,,masterpieces      ,,in ,,colour       
,,edited ,,by      ,m4 ,,henry ,,roujon 
,,puvis ,,de ,,chavannes                
7#ahbd-ahih7          ,,in ,,the ,,same 
,,series          ,,reynolds            
,,rubens      ,,velasquez               
,,holbein      ,,greuze                 
,,burne-,,jones      ,,turner           
,,le ,,brun      ,,botticelli           
,,chardin      ,,romney                 
,,millet      ,,rembrandt               
,,raeburn      ,,bellini                
,,sargent      ,,fra ,,angelico         
,,constable      ,,rossetti             
,,memling      ,,raphael                
,,fragonard      ,,leighton             
,d,,rer      ,,holman ,,hunt            
,,lawrence      ,,titian                
,,hogarth      ,,millais                
,,watteau      ,,luini                  
,,murillo      ,,franz ,,hals           
,,watts      ,,carlo ,,dolci            
,,ingres      ,,gainsborough            
,,corot      ,,tintoretto               
,,delacroix      ,,van ,,dyck           

,,fra ,,lippo ,,lippi      ,,da ,,vinci 
,,puvis ,,de ,,chavannes      ,,whistler
            ,,meissonier                
,,montagna      ,,in ,,preparation      
,,gerome              ,,boucher         
,,veronese            ,,perugino        
,,van ,,eyck    ,illustration3 ,,plate  
,i4--,,saint ,,genevieve ,,keeping      
,,watch ,,over ,,sleeping  ,,paris4     
,frontispiece    7,in the ,panthon1     
,paris7    ,this composition1 so great  
in its simplicity and so beautiful in   
execution1 is the last work of the great
 artist4 ,the model who posed for  the  
saint watching over the city was ,puvis 
de ,chavannes' own wife4 ,both  he and  
she died very shortly after its         
completion4              ,puvis      de 
,chavannes        ,,illustrated ,,with  
,,eight      ,,reproductions ,,in       
,,colour        ,illustration3 ,,in     
,,sempiternum4        ,,new ,,york3     
,,frederick ,a4 ,,stokes ,,co4          
,,copyright1 #aiab1 ,,by                
,,frederick ,a4 ,,stokes ,,company      

,illustration3 ,april #aiab             
,,the,,plimpton,,press      ,w,d,o      
,,norwood,,mass,u,s,a                   
,,contents                              
,page      ,introduction                
#aa        ,the ,first ,years           
#af        ,the ,glorious ,years        
#ca        ,the ,last ,years            
#ec        ,the ,landscape ,painter     
#ff          ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations
          ,plate         ,i4 ,saint     
,genevieve keeping ,watch over          
sleeping ,paris                         
,frontispiece                ,in the    
,panthon1 ,paris                        
,page        ,,ii4 ,the ,piety of ,saint
 ,genevieve                      #ad    
,in the ,panthon1 ,paris         ,,iii4 
,the ,poor ,fisherman                   
#bd                ,in the ,muse de     
,luxembourg1 ,paris          ,,iv4      
,ludus pro ,patria                      
#cd                ,in the ,museum1     
,amiens           ,v4 ,repose           
#dj                ,in the ,museum1     

,amiens          ,,vi4 ,the ,sacred     
,wood dear to the ,arts and the ,muses  
#ej                ,in the ,museum1     
,amiens         ,,vii4 ,letters1        
,sciences1 and ,arts                    
#fj                ,in the ,amphitheatre
 of the ,sorbonne        ,,viii4 ,war   
#gj                ,in the ,museum1     
,amiens          ,illustration          
,,introduction      ,glory does not     
dispense her favours to the deserving   
with an equal  bounty4 ,painters as well
 as authors often suffer from the       
caprices of  the inconstant goddess4    
,while there are some who1 guided by her
  benevolent hand1 attain the pinnacle  
of fortune at the first attempt  and    
almost without effort1 other artists    
with a genius akin to that of  ,millet  
live in a state bordering upon penury   
and die in destitution4  ,renown seeks  
them out later1 much too late1 and tardy
 laurels flower  only upon their tomb4  
,puvis de ,chavannes for a long time    
fared scarcely better than these        

illustrious mendicants of art4 ,he      
experienced the bitter pangs of         
injustice1 the hostility of ignorance1  
the discouragement of finding  himself  
misunderstood4 ,if he was spared the    
extreme distress of ,millet1  it was    
solely because he was the more fortunate
 of the two in possessing  a small      
private income4 ,but nothing can crush  
the spirit of the born  artist2 neither 
contempt nor ridicule can hold him back4
 ,puvis de  ,chavannes was endowed with 
a valiant and a tenacious spirit4       
,entrenched  within the loftiness of his
 artistic ideal1 as within a tower of   
bronze1  he was steadfastly scornful of 
critics1 affecting not to hear them2 and
  never would he consent to disarm them 
by concessions that in his eyes  would  
have seemed dishonourable4 ,yet this    
rare probity brought its  own reward4   
,the great painter attained the joy of  
seeing himself at  last understood1 and 
not only understood but admired during  
his  life-time4 ,he must even have      

derived an ironic satisfaction from     
counting among his warmest adherents    
certain ones who had formerly been      
conspicuous as his most violent         
detractors4    ,illustration3 ,,plate   
,,ii4--,,the ,,piety ,,of ,,saint       
,,genevieve    7,in the ,panthon1       
,paris7    ,in this composition1        
exceptionally fine in feeling1 ,puvis de
 ,chavannes  shows how much importance  
he attached to landscape1 which was the 
natural setting of his paintings1 and   
which he treated with as much care  as  
his personages themselves4    ,today the
 glory of ,puvis de ,chavannes shines   
forth in uncontested  splendour4 ,no one
 dreams of comparing him with any of his
  contemporaries1 because his art       
reveals no kinship with that of any one 
of them4 ,he is recognized as the       
successor and the equal of the great    
fresco painters of the ,italian         
,renaissance4 ,even to these he owes    
nothing1 having borrowed nothing from   
them4 ,but he shares with them his      

passionate love of truth1 his nobility  
of inspiration and sincerity of         
execution4 ,there are no longer         
insinuating and derisory shakings of the
  head in the presence of his works4    
,one must be devoid of soul in order    
not to sense their beauty4 ,even the    
ignorant1 in the presence of this  form 
of art which they do not understand1    
gaze upon it with respectful  wonder1 as
 upon something very great1 the content 
of which they fail to  make out1        
although they realize its power from the
 inner emotion they  experience4    ,my 
dear boy1 wrote ,puvis de ,chavannes to 
one of his pupils1 direct  your soul    
compass-like1 towards some work of      
beauty2 that is the way to  achieve it  
in its entirety4    ,it is because he   
directed his own soul1 compass-like1    
only towards works  of a noble and pure 
beauty1 surrendering himself with all   
the ardour of  his impetuous and vibrant
 nature1 that ,puvis de ,chavannes has  
taken his  place as one of the noblest  

figures1 not only in contemporary       
painting1  but also in the painting of  
all times4          ,,the ,,first       
,,years      ,pierre ,puvis de          
,chavannes was born at ,lyons1 ,december
 #ad1 #ahbd4 ,his  parents were in      
affluent circumstances and were         
connected with one of  the old          
,burgundian families4 ,his father       
pursued the vocation of chief  engineer 
of mines1 at ,lyons4 ,in the registry of
 births1 in which the  new-born child   
was entered1 the father is designated   
simply by the name  of                  
,marie-,julien-,csar ,puvis4 ,the       
honourable title of de ,chavannes1      
claimed later and with good right by the
 family1 was confirmed to him  by a     
decree of the ,court of ,lyons1 bearing 
date of ,may #bj1 #ahei4    ,young      
,puvis de ,chavannes was sent1 first to 
the ,lyce at ,lyons1 later to  the ,lyce
 ,henri ,,iv1 at ,paris4 ,but nothing   
either in the boy's tastes or  in his   
aptitudes gave any hint of his future   

