The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-17
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HASKN, DirectOr,
Washington. D. @.
ARTISTS PALETTES AND PER-
SONAITTTES.


the late George A. Lucas of Balti-
more. are on display at the Corcoran
Art Gallery here.
Two little obIong pieces of wood.
besmeared with dark daubs of paint
are souvenirs of Camille Corot,' the
celebrated French painter of land
scapes. Visitors to the collection lin
ger before these wooden PLAQUES
imagining how Corot must nave
chosen from them the colors for some
of his famous woodland scenes. They
are told that one of these palettes-
the one with a little red seal bearing
Corot's signature in one corner-was
an outstanding feature of interest at
ago. After Corot's death, a friend
reverently took this palette TO his
studio. along with Corots pipe and
one of his picturesque red and white
Normandy caps worn on sketching
trips.
Constant Troyon. who is now re-
garded as the painter who has best
understood cows and has painted
them with the most sympathy, is also
represented by a palette in the Lucas
collection. Daubigny, Jules Breton
and Charles Boughton are among the
other well known painters whose pal
cites were presented to the American
connoisseur.
It is an unusual collection. A
painters palettes ordinarily are cher
ished by his family or thrown away as
mere discarded tools of no Importance
or value. Yet a palette is the most
personal belonging of an artist. 1t is
perhaps too much to say that the
character of the artist may be read
in the paint he smears on his palette,
but artists say that the palette of a
Corot or a Millet is a lesson in the
mans method of working. One old
artist advised a pupil: IF you would
become great painter study assidu-
ously the palettes of those who have
gone before you"
The layman looking at 70 palettes.
some oblong and some oval, but all
more or less alike to him, sees only
the outstanding differences. He is
attracted by the large palette of Della
cro1x on which Al blobs of color are
laid in neat rows. This was an old
style way of laying a palette, he is told.
Most of the artists apparently reveled
in a more emotional use of color.
Their paletteS were represented to
the collector practically as the artists
left them after some piece of work,
except that in number of cases the,
painter claned off space in the
center and dashed off a sketch.
Artists in Carefree Mood.
These studies add greatly to the in
terest and value of the palettes. They
represent the artist in a carefree mood
with no thought of painting to please
the public or to make a sale. One
artist sketched in fresh colors a fawn
ed the head of a Persian cat looking
out realistically from its background
of notified color. Still another paint
ed dim landscape in soft. dark colors
fading into the blurred frame of
paints
But among them all. Corot's I'M
decorated palette is the greatest at
traction. Now, when his work brings
fabulous sums and when his palette
Is treasured as a priceless souvenir,
1t is difficult to imagine that this
French painter was for years unap-
preciated by the art world. At the
salons his pictures were badly a1ung
so that the light was either too gIar-
tract any attention. Once, the artist
tried standing in front of his neglected
work-a landscape that would draw
crowds at any exhibition now. He
reasoned that if some one appeared to
be interested in the picture, others
would be attracted to come and look
at it Finally honeymoon couple
strolled up.
The groom said: THAT is not bad
think there is something in that
And Corot's heart leaped with appre-
citation.
But the bride. whom Corot de
tie person, drew him away with a
shudder and said: TT is frightful. |
Come on" And Corot ends the story
And I said to myself, Art thou
satisfied? Thou hast heard the opin-
ion of the public"
Troyon, too. the master painter of
cows, was unappreciated in his day.
One story says that when a jury of
artists voted Troyon a decoration, Of |
ficial art circles were aghast. The
minister of fine arts shook his head |
resignedly when he saw Troyon's |
name on the list of artists who were |
to receive decorations.
TT appears decidedly that I know |
III
as he unwillingly put his signature |
to the order.
Corot Regarded as Radical.
1t seems strange that these nine
teenth century artists were regarded |
then as radicals who dared to break /
away from tradition and paint nature |
as she seemed to them rather than |
as she had always been painted.
One of their worst crimes-was that !
they chose to paint in Straightforward |
manner the forests, peasants and |
farm scenes of France when every
painter was supposed to be stepped in |
the classic atmosphere of Greece and 1
Italy.
The amazement of the French pub J
lie at the French landscapes was
something like that of our own mod
ern public when it discovered recently |
that novels descriptive of west
ern life might be taken seriously, and |
that all American literature need not /
pear a New YORK stamp People now /
adays are less frightened by new ideas |
and revolts than they were in the /
France of the nineteenth century. Ar
lists and public alike held out strongly |
against Millet with his toll worn peas /
ants, Troyon with his endless studies /
of cattle. and Corot with his French /
forests which bore little resemblance 4
to any reasonable Italian landscape
The source of inspiration for these /
artists and a number of others who |
the little French village of Barbizon |
where they worked at their painting.
From their association with this viii
lage 4 group of painters come to be