New-York tribune., 1905-05-21

entirely bed OF roses. This comes when there
is dispute over portrait and the artist goes
to court in effort to collect his money, In
spite Of the fact that Juries seem inclined to
favor the artists in their verdIcts there is a pre-
vailing reluctance against bringing such suits.
and not one dispute In twenty gets as far as the
courts.
There are many reefs which the portrait
painters canvases come TO grief. There are no
end Of objections which the sitter and his or her
friends can raise. Nearly all of the big portrait
painters have had their troubles OF this sort
and many OF them have not hesitated TO bring
suit for the contract price of the unsatisfactory
portrait
Some of the foreign artists OF note have re-
sorted to ingenious schemes to enforce payment
There Is story Of painter who is known
the world over who completed a portrait OF
prominent French jurist. The not
satisfied with the likeness. and refused to ac-
cept the portrait or pay for 1t. We will see."
said the painter, He changed a few OF the lines
of the face. painted in a convicts suit and
prison cell background and placed the portrait
exhibition That very day the jurist rushed
around to him with a check for the full amount.
Meissonier had trouble with wealthy woman
sitter few years ago. She was not satisfied
with portrait which the artist had painted OF
her. She grumbled little, but finally paid his
bill She told her friends she was going TO de-
stroy the portrait. Messonier became much ex-
ercised. and threatened all sorts of court pro-
ceedings, on the ground that she had no right
to destroy his artistic effort.
Zorn had trouble with rich St Louis brewer
over the portrait OF member OF the brewers
family. The st. Louis man decided when the
portrait was done that 1t did not look enough
like the original to be worth the large price
which zorn's portraits command. He refused to
pay the bill. The artist did not hesitate to
collect through the courts.
The latest case Of this kind to come into
public eye the suit which H. j. Thaddeus,
of this city, brought against Mrs. Howard Gould
last December. The mistress OF Castle Gould
ordered a full length portrait OF herself. intend
ing to give it TO her husband a surprise A
price OF $1,000 was agreed upon. For time,
according to the artist, she was prompt in her
sittings. Then there came postponements which
used up the artists time. He protested and re-
ceived curt letter from Mrs Goulds lawyer
saying that future correspondence should pass
through his hands. On this Mr.. Thaddeus
brought suit. fAaaa &zk3
Mrs Gould's answer contained four reasons
why she refused the portrait In the first place,
she declared, the artist went ahead with the
portrait without having sufficient sittings to
guarantee likeness; IN the next place. he failed
to catch the likeness; in the third place, he
painted her wearing gown which she does not
like at all, and in the fourth place. he spoiled
the surprise which she had planned
In nearly every dispute over q portrait the
matter OF likeness IL one OF the points at issue.
It would seem to be pre-eminent from the point
of view Of the sitter, but the artist does not
look at It IN Just the same light. He desires TO
turn out a portrait that will be work of art
rhO+OpranhiN likeness
In an effort to get at the artists point OF view
a Tribune reporter recently talked with several
on the subject.
"The artists aim," said one OF them, "is to
produce a good picture. a work of art The
qualities which make picture good and place
II among the masterpieces of art are Impossible
TO define One cannot define beauty. 1t Is
word the definition OF which has been given UP
by photographers. The beauty Of a picture Is as
difficult to explain as the beauty of a fine piece
of music or Of a poem Matthew Arnold sug-
gested that the only means Of acquiring taste
for fine poetry was for the aspirant to read over
and over again passages of surprising excel
lence from the great poets So artists say that
while II Is next to impossible to point out the
sovereign qualities in the masterpieces OF paint
ing these qualities will! be felt by the observer
who will make himself familiar with pictures OF
acknowledged greatness either by studying orig
inals or having access to the reproductions
which are everywhere available.
THE average person who decides to have
portrait painted knows nothing and cares moth
ing for these mysterious and undehnable artistic
qualities. He wants a likeness. and photography
has made him a severe critic respecting this
quality.
'.Zorn, the Swedish portrait painter, whose
headquarters are in Paris. and whose pictures
exhibited at the Chicago fair made him well
known in this country sometimes catches MS
customers before accepting their orders.
"'What do you want? he will demand In his
easiest manner. "A likeness
IF the luckless customer says that likeness
is important Zorn replies
Then YOU cannot do better than to go to a
good photographer. If you wanted portrait
painted by me, the matter might nave Deeh ar
ranged.
Experience has taught Zorn and others thus
70 forestau all dispute about likeness as de-
fined by Photographic likeness.
1T is possible for a portrait to be consum-
mate work Of art and possess IN their perfec-
ton all Of the qualities which artists most prize,
and still be miles away from Photographic
likeness Of the sitter.
"As matter of fact a good portrait painter
tries to get a likeness, though it Is by no means
his chief aim. So much cant has been written
ana talked ABOUT OIluSlHS OOI NA-S 4-4'A~A
character, or soul. of ones sitter that 1t is
difficult to speak on the subject without an ap-
pearance of mawkishness. 1t is fact. never
theless. that a successful portrait. even when It
appears to lack the quality of Photographic like
ness, will ofttimes portray the sitter far more
searchingly than any photograph could possibly
do"
Another artist visited by Tribune reporter
told of 4 disappointment which had come to him