,,masterpieces ,,in ,,colour ,,edited ,,by - - ,m4 ,,henry ,,roujon ,g,r,,me 7#ahbd-aijd7 ,,in ,,the ,,same ,,series ,,reynolds ,,holbein ,,velasquez ,,burne-,,jones ,,greuze ,,le ,,brun ,,turner ,,chardin ,,botticelli ,,millet ,,romney ,,raeburn ,,rembrandt ,,sargent ,,bellini ,,constable ,,fra ,,angelico ,,memling ,,rossetti ,,fragonard ,,raphael ,d,,rer ,,leighton ,,lawrence ,,holman ,,hunt ,,hogarth ,,titian ,,watteau ,,millais ,,murillo ,,luini ,,watts ,,franz ,,hals ,,ingres ,,carlo ,,dolci ,,corot ,,gainsborough ,,delacroix ,,tintoretto ,,fra ,,lippo ,,lippi ,,van ,,dyck ,,puvis ,,de ,,chavannes ,,da ,,vinci ,,meissonier ,,whistler ,,gerome ,,rubens ,,veronese ,,boucher ,,van ,,eyck ,,mantegna ,,in ,,preparation ,,fromentin ,,perugino ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4--,,young ,,greeks ,,engaged ,,in ,,cock ,,fighting ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in the ,luxembourg ,museum1 ,paris7 ,this was ,grme's first picture4 ,it was exhibited at the ,salon of #ahdg1 and achieved a brilliant success4 ,thophile ,gautier1 who was a critic hard to please1 bestowed upon it some enviable praise4 ,in later years the artist found much to censure in his early work2 but the public1 less severely critical1 admired the graceful nudity of the young forms and the combative ardour of the two adversaries4 ,g,r,,me ,,by ,,albert ,,keim ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,french ,,by ,,frederic ,,taber ,,cooper ,,illustrated ,,with ,,eight ,,reproductions ,,in ,,colour ,illustration3 ,,in ,,sempiternum4 ,,frederick ,a4 ,,stokes ,,company ,,new ,,york--,,publishers ,,copyright1 #aiab1 ,,by ,,frederick ,a4 ,,stokes ,,company ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,,contents ,page ,introduction #aa ,life of ,grme #ag ,the ,artist's ,work #dc ,the ,art of ,grme #gb ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,plates ,i4 ,young ,greeks ,engaged in ,cock ,fighting ,frontispiece 7,in the ,luxembourg ,museum7 ,page ,,ii4 ,reception of the ,siamese ,ambassadors #ad 7,in the ,versailles ,museum7 ,,iii4 ,anacreon1 with ,bacchus and ,cupid #bd 7,in the ,toulouse ,museum7 ,,iv4 ,pollice ,verso #cd 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,v4 ,the ,prisoner #dj 7,in the ,nantes ,museum7 ,,vi4 ,the ,last ,prayer #ej 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,,vii4 ,the ,vendor of ,rugs #fj 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,,viii4 ,the ,two ,majesties #gj 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,i ,,introduction ,grme has his allotted place among the illustrious ,french painters of the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,he achieved success1 honours1 official recognition2 and he deserved them1 if not for the compelling personality of his temperament1 at least for his assiduous industry1 his accurate1 methodical1 and picturesque way of seeing people and things1 and the amazing and fertile variety both of his choice and his interpretation of subjects4 ,he was a pupil of ,paul ,delaroche and seems to have inherited the latter's adroitness in seizing upon the one salient and emotional detail in a composition4 ,like that historian-painter of the ,death of the ,duc de ,guise1 ,grme excelled in always giving a dramatic stage setting to the persons and the events which he knew how to conjure up with such learned and scrupulous care4 ,in spite of his versatility1 and notwithstanding that many a vast canvas has demonstrated his ingenious and resourceful talent1 he takes his place beside ,meissonier because of the extreme importance that he attached to accuracy and precise effects4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4--,,reception ,,of ,,the ,,siamese ,,ambassadors ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in the ,museum at ,versailles7 ,this picture possesses a curious interest because it shows in what a picturesque manner ,grme could execute a painting officially ordered4 ,he received the commission in #ahfe1 through the ,imperial ,household4 ,he has rendered with much felicity all the pompous and highly coloured aspect of the scene1 very effective in the