vocation2 he showed no  special         
inclination for drawing1 nor even for   
art in general4 ,son of a  mining       
engineer1 he applied himself naturally  
to the exact sciences2 and  he would    
probably have donned the uniform of a   
polytechnic student1 had  it not been   
for an illness which the family looked  
upon as most  unfortunate1 but which    
posterity regards as providential4 ,the 
young man  was forced to interrupt his  
studies and bid good-bye to mathematics4
 ,two  years later he took a trip to    
,italy1 in the company of a young       
married  couple4 ,in true tourist       
fashion he made the rounds of museums   
and  churches2 he conscientiously       
inspected the great masterpieces in     
which  the peninsula abounds2 but1 by   
his own admission1 he brought back no   
real profit from his travels4 ,they were
 not1 however1 entirely futile1  since  
they awakened in him the desire to      
become a painter4 ,upon  returning to   
,france he announced his determination  

to his family1 and  having won their    
consent1 entered the studio of ,henri   
,scheffer1 brother  of ,ary ,scheffer4  
,italy1 seen too hastily1 had taught    
,puvis de ,chavannes nothing3 the       
studio hardly served him to better      
purpose4 ,but1 through contact with     
,henri ,scheffer1 he acquired a respect 
not only for art but for the  conception
 which each one must form of it for     
himself4 ,the young  neophyte1 who was  
destined in later years to be himself a 
living example  of fidelity to an ideal1
 remained forever thankful to the author
 of  ,charlotte ,corday for having      
imbued him with this noble sentiment4   
,he  always retained of him1 throughout 
life1 an affectionate and grateful      
memory4    ,scheffer's paintings1       
however1 were far from satisfying his   
personal  conception of art4 ,before    
very long he left his studio and betook 
himself to that of ,delacroix4 ,the     
latter admitted him readily2 but the    
new pupil was not slow in discovering   

that here again he was out of his       
element4 ,the great romantic painter1   
although an admirable artist1 was a     
mediocre instructor4 ,he alone1 for that
 matter1 could risk the violent  colour 
schemes with which he covered his       
canvases2 his pupils succeeded  only in 
accentuating a debauch of thick-spread  
pigments by coupling  together tones    
that cried aloud from the walls of the  
studio4 ,the  instinct of harmony and of
 proportion which was already awakening 
in  ,puvis de ,chavannes1 revolted      
against these audacities3 he found      
himself  ill at ease in the midst of    
this orgy of colour4 ,it was after no   
such  fashion that nature appeared to   
his eyes4 ,he had about made up his mind
  to leave the studio of ,delacroix when
 the latter1 angered by criticisms  and 
piqued at seeing the attendance falling 
off1 decided to close his  doors4    ,it
 was at this time that young ,puvis     
entered the studio of ,couture4  ,there 
again his stay was brief1 and we find in

 his work few traces of  the lessons    
there received4 ,once again it was only 
the conventional and  artificial that   
were held up as object lessons for that 
young soul  enamoured of the truth1 for 
those wide-opened eyes that saw nature  
precisely as she is1 and not under the  
tinsel glitter of fantasy under  which  
the studio of the period draped her4 ,it
 followed that he learned  nothing from 
that school2 nevertheless1 he did not   
disown it4 ,in the  annual ,salon       
,catalogue1 ,puvis de ,chavannes        
continued to proclaim himself  a pupil  
of ,scheffer and of ,couture4    ,once  
again the young painter found himself   
without a master1 yet still  eager to   
learn and as yet equipped with only a   
mediocre and highly  defective          
rudimentary training4 ,convinced that he
 would never obtain the  right start in 
any of the studios of the ,french       
capital1 he determined1  in company of  
one of his friends1 ,beauderon de       
,vermeron1 to go in search  of definite 

guidance1 back to that same ,italy which
 he had visited the  first time with    
such small profit4 ,this time he studied
 all the periods1  all the schools1 all 
the methods of ,italian painting2 he    
visited both  ,rome and ,florence2 and  
yet all his sympathies1 as he himself   
declared1  went out instinctively to the
 ,venetian school which had produced    
,titian1  ,tintoretto1 and1 greatest of 
all1 ,veronese1 inimitable prince of    
fresco  and of decoration4    ,returning
 to ,paris1 ,puvis de ,chavannes no     
longer dreamed of soliciting  the       
guidance of any school2 henceforth he   
was to pursue his own path1  to give    
heed only to his own temperament1 to    
draw his inspiration only  from nature  
herself4 ,in the ,place ,pigalle he     
hired a studio1 the same  which he was  
destined to occupy for forty-four years1
 and which he  quitted only two years   
before his death4 ,later on he possessed
 another1  at ,neuilly1 in which to work
 upon his larger compositions1 since    

there  would not have been space enough 
for them in the ,montmartre studio4     
,whatever the weather1 through cold and 
through heat1 ,puvis de ,chavannes      
could be seen1 for more than thirty     
years1 making his way on foot1 with     
long1 rapid strides1 from the ,place    
,pigalle to ,neuilly or in the reverse  
direction4 ,this daily promenade grew to
 be a necessity2 it was the sole        
recreation of this painter so enslaved  
by his art that in a certain  sense he  
might be called a ,benedictine of       
painting4    ,in #aheb1 the date when   
his real career began1 ,puvis de        
,chavannes was  twenty-eight years of   
age4 ,he was at this time a handsome    
young fellow1  tall of stature and large
 of frame1 quick-witted1 jovial and     
enthusiastic1 and combining the         
whole-souled simplicity of the artist   
with the polished manners of a man of   
the world1 inherited from his  father4  
,many people conceive of ,puvis de      
,chavannes as melancholy and  sombre4   

,nothing could be further from the      
truth4 ,he was fond of all the  joys of 
living1 friendly gatherings1 abundant   
good cheer4 ,but what he  prized above  
all1 thanks to the perfect balance of   
his physique1 was the  ability to apply 
his robust health to incessant work1    
which he pursued  without intermission  
up to the day of his death4    ,in      
#ahej1 ,puvis de ,chavannes made his    
dbut by sending to the ,salon a  ,piet1 
which was accepted4 ,his joy was great1 
for it was the joy of  the first step4  
,later on1 his satisfaction in that     
picture diminished4  ,it had certain    
defects1 and gave evidence of           
inexperience1 which the  young painter  
was quick to perceive4 ,that same year  
he painted ,jean  ,cavalier at the      
bed-side of his ,mother1 and an ,ecce   
,homo1 bold in  execution and violent in
 tone4    ,illustration3 ,,plate        
,,iii4--,,the ,,poor ,,fisherman    7,in
 the ,muse de ,luxembourg1 ,paris7      
,no one else1 excepting ,millet1 had the

 skill to render with so much  truth the
 physical and moral distress of the     
unfortunate4 ,this resigned  fisherman1 
bending his back under the inclement    
sky1 is a veritable  masterpiece1 both  
in execution and in observation4    ,in 
#aheb1 the pictures which he submitted  
to the ,salon were rejected by  the     
jury1 and this ostracism continued for  
several years4 ,it was an  epoch when   
every effort towards artistic           
independence was officially and         
systematically repressed4 ,the young    
artist was not alone in  disfavour2 he  
shared it with a number of his friends1 
some of whom were  already famous1 or at
 least well known4 ,equally with        
himself1 ,courbet1  ,dupr1 ,barye1      
,rousseau1 ,millet1 ,troyon1 ,corot1    
,diaz and ,delacroix found  themselves  
ejected from the doors of the temple4   
,in the eyes of the  ,academy1 they were
 all of them madmen or revolutionaries2 
for his part1  he was treated with less 
honour3 he was regarded as a maniac of  

