The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-06-27
HIS CHEF
D'OEUVRE
1t Gained Him a Reputation
Which PrOfited Him Not
BY ESTHER VANDEVEER


ortist with highly artistic tempera-
ment. He had been brought up among
women who were of the very best. and
be idealiZed woman in the abstract.
Having had nothing to do with others.
he knew nothing about them. Indeed, he
had his own conceptions Of the spirit
ual beauty Of a good woman and knew
neither her strong points nor her fol-
bles. Possibly he might have come
nearer the composite Of an excellent
woman had not his associates been
very youthful and their characters not
entirely formed.
Ashley was ambitious to paint a pic
ture of his ideal of womanhood He
did not care to portray a Madonna;
there were already sufficient Madon
mas in the world, some of them painted
by artists that he could not hope to
emulate. He desired to give his ideal
the garb of the twentieth century
or course all depended on his moGel.
His conceptions were like a hock q
birds, flying in the air and refusing 70
remain quiet long enough to be photo
graphed. Genius must have founda
ton on which to build, and when the
foundation is established there must
be starting point. A novelist who
evolved in words one of the great pic
lures of the world said that he paced
the floor for days dreaming it. but had
he not finally begun to write his dreams
would never have been anything but
dreams.
Where was George Ashley to find a
woman through whose physical per
fection shone this purity that he wish
ed to depict? He was not rich, but
had the means to 60 about looking for
his model. This he did. He visited
different countries. On the street, in
hotels, in public gardens, he was con-
stantly peering into the faces Of WON
en- he met looking for that which would
serve to concentrate his dreams and
reduce them to reality. Many a counte-
nance he noticed, thinking that it was
the one be wanted, but on examination
was found deficient. Friends became
interested in his search, and his atten-
ton was called by different persons
to number of women who it was sup
posed might serve his purpose.
The artist while in Florence, Italy,
having run short Of funds. established
a studio for the purpose Of keeping in
practice aid recouping his finahtes.
He soon achieved some reputation as
| "a n moi Mt racniva6 nrlnrS
enough to maintain him and keep him
reasonably busy.
One day an American lady and her
daughter came in to his studio. the
mother saying that he had been recon-
mended to her to paint her daughter
portrait.
IL Miss Helen Laurence was moi
beautiful she was at least comely
Ashley looked at her inquiringly, as
he did at all women who might posi-
bly, serve his great purpose, but saw
nothing in her face to indicate that sht
had found his model After an In
spection Of pictures he had made Mrs
Laurence took him aside and made {
bargain with him to make a full length
portrait of her daughter, offering {
price which was at once accepted, fo
Ashley's ideas of money were NOR,
vague than was his ideal of goot
woman.
II When Miss Laurence appeared TO
her first sitting she was arrayed fl
spotless white clinging drapery tina
| showed her fine figure to the best ad
vantage. Her coiffure was of the sim
| plest. All that dress could do to rep
| resent purity was effected. Then, toe
the girls face was stamped with in
nocence She looked with her blu
eyes into those of the artist with per
feet trustfulness.
paint me as l am," she said to hin
Don't flatter me. If you should max
a Madonna of me | should not like i
am imperfect. and perfect perso
represented on the canvas would nc
be t.
| Ashley questioned her as to what sh
considered imperfections and was cor
vinced by her replies that she did NJ
know the meaning of the word-that /
she WAS innocent While working 0
her features he chatted with her I
draw out her individuality. Her voio
was sweet. and it was evident frol
what she said that she was profound
ignorant of the wicked part of II
world she lived In.
II Ashley made discovery He ha
been looking for woman whose cou
tenance expressed purity. He no
formed theory that innocence al
purity are Synonymous. Whether
was right or wrong is an open que
ton. 1t began to dawn upon him tn
having found innocence it would SER
to influence him in portraying purit
He did not realize that for some tin
he had already been under this inf
ence. He was first made aware of
by noticing in the face he was puttil
on the canvas evidence that he W;
on the way to realize his ideal.
: was not so impractical as TO suppo
that he would ever realize that ide
for he we'll knew the impossibility