sumptuous setting of the ,salle des ,ftes at ,fontainebleau4 ,although it is some years since he passed away1 ,grme has left behind him living memories among his friends and pupils1 many of whom have in their turn become masters4 ,both as man and as artist he was and still continues to be profoundly regretted1 independently of all divergences of opinion1 method1 and temperament4 ,a master of oriental lore1 a curious and subtle antiquarian1 a chronicler of ancient and modern life1 rigorous at times1 but more often distinguished for his charm and delicacy1--such is ,grme as he has revealed himself to us through the medium of his abundant works4 ,whether he paints us the men of the ,desert and the almas of ,egypt1 or shows us the gladiators of the ,circus1 the death of ,caesar1 the leisure hours of ,frederick ,,ii1 the dreams of a ,bonaparte1 or takes us to the ,winter ,duel in the ,bois de ,boulogne after the ,masked ,ball1 a picture that achieved much popularity1 ,grme never fails to catch and hold attention by startling contrasts of colour combined with a fine accuracy of line work4 ,but what matter the means through which an effect is sought if they prove successful both in the general impression produced by the work as a whole and in the charm of the separate details1--in other words1 if the result justifies the effort8 ,effort1 in ,grme's case1 meant literally a valiant and noble persistence4 ,he was ceaselessly in search of something new4 ,in spite of assured fame1 he never repainted the same subject4 ,during the later years of his life1 his ambition was to be at the same time an illustrious painter and a sculptor of recognized merit2 and in this he succeeded4 ,his attempt to revive1 after a fashion of his own1 the precious lost art of antique sculpture1 although greeted with a wide divergence of opinions1 remains a noteworthy achievement4 ,on the eve of his eightieth year and abrupt decease1 ,grme still laboured with the ardour and the splendid faith of youth4 ,he sets an encouraging example1 as fine and as stimulating as the best of his splendid pictures4 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,g,r,,me ,jean-,lon ,grme was born at ,vesoul on ,may #aa1 #ahbd4 ,throughout his life he retained a slight trace of the ,franche-,compt accent1 which gave a keener relish to his witty anecdotes and piquant retorts4 ,he belonged to a family holding an honoured place among the bourgeoisie4 ,his excellent biographer1 ,m4 ,moreau-,vauthier1 relates that his grandfather was on the point of taking orders when the ,revolution broke out4 ,his father was a watchmaker and goldsmith at ,vesoul4 ,as a child1 he himself was in delicate health4 ,nevertheless1 he proved himself a good student at the college in the city of his birth4 ,while there he studied both ,greek and ,latin4 ,his instructor in drawing1 ,cariage1 having noticed his early efforts1 gave him much good advice and encouragement4 ,at the age of fourteen1 he copied a picture by ,decamps1 which had found its way to ,vesoul from ,paris4 ,the story goes that his father forthwith favoured the idea that he should take up the vocation of an artist4 ,there is no use in exaggerating4 ,as a matter of fact1 his family dreaded the hardships of so hazardous a career4 ,but1 upon receiving his bachelor's degree at the age of sixteen1 a degree which at that epoch was by no means common1 he obtained permission to go to the capital and pursue his studies under the auspices of ,paul ,delaroche1 to whom he was provided with a letter of introduction4 ,it is pleasant to picture the young man setting forth alone by diligence and applying himself bravely to the task of acquiring talent and renown4 ,he was most faithful in his attendance at the studio of ,delaroche1 who1 being the son-in-law of ,horace ,vernet1 possessed at that time not only a wide reputation as professor1 but also an enormous influence both at the cole des ,beaux-,arts and at the court of ,louis-,philippe4 ,delaroche1 who has aptly been called the ,casimir ,delavigne of painting1 a romanticist who stopped short of being a revolutionary1 parted company with the cold traditionalists of the older