no  importance4 ,his exclusion lasted   
for nine years1 during which the        
critics and the public united in making 
him the target for their  sarcasms4     
,puvis de ,chavannes was always keenly  
sensitive to criticism2 it cut him  to  
the quick1 but he prided himself on     
showing no outward sign4 ,he  repaid it 
by affecting the most complete disdain4 
,when anyone in his  presence bestowed  
only a qualified praise on one of his   
works1 his lips  would betray his scorn 
in a faint crease1 which ,rodin1 another
  misunderstood giant1 has admirably    
caught in his buste of the painter4  ,as
 it happened1 however1 ,puvis de        
,chavannes was rarely fortunate in      
having the encouragement and support of 
such an admirable companion as  the     
,princess ,cantacuzne4 ,that splendid   
woman1 of exceptional  intelligence and 
distinction1 enjoyed art and understood 
it2 she fell in  love with ,puvis de    
,chavannes and became his wife4         
,whatever ,i am and  whatever ,i have   

done1 wrote the painter1 is all due to  
her4  ,throughout more than forty years1
 she filled the rle of beneficent       
genius to the artist1 the ,egeria whose 
voice he never failed to heed4  ,puvis  
de ,chavannes had worshipped faithfully 
at her shrine2 and when she  died1 he   
felt that the term of his own life had  
reached its end4 ,he  survived her      
scarcely more than a few months4        
,under the shelter of her far-sighted   
affection1 the artist closed his  ears  
to hostile comments1 and followed his   
bent1 without trying to  modify his     
manner of seeing and feeling nature4    
,none the less1 the  paintings of this  
period are far from perfect2 a certain  
constraint is  apparent in them1 due to 
inexperience and also to some lingering 
influence either of his studio training 
or of ,italy4 ,the ,martyrdom of  ,st4  
,sebastian1 ,the ,village ,firemen1     
,meditation1 ,herodiade1  ,julie1 ,saint
 ,camilla at the bedside of a dying man1
 while they  reveal some very genuine   

personal qualities1 are none the less   
somewhat  reminiscent of the manner of  
,couture1 by whom he seems to have been 
most  directly influenced4    ,his first
 real picture1 the one which first      
marked and fixed for all  time the      
artist's personality1 was ,peace1 now in
 the ,museum at ,amiens4  ,so much      
knowledge and so much harmony were      
displayed in this picture  that the jury
 simply did not dare reject it4 ,what is
 more1 it won for  its author a medal of
 the second class4 ,he was not slow in  
giving it a  companion piece1 in the    
shape of a painting entitled ,war1 which
 is now  also at ,amiens4    ,in the    
first of these pictures1 the one        
consecrated to the pleasures of  ,peace1
 everything seems quite academic1 the   
poses1 the composition1  the            
countenances3 and yet1 there is no      
stiffness1 everything is vibrant1       
alive1 palpitating in a serene and      
luminous atmosphere4 ,the artist has    
herein magnificently demonstrated the   

truth of a phrase which he wrote  to    
,ary ,renan1 in the course of a trip    
which the latter took to ,italy3  ,just 
as you yourself feel and have very well 
expressed1 no study of  other artists'  
work can trammel one's originality4     
,neither the memory  of ,italy nor the  
influence of ,couture had prevented him 
from asserting  himself1 and that1 too1 
vigorously4    ,war is1 if anything1    
superior to ,peace4 ,the painter is here
 wholly  himself4 ,there is no longer in
 his work any trace of outside          
influence4  ,and what vigour there is1  
what eloquence1 in the simplicity of the
  composition6 ,is there in existence a 
more admirable argument against war  and
 its horrors8 ,beside the corpse of a   
young warrior1 a father and  mother are 
prostrated1 voicing aloud their anguish2
 and meanwhile the  conquerors1         
approaching from the far horizon black  
with devastation and  slaughter1 blow   
their victorious trumpets and urge their
 horses forward  towards the group of   

mourners4    ,from that moment1 ,puvis  
de ,chavannes began to command          
attention4 ,he was  discussed more      
acrimoniously1 more passionately than   
ever2 no one could  neglect him nor     
pretend not to have heard of him4       
,the government bought ,peace1 but      
refused to purchase ,war1 in spite  of  
the fact that the two paintings were    
companion pieces4 ,in order to  prevent 
them from being separated1 the artist   
generously donated the  second picture4 
,in #ahfc came a new series representing
 ,labour and ,rest4 ,faithful to  his   
principles1 the author gathers together 
on his canvas the entire  cycle of      
actions and ideas suggested by his      
subject4    ,in ,labour he has placed in
 the foreground a group of blacksmiths1 
representing1 in his eyes1 the fully    
developed type of the worker1  because  
of the degree of their exertion1 the    
vigour of their action4  ,while two of  
them stir the fire1 the others1 armed   
with heavy sledges1  strike alternate   

blows upon the anvil4 ,at no great      
distance1 some  carpenters are squaring 
the trunks of trees2 beyond1 on the     
plain1 a  peasant can be seen1 guiding  
his ploughshare through its furrow4 ,in 
the  foreground there is also a woman1  
nursing a young child4 ,the entire      
cycle of human toil is glorified in this
 single painting4    ,repose shows us an
 old man seated1 giving to the young    
folk grouped  around him wise counsel1  
drawn from his long experience4 ,nothing
 could  be more graceful than the       
relaxed postures of the different       
figures1  who1 we feel1 are listening   
with real attention4    ,since these    
four pictures1 ,peace1 ,war1 ,labour1   
,repose1 were the  interpretation of    
general ideas1 the artist could not give
 them any  precise setting1 any local   
colour4 ,the nude1 which is employed for
 all  the figures1 was his sole means of
 obtaining absolute truth4    ,already  
at this period one perceives in ,puvis  
an anxious endeavour to  sacrifice all  

the little easy methods of winning      
acclaim1 in order to be  free to concern
 himself solely with the harmony of his 
subject as a  whole4 ,throughout his    
entire life1 he was destined to have no 
greater  preoccupation than that of     
effacing himself completely1 and forcing
 the  public1 when in the presence of   
his work1 to see nothing but the work   
itself and to give not a thought to the 
painter4    ,during the year #ahfd1 the 
results of ,puvis de ,chavannes'        
industry were  fairly abundant4 ,at the 
,salon1 he exhibited two very beautiful 
canvases1  ,autumn and ,sleep4    ,the  
first of these two pictures is symbolic 
and represents the different  ages of   
life in the form of women of unequal    
years4 ,one of them1 her  pensive face  
already marked with lines1 watches her  
companions gathering  flowers and fruit1
 symbols of youth4    ,this work1       
charming in composition1 is now in the  
collection of the  ,museum at ,lyons4   
,sleep1 a large decorative composition1 

after the manner of ,peace and  ,war1 is
 in the ,museum at ,lille4              
,,the ,,glorious ,,years      ,all these
 works1 acrimoniously discussed and     
unjustly attacked by the  critics1 made 
the name of ,puvis de ,chavannes widely 
known without  augmenting his           
reputation4 ,the general public1        
habituated to the  stereotyped1         
elaborate1 ornate school1 understood    
nothing of such  deceptive simplicity4  
,his canvases would not sell4 ,even the 
government  had made no more purchases  
since its acquisition of ,peace4 ,it had
 even  refused to acquire ,war1 when the
 artist offered it4 ,as we have already 
said1 sooner than have the two pictures 
separated1 ,puvis made up his  mind to  
donate it4    ,commissions failed to    
come in1 and nothing afforded hope that 
this  condition of affairs was likely to
 change1 when chance threw in the path  
of ,puvis de ,chavannes a man whose     
providential intervention completely    
transformed his destiny4    ,at about   

