The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-10

charming pictures Of herself and
daughter. known as the little idyls on
canvass" which hang in the Louvre.
In her ingenious autobiography she
has supplemented these brush portraits
with accounts of the brilliant court
pageants which she witnessed in the
various countries Of Europe, in sharp
contrast to the meagre poverty of her
home surroundings, of the terrOrS Of
the revolution, Of the Wit or peculi-
arities Of those whom she met, to-
gether with shrewd little character
/ sketches and Impressions Of her trav-
els. This self-illusJTated autobiography
! is something unique in the history OF
art and throws a curious side light
/ upon the circumstances attending the
/ painting of the immense number OF
/ pictures. nearly 1000 in all. which
make the best monument to the life
( long industry of Nine. Nigee LIE Brun.
A less pretentiOuS painter than her
fair contemporary, Angelica kauh-
mann, the greater beauty and sim
pIicity OF her work has better stood
b, the test OF time.
Daughter of a third-rate Partisan
! copyist, whose chalk studies and pas
1 tells after Vatican were pleasing. but
strikingly devoid Of originality, Mdlle.
/ Vigee attracted notice by her precOCiJy
while a very tiny child. At the time
| of her fathers death, a girl Of -, she
was a portrait painter Of no mean abll-
! ity, already beginning TO fulfill her Ia
Tiers prophecy: You shall be paint
er. my daughter. or there never was
oner' Vernet, the eminent marine
painter, urged her to present an eX-
cellent portrait of her mother, which
she finished at the age Of 10, for ad-
mission to the academy, but her ap-
{ nj
her extreme youth.
Besides the fond announcement Of
her father, the young girl was favored
in having Briard, DaVeSne, DOyen and
Claude Joseph Vernet as her teachers.
The last named frequently cautioned
her against following the methods Of
any particular school. only consult,
my child, the works of the great Ital-
ian and French masters; but, above
ALL" he urged, do as much as you
can from nature. Nature IS the best
master. If you study it diligently, you
win never get into mannerlSn1s- rms
sensible advice had much to do with
the formation of Mdlle. Vigee's origin
al STYLE. which was quite apart from
the contemporary academic influence.
Her self-iTnprOvement was largely due
to her untiring copying Of Rembrant,
Van Dyck. Reubens (whOse chlarOscuro
she considered miraculous) and Greuze.
Much of this work was quickly sold
in order that the young artst might
support her beautiful but INDECENT
mother and clOthe and educate her
younger brother.
In order TO satisfy that longing FOR
expensive wardrobe and amusements
which Nine. Vigee considered necessary
TO her existence, the widow married a
wealthy jeweler. This man proved TO
he A niser. who greedily wore the old
clothes of the dead artist, but refused
to provide the necessarles or NE IoI
his new family, compelling the ALREADY
OYerworked Elise 10 redouDle- ner Ell
forts for their maintenance. On &C
count of that superb health which en-
abled her to work increasingly until
her death in her S7th year, the young
girls beauty did not fade under TINS
in trea tment, but developed so charm-
inely that between the ages OF IA ana
20 sitters fiocked TO her studio, and
her. orders multiplied amazingly, chleI-
" that her admirers WhlIe posing
might enjoy her vivacious society ms
implied fiatteTy never cost the young
artist the loss Of her slmp1clly OF rep
utatiOn. her mothers enforced pres
ence preventing any suggestion OF
stain upon her name
AT that time the family LOGGED II
the house IF a picture dealer, Jean
Baptiste Pierre lie Brun. man whose
judgment upon pictures was consld-
cred the most reliable in Europe. HIS
unusually fine collection OF paintings
and prints was obligingly placed al
the service Of the eager young painter
When LIE Brun offered himself in mar
riage six months later Mdlie. VICES
yielded TO the persuasionS OF heI 3oiIu-
" mother. who fancied the picturl
dealer to be very rich, and reluctantly
consented TO a secret marriage until
T,a Rrun could clear himself OF certain
obligations TO the daughter OF a picture
trader in Holland. Meanwhile the IN
fi,,entiaI friends of the artist. not know
ing of this strongly urged her not e
marry the man. insisting that she
Would better cut her throat or drown
herself than ally her interests with
those Of man whose low tastes "Ou4G
make happiness an impOssibility. All