The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-23
VOLUNTEER ART CRITICS.
The Questions They Ask Copyists at the
Metropolitan Museum.

Inc questions Tney ASK NOpytsts ~ NhC
Metropolitan Museum.
Artists copying in the Metropolitan
Museum OF Art are frequently regarded
as information bureaus by visitors. All
sorts of questions are put to them. They
are asked about the system ON which the
museum IL maintained, what manner Of
man Sir Purdon Clarke is, the biographies
Of old masters, what Is their ~favorite picture
in the gallery, and, most OF all. do they
like to paint and how do they match the
oolors1
Besides The questions criticisms are vol
unteered on the copy. In fact, anything
is said that will serve as a pretext for OPEN
ing q conversation.
Some experiences were told In this line
by an artist recently engaged In copying
the Bosco Real frescoes. These frescoes,
comprising the four sides Of a room, we're
brought intact from a long buried villa
at Pompeii. They are rather faded now,
and the painter was doing her best to imi-
tate the subdued mellowness that hundreds
Of years had worked in the originals.
But she knew she had failed when a young
woman stepped up and asked:
The museum hired you to copy that,
I SUPPOSED
NO." the artist told her.
no." she repeated in disgust. why, l
should think they would want to throw that
dingy old thing away and put up your beau
tiful bright new one in its place"
The copyist had barely time TO be dis
couraged over this when an old lady look
ing over her shoulder called to a friend:
-Oh, look here. She's taking the pattern
Of that there wall paper. Matching the
colors pretty well, too, only she amt got
them reds bright enough
A little later a group who had been read
ing the printed description of the frescoes
asked whether the artist believed they had
really been dug up at Pompeii? Next they
wanted to know whether she could possibly
hope to improve her dra wing by copying
anything so crazy, and whether il wouldn't
be better to do something new-something
in the picture line, with fresh colors.
When they left they told her solemnly
how grateful she ought to be TO the museum
for allowing her such opportunities for
study.
The artist next commission was to copy
one of the Cole tapestries, The set, telling
the story of Antony and Cleopatra, hangs
close 60 the Fifth avenue entrance, and
people made a bee line for her the minute
they were well inside the door.
Sne was asked dL lttht OnCS udlly % give
a LII on Roman and Egyptian history.
Some wanted to know whether the tapes
tries were paintings or embroideries. One
old man startled her by inquiring;
is that a Sheraton or a Chippendale,
please?'
The artist, being too astonished to reply,
the old gentleman went on TO explain that
all articles Of Observation-Disclosures, tapes
tries, pictures-belonged either to the
Sheraton or the C~hippendale period and he
Nho,,Uhf that ainCa abe WaR nnnVin0 the
tapestry she should have informed herself
which il was.
Later some young men s~trolling by
fingered near the easel. The subject was
the death Of the queen-Cleopatra, with
ashy, agonized face, is being bitten by the
After watching motionless while the face
was copied, one ofthem~ CALCULATED with con-
tempt,
lookerl Well, not for mine!"
Some schoolboys, who would never have
noticed the tapestries but for the copy,
remained half an hour with the artist plying
her with questions about her work, and
radiant with Joy when she allowed them to
squirt out fresh paint on her palette. Then
one ventured to ask what the tapestry was
about, anyway.
a beautiful queen named Cleopatra. You
ask your teacher to tell il to you"
Cleopatra" and the elder boys eyes
flashed. Gee, 1 know about her" and
then with a generous contempt for facts
he proceeded in this fashion:
cleopatra, she used to be Queen Of Egypt,
and she was a heather Inc worshipped cats.
And when the Romans they heard of it,
they sent their best General over to Egypt
10 turn her into a good Roman Catholic.
His name was Mark Antony; he used 20 be
a pal OF Julius Caesars. But when Antony
got there he didn't pray with her at all
he just got busy making love to her. Some
body wrote home and told the Roman about
IL, and they we're awful mad. They sent
another fellow TO bring Antony back-I for
get his name-'cause they were afraid he'd
turn into a heather and worship cats too.
Antony defed Rome and said he wouldn't
come; so they had a battle and he was killed.
When Cleopatra heard he was dead she felt
30 bad she didn't van to live no more and
she says:
Bring me a poison serpent
That was all she said. Sc they brought
her one, and she let it sting her TO death,
inst like the lady,a painting l.