this epoch the city of ,amiens had      
started to build a museum4  ,the        
architect of this enterprise1 ,m4 ,diot1
 came to see ,puvis de  ,chavannes and  
said to him3    ,i saw your paintings in
 the ,salon of #ahfa1 and was greatly   
pleased with  them4 ,in the edifice     
which ,i am at present constructing1    
there are some  vast surfaces to be     
covered4 ,are your two pictures1 ,peace 
and ,war1  still in your possession8 ,i 
could find immediate use for them4      
,puvis de ,chavannes replied that the   
two paintings in question belonged  to  
the ,state4 ,the city of ,amiens        
immediately solicited the concession of 
them1 which was courteously granted4    
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--,,ludus   
,,pro ,,patria    7,in the ,museum1     
,amiens7    ,this great composition1 of 
which the present plate gives only a    
fragment1 is numbered among the most    
beautiful productions of ,puvis de      
,chavannes1 because of the harmony of   
its parts1 the nobility of the  postures

 and the charm of its detail4    ,the   
paintings were placed in the grand      
gallery on the first floor1 where  they 
produced a most beautiful decorative    
effect4 ,puvis de ,chavannes1  delighted
 at this unhoped-for good fortune1      
offered to complete the  decoration of  
the gallery1 by painting the panels     
occupying the  spaces between the       
windows4 ,the illumination is           
exceedingly bad1 but  with infinite art 
the painter succeeded in harmonizing his
 compositions  with the atmosphere and  
light of the room4 ,it should be noted  
further  that the subjects treated in   
the panels on the right gallery relate  
to  the picture of ,war1 which faces    
them2 they are a ,standard-,bearer and  
a ,woman weeping over the ruins of her  
home4 ,the same holds true of the       
painting consecrated to ,peace1 the     
corresponding panels being a  ,harvester
 and a ,woman spinning4    ,puvis de    
,chavannes considered himself fortunate 
in having two of his  works which he so 

greatly loved find a place in a museum4 
,the  municipality of ,amiens was none  
the less delighted in possessing them2  
it gave proof of this by once more      
sending its municipal architect to  him 
on a special embassy3    ,i need two    
more mural paintings to decorate the    
main staircase of the  museum4 ,do you  
happen to have what ,i need ready made1 
as you did the  other time8    ,the     
architect was jesting4 ,puvis de        
,chavannes betook himself to a  corner  
of his studio1 and unrolling two        
canvases1 presented them to ,m4  ,diot3 
,here are what you want4 ,these two     
pictures are of the same dimensions  as 
,peace and ,war2 they represent ,repose 
and ,labour and form part  of the same  
series4 ,will they serve your purpose8  
,they served the architect's purpose to 
perfection4 ,unfortunately the  city of 
,amiens did not have the money to pay   
for them4 ,the difficulty  was explained
 to the artist who1 with his customary  
disinterestedness1  made a present of   

both the paintings4 ,they were soon     
stretched in the  places for which they 
were intended1 in a framework of fruits 
and  flowers1 and produced an admirable 
effect4 ,the municipality of ,amiens    
was so well satisfied with these        
paintings that it decided at the cost   
of great sacrifices to commission ,puvis
 de ,chavannes to prepare a large       
composition destined to occupy the      
entire upper panel of the staircase  on 
the side of the grand gallery4 ,this    
panel was intersected by two  doorways4 
,puvis de ,chavannes set to work        
immediately4 ,in the ,salon of #ahfe he 
exhibited his ,ave ,picardia ,nutrix1   
destined for the ,museum of ,amiens4    
,the painting produced a veritable      
sensation4 ,even the unskilled in art   
experienced an instinctive emotion in   
the presence of this important  canvas  
which they did not fully understand1 but
 which they felt to be  sincere2 as to  
the artists1 they were obliged to       
acknowledge that the  painter whom they 

had scoffed and derided1 and who had now
 produced the  ,picardia ,nutrix1 was   
unquestionably a master4    ,the ,ave   
,picardia ,nutrix is a glorification of 
the fertility and  richness of the land 
of ,picardy4 ,the artist has wished to  
represent in a  succession of episodes1 
harmoniously related one to another1 all
 the  products of the soil and all the  
local industries from which ,picardy    
draws its prosperity4    ,to this end he
 has grouped his figures in the setting 
of a ,picardian  landscape1 quite       
faithful in colour and in line4 ,m4     
,marius ,vachon  analyzes the painting  
as follows3    ,beneath the orchard of a
 vast estate some peasants are turning a
 flour  mill2 women are bringing apples 
for a keg of cider2 masons are building 
the walls of a house1 and an old woman  
is spinning on her distaff the  native  
hemp4 ,along the banks of a stream1     
women are weaving fish nets2  carpenters
 are constructing a bridge2 boatmen are 
steering heavy-laden  barges4 ,add to   

these professional labours the incidents
 of work-a-day  life1 which are taking  
place on every side1 charming incidents1
  picturesque and touching2 a little    
lad1 carrying a heavy basket of fruit   
on his head1 eager to show his strength 
before his elders2 a mother1  nursing   
her youngest born2 some women bathing   
under the shadow of the  willows4 ,the  
composition is abundantly suggestive of 
delicate  impressions2 and it forms a   
magnificent decoration for the edifice  
in  which it has been placed4    ,when  
the painting had been installed in its  
position in the vestibule of  honour on 
the main floor1 the municipality of     
,amiens perceived that the  fourth side 
of the staircase1 the only one not      
decorated1 was precisely  the one that  
best lent itself to the development of a
 painting1 because  of its considerable 
surface4 ,the ceiling1 it is true1      
darkened this  vestibule1 owing to its  
insufficient window space4 ,it was1     
furthermore1  adorned by a painting by  

,barrias4 ,nevertheless the city        
determined  to replace the ceiling by a 
skylight1 on condition that ,puvis de   
,chavannes would paint the vacant panel 
thus made available4    ,illustration3  
,,plate ,v4--,,repose    7,in the       
,museum1 ,amiens7    ,this work is one  
of the earliest by this great artist4   
,it is very  interesting1 because it    
still shows the influence of ,couture's 
studio1  where ,puvis de ,chavannes had 
been a pupil4 ,it serves as a point of  
comparison for determining the evolution
 of the artist's talent4    ,however1   
the resources of the municipality did   
not permit it to incur so  great an     
expense4 ,it appealed to the ,state1    
which curtly refused its  coperation4   
,the city fathers of ,amiens were in    
despair1 the painter not  less so4 ,what
 was to be done8 ,wait until the        
municipality1 through slow  economies1  
was in a position to order the picture8 
,puvis de ,chavannes1  who had grown    
enthusiastic over the task1 was boiling 

with impatience  and listened day by    
day1 as he expressed it1 to hear if no  
breeze was  blowing his way from        
,amiens4    ,but when the breeze        
remained persistently unfavourable1     
,puvis de  ,chavannes1 growing tired of 
waiting1 decided to execute the panel in
 any  case1 come what might4 ,and he    
composed the admirable fresco which     
bears  the name of ,ludus pro ,patria4  
,everyone knows the subject of this     
painting1 which has passed into a       
legend4 ,in a plain traversed by a      
running stream1 some young men are      
engaged in a game of rivalry with       
spears4 ,on a knoll1 an old man1        
surrounded by women1 serves as umpire4  
,he follows1 with attentive eye1  the   
fluctuations of the game1 while a young 
lad1 in a pose charming for  its        
relaxation1 rests one arm around his    
neck4 ,behind him a young woman  holds  
out her baby for its father to kiss4 ,on
 the left of the picture1  seated at the
 foot of a tree1 or grouped around a    

