Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-29
ARTISTS LIVE IN FLORENCE
Colony Of Brilliant Men and Women
in Ancient Art Center.
GREAT WORK DONE EVERY DAY
InterestinE sights One May See
I'm the studio of Dark,
Narrow Old villa Del
Bardi.


FLORENCE, Nov. 2s.-Cspeeial)-America
plays no small part in the art life of Flor
ence. To begin with, Mr.. Berensen, the
authority on art, has a villa just outside
the city at Ponte a Mensola- Then George
de Forest Brush spends part of his year
in Florence. having there both a villa and
a studio. The studio Of Hiram Powers may
still be visited and the Casa Guidi. used
for art exhibits, is in charge of an Ameri-
I can, Mrs. Cobb. wife OF the late Arthur
Murray Cobb. the artist.
To do the American studios one must
I seek the Via del Bardi, that deep, dark,
| narrow old street to which the tourists
flock in search Of the house Of Romola.
Its houses are really old palaces and their
fronts are washed by the Arno river, over
whose waters they often project fascina-
ting little terraces and balconies command
ing Views OF river, bridges, mountains.
snow capped and violet, of domes. bell
towers and buildings perhaps u~nequaled in
beauty in any city Of Europe. They are
quite honey-combed by the studios of the
artists Of all nations, who rejoice in a good
north light and find inspiration in pictur-
esq1e surroundings.
studios of Quakers.
II you mount the steps of No. 80 you
come to the studios Of Richard Levick of
Philadelphia, like Benjamin West, a
Quaker, turned painter. Pass through the
large drawing room with its huge open
fireplace and artistic furniture and pictures
into the studio, rich in the output Of a
versatile and gifted artist.
Early this spring there was much to be
seen, for Mr.. Levick was just ready for his
exhibition which followed in the Casa
Guldi, In particular. of a collection of most
lovely etchings, monotones and black and
white drawings done by a process Of his
own and reproducing much that is lovely
INTELLECTUALLY in Florence.
Wandering about Mr.. Levick's studio 1t
is easy to conclude that he has studied
and travelled in many lands. As a matter
Of fact, he began his studies in Dresden.
At the famous Julian studio in Paris he
won prizes and worked under Lefevre and
Cormon. He was. for a time. at the
Academy in Philadelphia, then studied in
London and ended his student life in
Munich. London hung one of his pictures,
the portrait Of a peasant Of Brittany, on
the line at the Academy. To perfect his art
Mr.. Levick wandered from land to land,
living for a year in Morocco and consorting
with Arabs, a year which has borne most
excellent fruit in his paintings and sketches
of that country, charming in color and
poetic in Sentiment. Norway claimed him
also, as we'll as Holland, Germany, France
and Italy.
America Place TO Grow UP.
In spite Of his cosmopolitan experience
Mr.. Levick believes America to be the
I place for a boy to grow up in and thIther
he means to go to educate his only son.
Though his versatility expresses itself in
water, pen, pencil, oil, in etchings, lovely
portraits of women In graceful gowns and
poses. gauzy scarfs and picture hats. he
has his own favorite line of work. Once"
he will tell you, 81 took a voyage of many
months, going to America in a sailing
vessel to study the sea. Into these pic
tures-he indicated two pictures Of Vene-
tian wsters--I have painted what the sea
has told me. L never do my work with a
view to selling only. 1 believe that an
artist must be true to his ideals and mine
is to modify hard realism by an interpret
tatlon of the idea behind the canvas.
Poetry is the highest Of the arts and poetry
should play its part in a picture"
Mr.. Levick's next door ~nelghbor is also
an American. and from Philadelphia, the
sculptress. Miss Katherine NJ. Cohen, well
known by her bronze Of Lincoln. her
Dawn of Thought" her Vision of Rabbi
Der Ezra Expounding the Law" by her
seal OF Gratz college, her portrait OF Mrs.
Rohrer. her bust OF DR.. Thomson of Phila-
delphia. whose daughter married Julian
Story, and that OF General Beaver in the
Smith memorial. Paramount park,
Like Mr.. Levick. Miss Cohen was in the
Julian studio. studying later. however. In
America with st. Gaudens and MacMon
MES. She has had a studio in Philadelphia
and in New York. is an ardent American
and lives abroad only because OF her
health. She is the daughter of the well
known Henry Cohen OF Philadelphia, her
mother being Mrs. Matilda Cohen. founder
Of the famous committed of thirteen which