school in the profound importance that he attached to accuracy and to the truth and interest of movement4 ,grme was destined to draw his inspiration from analogous principles4 ,while interesting himself profoundly in costumes1 in surroundings1 in local colour1 he always avoided excess and maintained an almost classic restraint even in the most modern of his fantasies4 ,delaroche's pupils were a lively set4 ,grme found life pleasant in the studio where ,cham amused himself by passing himself off upon strangers as the patron1 and where his comrades were such men as ,alfred ,arago1 ,hbert1 ,hamon1 ,jalabert1 ,landelle1 ,picou1 and ,yvon4 ,he won their regard by his flow of spirits and his caustic humour4 ,at this period he supported himself by copying paintings and making drawings for the newspapers2 but1 although a small monthly income of a hundred francs assured him comparative security1 he was uneasy4 ,although only eighteen1 the young man was impatient to show what he could do4 ,he was seeking his path4 ,he took his first step towards finding it when he accompanied his teacher to ,italy after the latter had closed his studio4 ,he remained there for an entire year4 ,upon his return1 he studied for a time under ,gleyre1 after which he worked for some months on ,delaroche's ,bonaparte ,crossing the ,alps4 ,in #ahdg1 ,grme made his dbut at the ,salon with a veritable master-stroke4 ,at an exposition where ,delacroix's ,shipwrecked ,bark and ,couture's ,roman ,orgy monopolized the public gaze1 the young artist attracted keen attention by his ,young ,greeks ,engaged in ,cock ,fighting4 ,thophile ,gautier enthusiastically proclaimed the merits of this work1 which brought ,grme much valued praise and some influential supporters4 ,we shall revert again to this significant canvas1 which since #ahgd has hung in the ,luxembourg ,museum1 and with which the artist1 when he later attained full mastery of his art1 found all manner of fault4 ,the first meeting between this painter of twenty-three1 upon whom renown had just begun to smile1 and ,gautier1 magnanimous prince of criticism and poetry1 took place under circumstances that deserve to be recorded4 ,grme was betaking himself to the offices of the ,artiste1 at that time presided over by ,arsne ,houssaye2 in his hand he held a line drawing of his own recent idyll of classic times4 ,on the staircase he encountered ,gautier who had paused there1 and who began to talk to him in glowing terms of the ,salon and especially of a painting by a newcomer1 named ,grme4 ,but that is ,i1 myself6 cried the young man with keen emotion1 and he showed his drawing to the author of ,enamels and ,cameos4 ,continuing to draw his inspiration from antiquity1 he set to work with a stouter heart1 in a studio on the ,rue de ,fleurus1 which he shared with ,hamon and ,picou1 associating with artists and with musicians such as ,lalo and ,membre4 ,his labours were twice interrupted3 first1 by an attack of typhoid fever1 through which his mother came to nurse him2 and secondly1 by the ,revolution of #ahdh when1 in compliance with the expressed desire of his comrades1 he was appointed adjutant major of the ,national ,guards4 ,it was about this same period that he received a first class medal and found himself well advanced upon the road to fame4 ,i have always had the nomadic instinct1 ,grme used to declare1 and complacently questioned whether he did not have a strain of gypsy blood among his ancestors4 ,in his notes and souvenirs1 which he entrusted to his relative and friend1 the painter ,timbal1 he confesses1 along with his various artistic scruples1 his passionate love of travel4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii4--,,anacreon ,,with ,,bacchus ,,and ,,cupid ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in the ,museum at ,toulouse7 ,grme had a magic brush that permitted him to undertake all types of painting with the same facility4 ,this is how he so often happened to treat subjects taken from antiquity and was able to render them in all their classic beauty4 ,it is not without interest to compare him1 in this style of painting1 with ,nicholas ,poussin1 whom he