fountain1 young girls  await the end of 
the game in which their brothers or     
their betrothed  take part4 ,one of them
 leans towards an aged minstrel and begs
 him to  play some dance music after the
 game is over4    ,all these groups are 
harmoniously disposed in an open-air    
setting1  dotted over with cottages and 
stately trees1 enveloped in a soft and  
mellow light4    ,this picture reveals  
the artist's predilection for children1 
a very  curious and touching            
predilection to discover in a painter   
whose own  fireside was never gladdened 
by childish laughter4 ,let us examine   
the  ,ludus pro ,patria2 in this picture
 ,puvis de ,chavannes has been lavish   
of childhood games and pastimes4        
,notwithstanding that his art was before
  all else synthetic1 and gained its    
effects from harmony of attitude  rather
 than from finish of figures1 he plainly
 expended loving care in  modelling     
those delicate and charming little      
bodies1 which he has  endowed with      

infinite grace4 ,is there anything more 
adorably exquisite  than the gesture of 
the infant stretching out its plump arms
 towards its  father8 ,and does not the 
child standing before the group by the  
fountain  reveal the master's tender    
solicitude for these little beings whose
  absence from his domestic life he     
probably regretted8    ,the             
distinguished custodian of the ,museum  
at ,amiens showed me the corner  of the 
balustrade on which the painter rested  
his elbows1 in front of  the group of   
which that child forms part4 ,after some
 moments of  contemplation1 he might be 
seen to mount his scaffolding1 brush in 
hand1  to add a few strokes1 some new   
tint to that delightfully modelled      
little  form4    ,the ,ludus pro ,patria
 is something more and something better 
than a  beautiful picture2 it is a      
symbolic work in which the noblest      
conceptions of patriotism are exalted4  
,with his incomparable synthetic  art1  
,puvis de ,chavannes has endeavoured to 

show all the diverse manners  of serving
 usefully one's native land4 ,young     
women1 bearing the tender  burden of    
nursing children1 are rearing for their 
country a valiant  generation1 which    
before long will be augmented through   
the robust girls  grouped on the left1  
awaiting the advent of husbands4 ,the   
children1  grown to manhood1 will       
practise games of strength and skill    
which will  render them capable of      
defending their common patrimony4 ,the  
old man  himself has his rle assigned in
 this ideal commonwealth2 ripened by    
experience of life1 he supplements the  
feebleness of his arms by the  wisdom of
 his lessons2 he is the honoured        
counsellor1 the arbiter of  full        
justice1 who restrains the ardor of     
youth within the path of  reason4       
,the cartoon for this magnificent panel 
was exhibited in the ,salon of  #ahha2  
it achieved a unanimous success4 ,the   
,state acquired it1 and at the  same    
time commissioned ,puvis to paint the   

picture itself for the ,museum  of      
,picardy4 ,the finished work1 in its    
proper dimensions1 found a place  in the
 ,salon the following year1 and gained  
its author the medal of  honour from the
 ,society of ,french ,artists4    ,we   
have followed ,puvis de ,chavannes in   
his decoration of the ,museum of        
,amiens1 from the beginning to the end  
of his artistic career1 without  regard 
to chronological order1 because of the  
interest which he himself  took in this 
extensive work1 which was1 one might    
say1 his constant  preoccupation4       
,accordingly we must go back in point of
 time and follow  step by step this     
astonishing and genial worker whose     
accomplishment is  disconcerting in its 
power and its fecundity4    ,the first  
works executed for the ,museum of       
,amiens had attracted public  attention 
to him4 ,the municipality of ,marseilles
 had just crowned the  important        
enterprise of bringing the waters of the
 ,durance into the  city1 by erecting a 

sumptuous ,public ,waterworks1 bearing  
the name of the  ,palace of ,longchamps4
    ,two great mural surfaces enclose   
the principal staircase4 ,it was decided
  to decorate them with paintings4 ,and 
when the time came to choose the        
artist1 a unanimous agreement was       
reached on the name of ,puvis de        
,chavannes4    ,the latter1 being       
notified1 accepted joyfully1 as he      
accepted all  occasions of converting a 
noble vision of art into a reality4 ,and
 what  finer fortune could come to an   
artist that to celebrate ,marseilles1   
the  sun-bathed city1 vibrant with      
light1 crouching royally on the azure   
mantle of the ,mediterranean8    ,puvis 
de ,chavannes hastened to the ancient   
,ligurian city4 ,he calculated  the     
difficulties of composing a great       
decorative composition1 free from       
banality1 out of the habitual elements  
of a seaport1--a subject a  thousand    
times treated and perilous of execution4
 ,he sought1 he studied1  he promenaded 

the quays1 he strode the length and     
breadth of the city4  ,at last the      
enlightening flash he awaited came in   
the course of a trip  to the ,chateau   
d',if4 ,in the presence of that noble   
panorama of the city  seen from the sea1
 he remained as if dazed1 realizing that
 he had found  what he was in search of4
 ,he would not paint ,marseilles with   
the sea as  a decorative background2 it 
was the city herself that should form   
the  background1 and not the sea4 ,he   
had his two pictures in his grasp4      
,and without stirring from the spot1    
while his friends took luncheon1 he     
remained seated on the rocks1 making    
notes and sketches1 in order to  fix    
fully in his mind the line and colour of
 that marvellous maritime  landscape4   
,the first of these pictures1           
,marseilles the ,greek ,colony1 stands  
for  the entire history of the ,phocian 
city from its foundation to the  present
 time4 ,but1 following his essentially  
synthetic method1 he  painted1 not the  

successive transformations of           
,marseilles1 but symbolic  figures of   
the sources to which she owes her       
grandeur and her  prosperity4    ,in the
 background is the strand1 which as yet 
is only a natural harbour4  ,along the  
shore1 vessels are seen building2 these 
are the symbol of  activity4 ,further   
off1 horses are bringing merchandise    
towards the boats  about to sail1 symbol
 of the commercial instinct2 masons1    
carpenters1  stonecutters1 are zealously
 plying their craft2 and palaces1       
storehouses1 and churches arise1 symbols
 of wealth and of taste in art4         
,among the accessory features are a     
woman vendor spreading before other     
women rich fabrics and pearls1 and some 
slaves conveying towards the  city jars 
of oil and skins filled with wine4      
,in ,marseilles1 ,gateway of the ,east1 
a ship is seen1 laden with  travellers1 
making its way into port4 ,all these    
passengers are  ,orientals1 recognizable
 by the gaudiness of their garments3    

they admire  the panorama of the rich   
city whose fortifications1 churches1 and
  palaces stand out in bold relief      
against the ruddy light of evening4     
,an atmosphere of warmth and brilliance 
emanates from these two  paintings1 of  
which the city of ,marseilles has shown 
herself justly  proud4    ,when ,puvis  
de ,chavannes received a commission for 
a mural painting he  gave himself       
ardently to his task1 but at the same   
time intermittently4  ,contrary to a    
generally accepted belief1 his genius   
was not the result  of long patience1   
but rather the realization of a vision4 
,he never  applied himself to a painting
 if some external cause1 no matter what1
  had deadened in him the essential     
inspiration4 ,in such a case1 he would  
revert to some other work which his mind
 could see better on that  particular   
day4 ,in this way we can understand how 
he could carry forward  simultaneously  
several works of equal importance1 and  
at the same time  paint in addition     

