautiful
as ever Rubens or Van Dyke painted it,
Americans to the Fore.
For all this personal charm and the
undoubted ability the foreigners pos
sess, their star of popularity has so
weaned that only those OF commanding