admired1 and with ,puvis de ,chavannes1 whose method he execrated4 ,he was haunted by a longing to visit ,greece1 and more especially the ,orient1 with its marvellous skies1 its resplendent colours1 its barbaric and motley races of men4 ,in #ahec1 in the company of a number of friends1 he traversed ,germany and ,hungary1 planning a lengthy visit to ,constantinople4 ,owing to the war1 he was forced to cut short his trip at ,galatz4 ,but he brought back a collection of energetic and striking sketches of ,russian soldiers1 which later served good purpose in his ,recreation in ,camp1 ,souvenir of ,moldavia4 ,and in like manner1 in all his distant journeyings1 he invariably showed the same eagerness to seize and transcribe his original documents1 content to let them speak for themselves1 without his having to distort them to fit the special purpose that he had in view4 ,this painting found a place in the exposition of #ahee1 together with ,the ,age of ,augustus1 a notable achievement in which ,grme revealed the measure1 if not of his true personality1 at least of his lofty conscience and his integrity as an artist enamoured of accuracy and truth1 even in the imaginary element inseparable from this type of allegorical apotheosis4 ,notwithstanding a few dissenting opinions1 these two works were judged at their true value1 and ,grme received the cross of the ,legion of ,honour4 ,at this time he was scarcely more than thirty years old4 ,a most brilliant career henceforth lay open before him4 ,grme remains1 beyond question1 the unrivalled painter of ,egypt1 whose aspects1 enchanting and sinister alike1 he has reproduced in a series of pictures of finished workmanship and vibrant colouring4 ,it was in #ahef that1 together with a few friends1 among others ,bartholdi1 then twenty-two years old1 he undertook his long tour through ,egypt4 ,to-day1 one can go to ,cairo or up the ,nile as casually as to ,nice or ,italy and with almost as little trouble4 ,in those days it was not a question of a simple excursion1 of which any and every amateur tourist would be capable1 but of a veritable expedition4 ,unforeseen adventures appealed to ,grme1 for he was brave1 energetic1 and eager for new sensations4 ,m4 ,frdric ,masson1 the eminent historian1 who was one of his companions through the desert1 has since shown him to us1 in a series of graphic recollections1 as perpetually on his feet1 indefatigable1 ready to endure any and every vicissitude for the sake of sketching a site or a silhouette4 ,his stay in ,egypt was for ,grme a period of enchantment4 ,he has left1 in regard to it1 some hasty but expressive notes4 ,he passed four months on the ,nile1 well filled months1 consecrated to fishing1 hunting1 and painting1 all the way from ,diametta to ,philae4 ,he remained the four succeeding months at ,cairo1 in an old dwelling that ,suliman ,pasha rented to the young ,frenchmen4 ,happy epoch6 wrote the painter1 ,care-free1 full of hope1 and with the future before us4 ,the sky was blue4 ,he returned to ,paris with an ample harvest of sketches1 a supply of curious1 novel1 and striking themes to work up4 ,m4 ,moreau-,vauthier shows him to us at that period of his existence1 full of unflagging energy and pleasant enthusiasm1 in the company of ,brion1 ,lambert1 ,schutzenberger1 and ,toulmouche1--not to forget his monkey ,jacques1 who took his place at the family table arrayed in coat and white cravat1 but would slink away and hide himself in shame when1 as a punishment for some misdeed1 they decked him out as a ragpicker4 ,what jolly parties were held in that ,tea ,chest1 in which ,grme then had his studio1 ,rue de ,notre-,dame-des-,champs6 ,it was the scene of many a festival1 entertainment1 and joyous puppet show1 attended by spectators such as ,rachel 7whose portrait ,grme painted in #ahfa71 her sister1 ,george ,sand1 ,baudry1 ,cabanel1 ,hbert1 and others4 ,this was1 nevertheless1 an epoch of prolific work and constant research4 ,grme passed ceaselessly from one type of painting to another2 one might say that he rested from his exotic landscapes by evoking1 with an ever new lavishness of detail1 curious or affecting scenes from ,greek and ,roman antiquity4 ,thus rewards and successes multiplied1 and he experienced all the joys of triumph4 ,already honorary member of the ,academy of ,besanon1 he was appointed professor at the cole des ,beaux-,arts in #ahfc1 and in #ahfe1 member of the ,institut1 where he succeeded ,heim4 ,meanwhile he fought a duel with revolvers and was gravely wounded4 ,his mother hastened once again to his bedside and saved his life a second time4 ,since the ball had passed through his right arm1 complications affecting his hand were feared4 ,the artist declared that if necessary he would learn to paint with his left4 ,no sooner was he cured than off he started again1 bound for ,egypt1 whence he passed to ,arabia and1 more venturesome than ever1 continued on his way1 as one of his biographers phrased it1 making sketches clear to the summit of ,mt4 ,sinai4 ,he was destined to make still other journeys1 notably that of #ahfh in company of ,messrs4 ,bonnet1 ,frdric ,masson1 and ,lenoir2 and his companions paid tribute to his unfailing spirits and his powers of endurance4 ,but at the age of forty he married4 ,the bride was ,mlle4 ,goupil1 daughter of the well-known picture dealer4 ,he was a thorough man of the world and a favoured guest of the ,duc d',aumale1 who appreciated his ready wit and bought his ,after the ,masquerade for the sum of #bj1jjj francs4 ,in #ahfe he received from the ,beaux-,arts and the ,imperial ,household an order for ,the ,reception of the ,siamese ,ambassadors at ,fontainebleau4 ,grme was also numbered among ,compigne's habitual visitors1 along with ,berlioz1 ,gustave ,dor1 ,guillaume1 ,merime1 ,viollet-le-,duc1 and others4 ,m4 ,moreau-,vauthier1 who with pious zeal has collected the more interesting anecdotes of his life1 relates that he had a special gift for organizing charades3 he was scene setter and costumer4 ,at ,fontainebleau1 he took the ,empress out alone in a row-boat4 ,surrounded by devoted friends1 such as ,augier1 ,charles ,blanc1 ,dumas1 ,clery1 his brother-in-law1 ,frmiet1 ,grme continued his laborious and tranquil life in his vast atelier on the ,boulevard de ,clichy4 ,his days were passed in drawing and painting in his canvases4 ,towards the end of the afternoon he would mount his horse and take a turn in the ,bois4 ,he exhibited annually up to the year of the war4 ,after that1 he lived in a sort of retirement until #ahgd1 when1 after a trip to ,algeria with ,g4 ,boulanger and ,poilpot1 he won a medal of honour4 ,a ,collaboration1 ,rex ,tibicen 7,the ,king ,flutist71 and ,his ,gray ,eminence1 exhibited simultaneously1 revealed him in full possession of his ingenious and many-sided art4 ,new and resounding triumphs awaited him at the ,exposition ,universelle of #ahgh1 where he first revealed himself as a sculptor4 ,as a matter of fact1 he had for a long time amused himself at modelling in clay4 ,he used to go to ,frmiet's studio to do his modelling1 and ,frmiet1 by way of exchange1 would come to paint in his4 ,his two groups1 ,gladiators and ,anacreon1 ,bacchus and ,cupid1 won him a second class medal to take its place beside the medal of honour he had previously received for his paintings4 ,that same year1 at the age of fifty-four1 he was raised to the rank of ,commander4 ,cham expressed the joy of all his friends by writing to him wittily3 ,i follow the example of your ribbon1 ,i fall upon your neck4 ,he was yet to gain still further honours3 a first class medal as sculptor1 in #ahha2 to be declared ,hors ,concours 7,not entered for ,competition7 at the ,expositions of #ahhi and #aijj2 and to be named ,grand ,officer of the ,legion of ,honour4 ,from #ahhj onward1 excepting for a few flying visits to ,spain and ,italy1 ,grme lived at his hotel in ,paris1 where he kept up a rather lavish establishment1 including horses and dogs1 up to the time of the successive deaths of his father and his son4 ,it was the latter for whose tomb he carved a touching figure of ,grief4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--,,pollice ,,verso ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,the scenes from ,roman antiquity repeatedly appealed to ,grme's talent1 