occasional easel pictures4              
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi4--,,the     
,,sacred ,,wood1 ,,dear ,,to ,,the      
,,arts ,,and ,,the  ,,muses    7,in the 
,museum1 ,amiens7    ,this painting1    
admirable in execution1 is quite        
interesting to study1  because it serves
 to show in what a purely personal      
manner1 wholly  detached from           
mythological traditions1 ,puvis de      
,chavannes interpreted  ,antiquity4     
,following the example of ,marseilles   
and ,amiens1 the city of ,poitiers1     
which in #ahgb had just completed the   
building of a ,city ,hall1  commissioned
 ,puvis de ,chavannes to decorate the   
main staircase4    ,the two subjects    
chosen by the artist1 with the          
approbation of the  municipality1 were  
as follows3    ,first                   
panel3--,radegonde1 having retired to   
the ,convent of the ,holy  ,cross1      
offers an asylum to the poets and       
protects ,literature against the        
barbarism of those days4    ,second     

panel3--,the year #gcb3 ,charles ,martel
 saves ,christendom by his  victory over
 the ,saracens near ,poitiers4    ,the  
legend of ,radegonde is well known3 ,the
 virtuous spouse of ,clotaire1  fleeing 
from the brutality of that crowned      
free-booter and hiding in a  convent in 
order to escape his pursuit4 ,but this  
convent is by no means  a cloister2 the 
practice of arts and letters is pursued 
alternately with  the singing of psalms4
    ,the door stands open to poets4 ,one
 of them1 ,fortunatus1 passing through  
,poitiers1 stops there and is received  
with cordial hospitality1 and           
conceiving for the saintly queen a      
delicate and chaste love1 he remains    
for twenty years in this abode in which 
he purposed to spend only a few  days4  
,puvis de ,chavannes has magnificently  
rendered the poetic beauty of this      
historic episode by representing one of 
the ftes given by ,radegonde in  the    
,convent of the ,holy ,cross4    ,in the
 second panel1 we see ,charles ,martel  

returning to ,poitiers1  victorious over
 the ,saracens and receiving the        
benediction of the  bishops4 ,here the  
artist's brush attains a vigour of      
expression such as  in all his life he  
found but few occasions to employ4 ,the 
countenances  of the bishops1 notably1  
stand out with a relief and an energy   
that are  remarkable4    ,m4 ,marius    
,vachon relates that he once asked the  
artist1 who was a  personal friend1 to  
what documents he had recourse in order 
to give such  forbidding features to the
 prelates in his painting3    ,i got the
 suggestion for them1 he replied1       
laughing1 from an old set  of chess men1
 consisting of the coarse and grouchy   
faces of knights and  jesters4          
,,the ,,last ,,years      ,in the days  
following the ,franco-,prussian ,war and
 the ,commune1 the  ,government         
conceived the project of decorating the 
,panthon1 which had  just been once more
 secularized1 in order to convert it    
into a temple  wherein all the shining  

lights of the nation could be brought   
together  and honoured4    ,m4 de       
,chennevires1 who at that time was      
director of the ,beaux ,arts gave  the  
first place1 in that illustrious line1  
to the noble and serene  ,genevieve1    
patron saint of ,paris1 incarnate ideal 
of patriotism4    ,accordingly it was a 
series of religious paintings that ,m4  
de  ,chennevires required of ,puvis de  
,chavannes1 when he entrusted him with  
a large share of the decoration4        
,this type of painting1 although new to 
,puvis de ,chavannes1 failed to         
intimidate him4 ,he had too much        
patriotic fire1 more than enough        
,christian faith1 and above all too     
thorough a mastery of his profession    
not to approach this task with full     
confidence4 ,it is enough to visit  the 
,panthon just once in order to be       
convinced of this4 ,a more  magnificent 
realization of ,saint ,genevieve could  
not be conceived of1  even in dreams4   
,but are these paintings to be classed  

with religious  art8 ,one would hesitate
 to assert it1 if the pictures          
habitually  consecrated to religious    
themes are to be taken as a standard4   
,but they  are something better than    
that1 because the virgin protectress of 
,paris  is in these pictures profoundly 
human2 she is brought very close to us1 
and we see her despoiled of the aureole 
that would have removed her too  far    
from our vision and our hearts4    ,the 
whole world knows1 at least through     
reproductions1 the series of  paintings 
consecrated to the life of this saint4  
,first of all1 we have  ,saint          
,genevieve as a child1 singled out from 
a crowd by ,saint ,germain1  because she
 is marked with the divine seal4 ,i     
chose the hour1 wrote  ,puvis de        
,chavannes1 at which history claimed    
possession of this heroic  woman4 ,these
 two are not an old man and a child1    
they are two great  souls face to face4 
,the glance which they ardently exchange
 is1 in its  moral significance1 the    

culminating point of the composition4   
,next in order comes the ,piety of      
,saint ,genevieve4 ,the pious child is  
at her prayers before a cross formed by 
two interlacing branches4 ,this  is the 
prologue of a life filled with miracles1
 divine recompense  accorded only to    
supernatural virtue4 ,the artist has    
admirably  reproduced the mystic fervour
 of that child whose future was         
foreordained to be so beautiful4        
,subsequently1 in #ahif1 the ,government
 entrusted ,puvis de ,chavannes with    
the execution of two new panels1        
likewise dedicated to the life of ,saint
  ,genevieve4 ,the two themes chosen    
were the following3    ,ardent in her   
faith and in her charity1 ,genevieve1   
whom the greatest  perils could not     
swerve from her duty1 brings sustenance 
to ,paris1  besieged and threatened with
 famine4    ,genevieve1 sustained by her
 pious solicitude1 keeps watch over     
sleeping  ,paris4    ,these noble       
paintings were the last productions of  

the great artist4 ,a  sort of           
premonition told him that the end was   
near1 in spite of his  robust health4   
,how ,i shall devote myself to the      
,panthon1 he wrote1  when ,i am finished
 with the ,htel de ,ville6 ,i intend it 
to be a sort of  last will and          
testament4    ,in these last paintings1 
,saint ,genevieve is no longer a child4 
,having  attained womanhood1 her        
saintliness is such that1 from all      
sides1 people  come to take shelter     
behind her veil1 like children around   
their mother1  as soon as danger is     
announced4    ,for the purpose of       
portraying this hieratic and inspired   
figure1 ,puvis  de ,chavannes found the 
ideal model close at hand1 in the noble 
woman who  had associated her entire    
life with his4 ,genevieve bringing      
sustenance  to ,paris is the artist's   
wife who1 already mortally ill1         
inflicted upon  herself the most cruel  
suffering1 in order to pose in her      
husband's  studio4 ,the disease which   

was killing her was known only to       
herself1 and  she had the heroism to    
conceal it up to the supreme hour when1 
conquered  at last1 she was stricken    
down4 ,in painting the pensive and      
dolorous  attitude of ,genevieve        
watching over sleeping ,paris1 the poor 
artist  never once suspected that he was
 tracing for the last time the portrait 
of her who had been the consolation and 
the joy of his whole existence4    ,the 
unfortunate woman lacked the strength to
 play her rle to the end2  she was      
forced to take to her bed4 ,the artist1 
no less heroic than she1  feeling that  
his own life was slipping away with     
hers1 yet wishing to  complete this last
 work1--his testament--transported his  
easel beside  the dying woman's bed1 and
 there finished the sketches for his    
picture4    ,in the intervals of time   
between the paintings executed for the  
,panthon1 ,puvis de ,chavannes produced 
certain other large compositions  in no 
wise inferior either in importance or in

 merit1 notably1 in #ahhc1  a large     
painting for the ,palace of ,arts1 at   
,lyons4    ,the municipal government of 
that city1 wishing to have the main     
staircase of the palace decorated1      
entrusted the execution to the great    
artist who was at the same time a       
compatriot4 ,he felt a very special joy 
in accepting this commission1 for he had
 always retained a vivid memory  of the 
city of his birth4    ,he endowed it    
with three pictures of a very high      
order1 one of which1  ,the ,sacred      
,wood1 dear to the ,arts and the ,muses1
 is considered by many  to be the       
artist's masterpiece4    ,puvis de      
,chavannes breaks away from the         
mythological theme so often  treated    
that it has become hackneyed4 ,it is not
 on ,helicon that he  groups his ,muses1
 but on the shore of a lake1 in a       
setting of verdure  softly illuminated  
by the rays of the moon4 ,at the foot of
 a portico1  ,calliope is seen          
declaiming verses before her sisters4   

