The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-08
ART STUDY in NEW YORK
TWO INDIANAPOLIS BOYS TALK OF
"BOHEMIAN LIFE,
Took Rooms an N Tenement House and
Lived on Little Money-One
Earned a Prize.

II was after reading an interesting book
on student life in Paris that Glenn Coleman
and Albert Matzke, two boys OF this city,
decided to go TO New York and live the
lives of Bohemians 1t was not only to have
this experience that they left home, but
mainly to study art. Both OF them were
students at the Manual Training High
School and received their first instruction
in drawing from Otto Stark. Later they
worked on the art staff of one of the news
papers They have returned to this city
to spend the summer with their families.
They left the city with very little money
in their pockets and no knowledge what
ever of the metropolis to which they were
going. They were determined to make their
own way through art school. When they
arrived in New York they had not the
least idea where they would sleep that
night. The names of the streets were
unknown to them; they did not know
which way to go to look for rooms. They
found furnished room that could be rent
ed, after hunting until nightfall. They
stayed in this room, which was above
cheap cafe. for a week.
A student from Virginia proposed to pool
with them, and they engaged three rooms
in a tenement house. The occupants of the
house were mostly Italians, and there were
a few Irish who knew no language but
/ their native tongue. The students were
glad to get rooms in such a place, for their
neighbors were good models for character
sketches, and, besides ii was an expert
ence," and that is what they were looking
for. AS long as the neighbors did not stick
them in the back with stiletto or hit them
! with a brick no more useful friends could
| be found. All the woodwork and the big
old-fashioned fireplace were painted white.
This made the surroundings seem much
! brighter and cheered the boys who then
set to work to make their rooms as artistic
| as possible. a table was made out of
| boxes. Barrels were cut out so that they
made comfortable chairs. a couch was
made by putting a mattress over two big
boxes. This was covered with an Oriental
colored cloth. The walls were covered with
samples Of the boys work and the floor
was painted The bare floor was rather
cold during the winter but they did not
mind that. A piano was valuable addition
TO the studio. During the coolest weather
the studio was & loIdng place for other
students. They sat around the big fire
place played the piano and sang until their
eyelids began to set heavy.
a STEADY DIET OF CABBAGE.
The boys were not overburdened with
food and they admit that they were hungry
at times. Their parents asked them in
every letter if any money was needed and
they always wrote back that MONEY was
not needed in New York. When they could
find no work in their line they posed in
other studios, thereby making enough
money to buy a number of heads of cab
bage which they stewed in the kettle that
was sometimes used as a punch bowl They
existed on cabbage for days at a time when
work was shy In more prosperous weeks
they had some cereal for breakfast cheese
and crackers for luncheon and for dinner,
if they have the money, they go to 1.-The
Black Cat" little French cafe where the
models generally congregate.
Everett Shinn. the well-known illustrator.
was a frequent visitors TO the studio. He
pronounced the decorations very artistic.
He told the boys that it was not many
years ago when he was living the same life
that they were He often invited them
out to his house to dine with him. When
ever the girl students gave suppers the
boys drew lots to see which one should sit
|
sure to get more to eat than the others.
One student who invited to a friend S
home for dinner told his host to pinch his
leg every time he thought he was going
TO take too big a mouthful. The next
morning the students leg was black and
blue IN many places.
Matzke and Coleman were at the New
York School of Art. The school is com
posed of four large studios The walls are
covered with pallet scrapings, prize pic
lures and caricatures. The old students
are very hard on newcomers unless they
"set 'em up the first day they enter
school During the day they run around
the studio acting though they are smell
ing for new students At night the lights
are turned out and water is thrown on the
new ones. Little work is done on the days
new pupils are initiated.
The Art Students League and the New
York School of Art unite in giving semi
annual masquerade balls The costumes
worn are very elaborate. Another dance