notably in the case of the ,games of the ,circus1 the dramatic value and brilliant colour of which he fully appreciated4 ,in ,pollice ,verso1 he shows us the victorious gladiator1 who1 in order to know whether or not he is to despatch his adversary1 turns a questioning glance towards the ,vestals1 who invert their thumbs1 decreeing death for the vanquished and gasping opponent4 ,his studio at ,bougival held him for many a long day1 while the season lasted4 ,while there1 he worked with extraordinary assiduity1 barely giving himself time enough to appear among his guests and hastily swallow a few mouthfuls of the mid-day meal4 ,he owned at one time another country house at ,coulevon1 near ,vesoul1 but this he sold to one of his former pupils1 ,muenier4 ,he remained none the less the chief pride of his native town1 where1 even during the artist's life1 there was a street bearing the name of ,grme4 ,his favourite summering place1 however1 was in the heart of ,normandy at ,saint-,martin1 near to ,pont-,lvque1 where he possessed a delightful property4 ,he is a charming man1 of rare integrity and fascination4 ,very simple1 too1 like all men of real power1 who need not exert themselves in order to prove their strength4 ,it is after this fashion that ,m4 ,jules ,claretie sums him up in his exquisite study of ,contemporary ,painters and ,sculptors4 ,m4 ,frdric ,masson1 his faithful friend1 has drawn the following excellent portrait of ,grme3 ,a head firmly set upon a long neck1 features vigorously modelled in acute angles1 sunken cheeks1 complexion bronzed1 eyes brilliant and strangely black1 moustache obstinate and bristling1 hair almost kinky1 and sprouting in massive clumps1 444 a straight nose set in a lean face1 444 figure exceedingly slender and flexible1 waist medium1 but well modelled4 ,such he appears in his painting of himself as a sculptor in his studio1 absorbed1 in his alert and perennially youthful old age1 by his new task of making polychrome statues4 ,m4 ,aim ,morot1 his son-in-law1 has shown him to us in his intimate life1 simple1 natural1 and at one and the same time alert and caustic4 ,we find him also thoroughly alive in the fine bust by ,carpeaux and in the medal by ,chaplain1 now in the ,luxembourg4 ,m4 ,dagnan-,bouveret saw him under another aspect4 ,in the portrait he has given us1 we have the master authoritatively proclaiming his convictions4 ,this distinguished artist1 by the way1 was formerly a pupil of ,grme's4 ,one day when he was complimenting the latter upon his method of teaching1 ,grme replied1 in his loud1 assertive voice3 ,when ,i undertake to do a thing1 ,i do it to the very end4 ,i am a man with a sense of duty4 ,as professor at the cole des ,beaux-,arts he continued to fulfil his duty for a period of forty years4 ,while conducting his classes he showed himself grave and stern1 even sardonic when so inclined4 ,in front of a canvas too thickly coated1 he would exclaim3 ,the paint shop man will be pleased2 or perhaps he would move around to get a side view and then play upon his words1 saying3 ,how that picture stands out6 ,he had a good many foreigners in his studio1 ,spaniards such as ,la ,gandara1 ,americans like ,bridgman and ,harrison1 and ,russians such as the celebrated and courageous ,verestschagen who1 according to ,m4 ,lon ,coutil1 declared1 in speaking of ,grme1 ,next to my dear ,skobelof1 he is the most resolute man that ,i have ever met4 ,grme was frank and unreserved in his opinions4 ,having become1 so to speak1 the official representative of ,french painting1 he was exposed to repeated attacks4 ,he did not hesitate to flout unmercifully and to pursue with a veritable hatred such artists as had adopted formulas opposed to his own1--and among them some of the biggest and the ones least open to discussion4 ,m4 ,besnard1 who was not a pupil of his1 nevertheless owed him his ,prix de ,rome4 ,many were the circumstances under which he showed his energetic firmness2 for example1 when the ,prince de la ,moskowa wished to fix a quarrel on him and prevent him from exhibiting ,the ,death of ,mareschal ,ney1 he evoked this noble declaration from ,grme3 ,the painter has his