,some of the ,muses  appear attentive2  
others converse together2 one of them is
 reclining  lazily upon the grass4      
,euterpe and ,thalia1 heralded from the 
sky by song  and the accompanying lyre1 
approach to join the group4             
,illustration3 ,,plate                  
,,vii4--,,letters1 ,,sciences ,,and     
,,arts 7detail7    7,in the             
,amphitheatre of the ,sorbonne7    ,in  
this immense composition1 in which the  
groups are balanced with  admirable     
harmony1 there is an exalted and        
pervading beauty4 ,it makes  itself felt
 in the prevailing mood of the subject  
as a whole1 in the  expressions of the  
several characters1 in the naturalness  
of their  attitudes and in the luminous 
clarity of the landscape4    ,antiquity1
 as treated by ,puvis de ,chavannes1    
loses nothing of its  nobility1 but     
quite the contrary4 ,it even gains in   
real beauty1 because  his ,muses profit 
by being despoiled of those conventional
 attitudes1 in  which an immutable      

tradition has trammelled them4 ,the     
artist has  retained only such of their 
attitudes as cannot detract in any way  
from  the naturalness of their movements
 or their lines4    ,in the same ,palace
 of ,arts1 ,puvis de ,chavannes painted 
two additional  allegorical panels      
representing ,the ,rhone and ,the ,sane1
 both of which  are admirably effective4
    ,to about the same period belongs   
his well known painting1 ,the ,poor     
,fisherman1 at present in the ,muse du  
,luxembourg4    ,in this work1 which he 
painted as a relaxation from his more   
extensive  efforts1 ,puvis de ,chavannes
 has tried to portray1 as ,millet so    
often  did1 all the sordid and          
lamentable misery of the slaves of toil1
 who  bend their poor aching backs      
beneath the burden of physical distress 
and  mental degradation4 ,this work is a
 fine and eloquent lesson in  humanity4 
,in #ahhi1 the ,htel de ,ville1 in      
,paris1 proceeding with the still       
unfinished decoration of its numerous   

halls and chambers1 entrusted  ,puvis de
 ,chavannes with the task of decorating 
the main staircase and  the first salon 
in the suite of reception rooms4    ,on 
one wall of this salon1 he painted      
,winter1 on the other ,summer4  ,these  
two compositions are of imposing        
dimensions and admirable in  execution4 
,winter shows us a snow-clad stretch of 
forest landscape4 ,woodsmen are  hauling
 the trunks of trees which others of    
their number have just  felled4 ,nothing
 could be more impressive than his      
rendering of the  desolation of winter2 
and the truth1 the exactitude of the    
physical  effort these men are putting  
forth1 with every muscle straining      
tensely  on the rope4    ,summer shows  
us a delightful and smiling landscape   
flooded with light2  bathing women      
plunge their nude forms beneath the     
water1 while a mother1  seated on the   
grass1 nurses her new born child4 ,in   
this picture ,puvis de  ,chavannes1 who 
was a landscape painter of the first    

order1 has  surpassed himself2 the work 
is a miracle of open air and grateful   
shade4    ,unfortunately1 the room in   
which these two magnificent pictures are
  placed suffers from a deplorable want 
of light1 and its scanty  dimensions    
make it impossible to stand back at a   
sufficient distance to  see them to     
advantage4 ,the ,htel de ,ville should  
for its own credit  assign them a place 
more in keeping with their worth4       
,for the museum at ,rouen1 ,puvis de    
,chavannes painted an allegory entitled 
,inter ,artes et ,naturam1 charming in  
fantasy and poetic feeling4  ,according 
to his habit1 he has grouped together in
 synthetic form the  various things     
which constitute the wealth or serve to 
mark the  characteristics of the        
province of ,normandy4    ,labourers    
heaping up architectural fragments      
preserved from all the  various epochs  
proclaim the variety and antiquity of   
its monuments2 its  special art is      
represented by a young girl painting a  

tulip on a  porcelain plate and by a lad
 carrying a tray of pottery2 its        
principal  agricultural richness is     
revealed by the action of a woman1      
bending down  a branch of an apple-tree1
 in order that her child may reach the  
fruit4  ,and at the bottom of the       
picture flows the ,seine1 rolling its   
flood past  a long sequence of          
manufactories1 and bearing in its course
 heavily  laden boats4    ,this picture 
is one of ,puvis de ,chavannes' most    
ingenious conceptions2  furthermore1 it 
possesses great charm of detail4    ,in 
#ahia1 the trustees of the ,boston      
,museum approached ,puvis de ,chavannes 
with a request to decorate the main     
staircase of that edifice4    ,the      
negotiations were troublesome4 ,in spite
 of his delight at having a  new work to
 produce1 in spite of the legitimate    
pride he felt in this  homage paid to   
,french art1 ,puvis de ,chavannes       
hesitated to accept the  commission4    
,for the first time he faced the        

necessity of painting a  canvas without 
having studied beforehand the           
physiognomy1 the  environment1 the      
illumination of the space he was to     
decorate1 and his  artist's conscience  
suffered4 ,besides1 certain             
misunderstandings had  arisen between   
,american trustees and the painter2     
several times  relations were on the    
point of being broken off2 and no       
definite  agreement was reached until   
after the lapse of four years4    ,puvis
 de ,chavannes began this work in #ahie2
 he did not finish it until  #ahih4 ,the
 surface to be covered was to be divided
 into nine large  panels1 three facing  
the entrance1 three to the right1 three 
to the  left4 ,the choice of subjects   
was left to him4    ,for the central    
panel ,puvis de ,chavannes chose a theme
 already treated  twice by him3 ,the    
inspiring ,muses acclaim ,genius1       
,messenger of ,light4    ,against a     
background of sea and of blue sky1 a    
,genius with the radiant  features of a 

child advances1 holding a torch in each 
hand4 ,at sight of  the ,genius the     
muses run forward and range themselves  
on each side4    ,the ninth muse1 still 
floating through the air1 hastens to    
rejoin her  companions4    ,this whole  
charming group of women is deliciously  
painted and one is at  a loss which to  
admire the more2 the originality of the 
artistic  conception1 or the peculiarly 
rare delicacy of the painter's skill4   
,the eight subordinate panels represent 
,bucolic ,poetry1 ,dramatic  ,poetry1   
,epic ,poetry1 ,history1 ,astronomy1    
,physics1 ,chemistry  and ,philosophy4  
,all these paintings produce a          
decorative effect of the  highest order1
 and many critics consider1 not without 
reason1 that this  group of frescoes in 
the ,boston ,library constitutes the    
masterpiece of  ,puvis de ,chavannes4   
,however that may be1 the authorities of
 the great ,american city are very      
proud of this absolutely unique         
decorative ensemble1 and whenever any   

