The Washington times., 1922-06-20

tends the traditional rights Of the
artist In a recent suit. One Of his
colleagues was defendant In pro.
ceedings brought b va restaurateur
who wanted a painting made OF his
son, killed In the war. The patron
lost his. case and the art world OF
Paris applauds, though in this In
stance even the most faithfully ar.
tistic might stretch q point and be
sorry for the man who wanted once
more to gaze upon somsthing very
like his dead sons face.
.'synthesis" the Thing.
"Synthesis. a combination Of the
sitter's personality, looks, soul,
mood. and BACKGROUND, is the thing
In painting, Van Donghen says; he
insists that the photograph gives the
superficial aspect. while the artists
function should be to penetrate the
subjects soul.
Sargent, greatest OF American por.
trait painters. does this very thing
so web that he has figured In vari.
GUS controversies. A number Of his
paintings have not been altogether
to the taste Of the persons who or.
dered them.
Many women prefer 10 have their
pearls painted carefully with every
little light cleaning from them, and
only q hasty stroke Of paint or two
for their souls. But alas, these
sharp-eyed painters have o way OF
being too faithful to the canons Of
their art, and II q lady has an ILL.,
natured expression or neck that 10
tool long she cannot hide the defects.
Lady Eden. one Of the great beau.
ties of England. gave her husband
lots Of bad half hours worrying
about the painters. She posed once
for Whistler and while the artist and
his contemporaries were delighted
with the decorative, use this master
made Of the lovely subject in his
painting, her lord was wroth. This
was In 1894, and ostensibly the quar-
rel was over money. So then
Whistler painted In another head
in place Of that of Lady Eden's-
whereupon Sir william sued for
damages. The case was first de-
cided against Whistler. but he won
on an appeal
Sargent Once Offended.
In 1907 Sargent exhibited q por.
trait Of Lady Eden, and every one
was amused at the wav he repro
sented the peeress' neck-it looked
like q CRATES. her friends said.
Now, milady had q long neck. no
doubt, and her little proud head
poised itself elegantly at the top Of
this lengthy column. Most people Of
discernment know this Is considered
beauty In q proud. aristocratic
damsel, but the splenetic Sir William
was again angered. Her friends said
It looked as II she had goitre or
mumps. Her face. though, was held
to be ciassically perfect and was the
delight Of artists.
Still earlier another Sargeant
painting aroused artistic Europe, In
1884 the artist exhibited It at the
salon under the title, Portrait of
Nine. G." She was q reighing fa-
risfan and disliked certain character.
istics the artist revealed in his paint
ing-so she refused to take It. Sar-
gent lent Il to the Panama Pacific
by the Metropolitan Museum OF Art
in New York city by means Of the
Arthur H. Hearrs fund. Madame
X" as she 10 now called, In standing
In profile, and 10 surely q dashing
figure, with selfish, cold expression
on her face which was, no doubt,
what displeased her.
England has her troubles with tho
art'sts and their sitters, too. Lord
Leverhulme has a fancy for having
the artists toss off pictures Of him.
So with this idea In mind he called
upon the famous Augustus John.
Now John is an artists ertist,"
which means that II takes a connois
seur to fully appreciate some Of the
finer qualities of his work.
But did that mean anything to the
Peer Of Port Sunlight? Why should
Il, he very well asked. He didn't
like the finished work 20 he carefully
cut out the head from the canvas.
sent hack the body 10 Mr.. John, and
Just to show there were no hard
Feelings asked Augustus TO step out
for dinner with him. The artist was
too mad to think Of eating. and
that's pretty mad for an artist!
Ccnscs's Effigy Burned.
John would deyonr nothing except
perhaps- Lord Leverhulme-in one
guip. The painter u q large man
and he stormed about In 4 way
frightfui 10 zee ana almost AZ fright
ful 20 read about. :