The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-22
BRIEF APPLICATIONS or SOME
AMERICAN PAINTERS.
n. Alexander III. MYant.

against the masonry, but reached it's habitat
by one Of those Ia Of natures ac-
cidenta. Finding the support that Its
young life needed. il chung and mounted:
gradually, however, gaining independent
strength until in the maturity Of its growth
IL has its own boughs, 80 hardy that a man
may climb by them, n puts forth bunchy
masses Of leaves and berries that disguise
the original support ia q luxuriance OF
independent growth.
Such il often the story OF an artists
growth, and was 20 in that Of Wyant's.
In the small town of Defiance, in Ohio,
where he was born. there wal little to sug-
gest TO the boy what pictures meant, and
yet he had the picture-making faculty in
himself; the observant eye and desire to
translate into line the forms of things.
He drew necessarily; the forms Of stones,
of banks and tree roots, their stems and
branches. and made studies Of the leaves,
separately and infinitely as well as ia masses,
! like to think Of him. as a child, lying full
length before the kitchen fire with a bit
Of burnt wood taken from it, drawing on
the floor; and fancy that in that soft, sug-
gestive medium Of charcoal and on the
rough surface Of his improvised panel,
he may have got his first dim consciousness
Of the meaning Of synthesis in landscape:
the securing Of character and tone, n
the fascination Of working in masses rather
than in outline. When he was old enough
to be set to a trade, il was that OF sign paint
ing that was chosen. But all roads lead
to Rome, and a youth might derive much
skill in form as we'll as breadth OF manner
in this humble department Of the fine arts.
Somewhere about the ffties he found HIM
self in Cincinnati, even then an oasis in
tho desert OF Western indifference 10 or
ignorance Of art. Ii wa here in a private
collection that he first discovered what
painted pictures were like and, with q rare
instinct for one so young, it was lnness's
work hat captured his imagination. A
youth, passion ate and eager rs Wyant WAS,
must have his god or goddess, a being
infinitely above him, yet. perhaps, OF in
finite condescension, who will listen TO his
devotion, Some Of US may have offered
our heart and future 10 ladies nearly old
enough to he our mothers: Wyant's divinity
was of the other sex. al Apollo at whose
oracle he would inquire. He found the
means to come to New York aid lay his
sketches before the master. and never
forgot the kindly criticism which bid him
be Of good courage and perseyere.
He was now about 20 years old and nearly
ten more years were to elapse before his
own independent growth was to establish
itself. Meanwhile its direction had been
assured by the influence Of Inness; its
manner OF growth was to he partly affected
by the Norwegian painter, Hans GUIDE,
who had graduated from Dusseldorf and
" a at this time working in C~arlsruhe. He
had been the pupil of AChenbach, who, as
Muther says, had taught him to approach
the phenomena of nature boldly and real
istically and not to he afraid of a rich and
soft scale of color He had felt the in
fluence, also, of SchirIner, whose fondness
for the so-called Italian landscape had
guided him 10 the acquisition Of a certain
large harmony and sense for st-le in the
of his pictures SuCl was
GUIDE, to whom Wyant wen for instruction.
spoke in after years Of the kindness
which he had been received as almost
.ne Of the household of the painter and
his good frau, and one may imagine that the
student tool much profit from the masters
emphasizing of form and ~uctiOn
and also from the reposeful dignity. AGA
toiuic though II was, Of his COMPOSITIONS.
But when the older man passed from the
of principles to that Of methods
and urged his pupil To initiate his particular
manner of presenting the truths, Nyant =
Independence Tebclled, He had earned
" What could properly be taught and, rccog-
MIXING that for the rest lee must depend
himself, returned To New York.
Face to face with the problem uf making
a living and hoping to gain useful expert
puce. be- joined a Government exploring
expedition to the West. But the party
terrible hard-hips To which Nyant's
succuml-d He was put upon
.hr train to return East and might have
at his mother, home 90 h" nurSed
cared for And much he needed tend
Iug fur he was helpless. stricken with parai-
ySi-, but the mind ~ hl- poor b"dy Wa
active, hs argued that 10 De taken On
a far Western station vac Ia D-roine
stranded, 10 les" ell touch with the Iaintsr'-
ifr, on which III determination was It'll
iN.t 80 be- ltf himself IT, carried lHrt
lr home and Ieeoht-i New YORK NJ
can a Go the pathetic hetut-m
n this decision but Ia uuI admiration oi Ga"
Iplcat. p.-tTN which beluugn To- tie WORK
4 WANT that Ne know i+st, lrt Vac not
us- sight ~ the furcr Of viii power that
az luN uly,-i ga thr mailing ~ % 'ls
be- tad bs.u Iu hcll, 'Arlalus taINl' ui
Dante aud VhIIu suffering may mot H. 90"
Iuiy rad 90 highrs' crprf u b. ONE - them
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