distinguished stranger passes through   
,boston he is conducted to admire  it4  
,is not this a beautiful homage to      
,french art1 of which ,puvis de         
,chavannes was one of the most glorious 
exponents8          ,,the ,,landscape   
,,painter      ,there is1 in the work of
 ,puvis de ,chavannes1 so much harmony  
and  balance2 the place occupied by each
 figure is so perfectly planned to      
accord the unity of the whole1 that one 
does not perceive at first1  because of 
the wise ordering of the assembled      
parts1 how many-sided the  artist's     
genius was4 ,and so it happens that the 
landscape painter in him  does not      
appear excepting under analysis4 ,yet   
few artists have advanced  the science  
of landscape so far2 indeed1 in all his 
compositions it  holds a position1 if   
not of first importance1 at least one   
equal to that  of his figures4 ,in his  
eyes it was not a matter of convention1 
a  decoration1 an accessory1 but an     
indispensable part of the picture1 so   

indispensable indeed that1 without the  
landscape the picture would not  exist4 
,in short1 it is in his landscape that  
,puvis de ,chavannes has  always placed 
the local colour of his compositions1   
and not in his  figures4 ,the latter are
 generally clad in antique fashion1 in  
order to  remain representative of      
humanity in general1 but the setting is 
local3  his ,ave1 ,picardia ,nutrix1 for
 instance1 shows us the land of ,picardy
  with its level plains and its         
melancholy horizons3 similarly1 the two 
frescoes in the ,palace of ,longchamps  
reproduce faithfully the  sun-flooded   
coast of ,marseilles and the animation  
of its quays2--and yet  the hurrying    
crowds upon them belong to no definite  
race nor to any  determinable epoch4    
,it is always so in the paintings of    
,puvis de ,chavannes3 the landscape  and
 the living figures harmonize1 fit in1  
complete each other1 and the  consummate
 art of the landscape painter yields in 
no way to that of the  painter of       

figures4    ,illustration3 ,,plate      
,,viii4--,,war    7,in the ,museum1     
,amiens7    ,this work dates from the   
same period as ,repose and ,peace4 ,it  
marks  the dbut of ,puvis de ,chavannes 
in his career as an artist4 ,in spite of
  some reminiscences of his training1   
his individuality already asserts       
itself1 and the originality of          
composition is unmistakable4    ,puvis  
de ,chavannes has been criticized on the
 ground that in such of his  pictures as
 evoke antiquity1 he sacrificed accepted
 tradition and  acquired knowledge4     
,from this to a direct charge of        
ignorance was an  easy step2 and it was 
quickly taken4 ,that the artist attached
 a mediocre  importance to accuracy in  
decoration or antique costume1 there can
 be no  question4 ,truth1 in his eyes1  
consisted less in the detailed          
reconstruction of garments than in the  
faithful representation of that         
eternally living model1 the human soul1 
over which whole centuries have  passed1

 without availing to modify it4 ,all    
else is merely accessory  and secondary1
 if not actually negligible4 ,at the    
same time1 no one was  ever more truly  
impregnated with the spirit of          
antiquity1 as he had  imbibed it from   
his readings1 from his travels and from 
his own  meditations4 ,contrary to what 
has been thought1 he was not proud2 nor 
held himself aloof from all other       
schools of painting except his own4     
,nothing could be further from the      
truth4 ,puvis was acquainted with all   
the schools2 and no one admired more    
sincerely than he the great masters  of 
each and every country4 ,he had         
traversed ,italy1 ,germany1 and the     
,netherlands1 examining1 studying1      
admiring4 ,and here is precisely        
wherein his great glory consists2 that  
having studied all methods1  analyzed   
all processes1 he still remained true to
 himself1--in other  words1 that he was 
a painter of inimitable originality4    
,puvis de ,chavannes kept abreast of all

 the ideas that stand for  personality  
and progress4 ,far from being a recluse1
 solely concerned  with his own         
painting1 he followed the contemporary  
literary movement1  and none of the     
happenings that took place around him   
escaped his  knowledge4                 
,nevertheless1 his chief preoccupation  
was his art and his desire to  express1 
with his brush1 the greatest possible   
degree of human nature4  ,this he       
achieved in his magnificent series of   
immortal works2 but it was  only at the 
cost of a vast amount of conscientious  
labour4 ,few masters  have had so keen  
an intuition of beauty1 or a higher and 
more  spontaneous inspiration2 and no   
one1 perhaps1 has been so distrustful of
  himself1 of his inspiration1 of his   
intuition4 ,he did not surrender        
himself to them until he had submitted  
them to the test of searching  argument 
and uncompromising common sense4 ,it is 
due to this careful  weighing in the    
balance1 to this wise mingling of       

youthful enthusiasm  and mature severity
 that the work of ,puvis de ,chavannes  
owes that  harmonious beauty that       
insures it an eternal glory4    ,and so1
 when in #ahih he passed away1 not a    
dissenting voice was raised  amid the   
concert of eulogies and of regrets which
 marked his end4 ,for a  long time      
previous1 ,puvis de ,chavannes had      
ceased to have detractors2  admiration  
had stifled envy4 ,and1 from the moment 
that he crossed beyond  the threshold of
 life1 ,puvis de ,chavannes entered     
fully into  immortality4                
,,catalogue ,,of ,,the ,,works ,,of     
,,puvis ,,de ,,chavannes          ,muse 
du ,luxembourg2 ,the ,poor ,fisherman4  
,panthon2 ,saint ,genevieve marked with 
the divine seal4--,the      ,piety of   
,saint ,genevieve4--,saint ,genevieve   
providing for      besieged             
,paris4--,saint ,genevieve watching over
 sleeping      ,paris4--,two decorative 
,friezes1 including ,faith1 ,hope1 and  
,charity1 and a series of ,saints4      

,htel de ,ville2 ,summer1               
,winter4--,victor ,hugo offering his    
lyre to the city of ,paris4             
,amphitheatre of the ,sorbonne2         
,letters1 ,sciences and ,arts4          
,museum at ,amiens2                     
,peace4--,war4--,labour4--,repose4--,a  
,standard-,bearer4--,a ,harvester4--,a  
,woman weeping over the      ruins of   
her house4--,a ,woman ,spinning4--,ave1 
,picardia      ,nutrix4--,ludus pro     
,patria4        ,church at ,campagnat2  
,ecce ,homo4        ,palace of          
,longchamps 7,marseilles73 ,marseilles1 
a ,greek      ,colony4--,marseilles1    
,gateway of the ,orient4        ,museum 
at ,marseilles3 ,the ,return from the   
,hunt4        ,htel de ,ville1          
,poitiers3 ,saint ,radegonde gives      
asylum to the      ,poets4--,charles    
,martel re-enters ,poitiers after his   
conquest      of the ,saracens4         
,palace of ,fine ,arts1 ,lyons3 ,the    
,sacred ,wood dear to the ,arts      and
 the ,muses4        ,museum at ,rouen3  

,inter ,artes et ,naturam4              
,public ,library1 ,boston3 ,the         
inspiring ,muses acclaim ,genius1       
,messenger of ,light4        ,museum at 
,chartres3 ,summer4        ,private     
,collections3                           
,herodiade4--,autumn4--,sleep4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,transcriber's ,notes3    ,simple       
typographical errors were corrected4    
,punctuation and spelling were made     
consistent when a predominant           
preference was found in this book2      
otherwise they were not changed4