New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-11-15
JOHN la FARCE DEAD
Artist Expires at Butler Hospital,
Providence.

IVFIuCIiUc.
r,.o,-idence Nov. 14.-After an illness Of
sa,,a-aI months following minor one,a-
t;or performed in New York last snring
1obp a Fargo, the artist. died ar tho Rut-
,a- IIosnitaI here tonight. He had boo, az
tho bospitaI since last July. but it was only
= .+hi, the last two weeks that he had been
confined TO his bed or even to his room
meath was due to general nervous break
down and q complication of diseases.
During tie time that Mr. La Fargo
u,os in the hospital here his wife was his
fr.orent companion. She was with her
busband when the end came tonight None
NJ the children was at the bedside
No arrangements have yet been made for
.ba funeral, and will not be until after the
arrival of the elder son. Christopher Grant
q FARCE an architect of New York
John La Fargo born on March 81
1885. in New York City. His parents were
OF French descent. Jean Frederic La Fargo
his father having been an ensign in the
French navy. During General Leclerc's ex-
petition the young officer was captured in
Ssnto Domingo. but he succeeded in escap-
ing to the United States. Here. where he
WAS at one time proprietor of the La
Hotel. i,
he acquired a small fortune. and played an
even, comfortable part in the life of this
city. His son John attended Fordham
College and then studied a. Columbia
only to leave in few months for Mount
St Mary's School. at Baltimore. He re-
ceived a classical and legal educa ton and
II was first intended that he should prac-
tise law, but this idea presently suffered
ho sit II sc RI
father in Paris There he met Paul de
Saint-Victor, a kinsman Of his: Sainte-
Beuve. and many of the notabilities Of the
roma ntic period in French arts and letters.
1t was the turning point I'm his life.
He studied with Couture in Paris at a
time when most Of the young painters Of
that day were under the latters influence.
but his master recognized in him indi-
viduality for which he could do little, and
he was advised to study by himself. Fol-
lowing this suggestion. he for a time alb
stained from work in color, occupying him
self instead with the making of drawings
from the old masters in Paris, Munich,
Dresden and the chief italian cities. After
this disciplinary experience he visited Eng
land and there came for a while under
the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite paint
ers This gave some impetus to the de-
velopment OF his ideas as Colorist. and
he always preserved appreciative memories
of Rossetti and his group, but he was In
no wise inclined TO commit himself 10 their
general method. In fact, at this time he
was not yet absolutely certain OF his arts
tic voca ton, and on his return 10 the
United States he resumed his legal studies
Nevertheless. the feeling for beauty was
already strong In him, and he felt the stir
rings of creative artist. He now gave
more and more attention to the study OF
drawing and finally became a pupil OF
William Morris Hunt, at Newport, start
ing anew upon serious and resoiute laDor
His work was interrupted by a long Illness
due to an attack OF lead poisoning when
he suffered in 1856, but even while 1ncapacl-
tated his enthusiasm grew. and during MS
convalescent period he returned to MS
work 1t IS to this early period OF MS
that para disc Valley belongs, that and
other remarkable landscapes; and then. 100,
he made a number of his most famous
drawings notably The Wolf Charmer.
The years 1872 and 1873 he spent in Europe,
where he made close observations of the
stained glass of the old masters and the
methods of the modern manufacturers He
was interested in both the artistic and the
return to this country he approached the
NAL king of his first window with feeling
thar he would have to practically invent
q new art for America. He himself once
described the situation confronting him.
There were no good painters on glass,
even Of a fairly low degree" he said, and
the choice of glass was extremely limited
We received here only the poorer and less
artistic samples OF material, the better DE-
ing carefully culled by the good European
workers; and. moreover, as all importadons
were commercial they were made, as they
are always made, to appeal to the largest
and widest mediocrity of taste" Bringing
n his task not only an extraordinary sense
NJ color but deep knowledge OF the very
genius of his material, he revoutionized the
art of stained glass on this side of the At
Isntic. and in fact in after years had tho
satisfaction of seeing his work honored in
PARIS and elsewhere in the Old World and
there accepted as a precious influence
The making of stained glass necessarily
Involved of course some feeling FOR archi-
+ectural design. and La Farges genius
,nfolded he rapidly came TO exercise i'm
.o-.an+ functions in the adornment of mon
unn.ntal buildings His first decorative
,,,o-l was carried out In the interior of
Church, boston MS was IOilO" 60
b,- similar undertakings. similar vet with
substantial Celebrations, in St Thomas
Church. New York, and Trinity Church.
Ru@aIo. His work in Boston was instantly
recognized as OF high importance, but his
,sintings in St. Thomass stamped him as
the master. It was at this period that he
dtd some memorable painting In the house
~ Cornelius Vanderbilt, in this city, and
eteadily thereafter he executed mural deco
ratfons Of ever increasing significance,
Perhaps the most beautiful OF them Ill =
tho great canvas filing the space above the
altar In the Church OF the Ascension in
New York, a painting magnifcently re-
vivins the power of the Renaissance in the
illustration Of q religious subject on
heroic scale. For the landscape back
ground of this masterpiece he went. by the
way. to Japan. 1t was characteristic Of
him to do this. characteristic in that il
marked his habit of using nature, life and
all the elements OF design, much raw
material out OF which to create unit of
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