rights as much as the historian4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v4--,,the ,,prisoner ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in the ,museum of ,nantes7 ,grme had travelled extensively in the ,east1 for he loved its vigorous colouring and picturesque customs4 ,here is a scene glimpsed from the banks of the ,nile1 and he has transcribed it in this superb picture1 vibrant with colour and harmonious in composition4 ,and when a prominent politician criticised the official curriculum without proposing anything to take its place1 it was1 according to ,m4 ,moreau-,vauthier1 again ,grme who replied3 ,gentlemen1 it is easier to be an incendiary than a fireman6 ,this firmness1 however1 did not prevent him1 so this same biographer points out1 from being sensitive to such a degree that he could not bear to watch a cat of ,frmiet's preparing to devour a nest of sparrows4 ,he used to bring champagne and dainty viands as presents to his pupils4 ,his humour1 so ,m4 ,moreau-,vauthier goes on to say1 served as a mask to hide his sentiment4 ,poilpot1 to whom ,grme was destined later to give useful counsels for his panorama of ,reischoffen1 was working prior to #ahgj in his studio4 ,one day he went to show him some drawings4 ,his master1 having looked him over1 inquired3 ,so1 then1 you have no shirt8 ,no1 patron1 he replied1 ,i never wear any4 ,the next day1 ,poilpot received a commission for a copy of an official portrait of ,napoleon ,,iii1 together with an advance payment of #fjj francs4 ,this pretty anecdote does as much honour to the pride of the one as to the delicacy of the other4 ,grme sincerely loved the youth1 the fantasy1 the gaiety of ,france1 and more especially of ,paris4 ,one perceives it in reading the sparkling preface which he wrote for ,m4 ,miguel ,zamacos' ,articles of ,paris1 blithely illustrated by ,m4 ,guillaume4 ,he was not too proud to appear at costume balls1 nor to continue to take an interest in them even after he had ceased to attend them4 ,he once put his name to a picturesque sign for a doll shop in the ,old ,paris exhibit at the ,exposition4 ,for an advertisement contest he painted a dog wearing a monocle1 with this amusing inscription and play on words1 ,o pti cien 7#j petit chien1 i4e41 ,o little dog74 ,he amused himself by sending to a toy competition1 organized by the prefect of police1 a little ,pompeiian saleswoman holding a basket of various toys1 and a diminutive police officer brandishing a white club4 ,grme had always wished for a sudden and brusque death1 without physic and without night-cap4 ,he was spared both physical and moral decline4 ,at the age of seventy-nine he climbed the stairs1 four steps at a time1 and sprang upon moving omnibuses running4 ,he died suddenly of a cerebral congestion1 on his return from a dinner which he had attended together with his colleagues of the ,institut1 ,january #aj1 #aijd4 ,,the ,,artist',s ,,work ,it is difficult to enumerate in detail all the works of ,grme1 whose originality and energy were inexhaustible4 ,only a short time before his death he declared that with the help of the sketches contained in his cupboards he had material enough to keep him busy for twenty-five years longer4 ,instead of attempting to draw up a chronological list of his paintings1 which would be only approximately correct1 even if limited to the more important1 it is more profitable to study this conscientious artist under his principal aspects4 ,although he made some talented attempts1 ,grme neither was nor wished to be a portrait painter1 any more than a painter of modern life4 ,he had1 however1 as has been pointed out1 all the necessary qualities for this type which demands so much precision and assurance4 ,in ,the ,emperor ,napoleon ,,iii ,receiving the ,siamese ,ambassadors at the ,palace of ,fontainebleau1 now in the museum at ,versailles1 there are eighty portraits4 ,the artist has represented himself1 side by side with ,meissonier1 and the story is told that a certain general accorded him a sitting of only ten minutes4 ,besides the large and somewhat sombre portrait of ,rachel1 which adorns the ,stairway of ,artists at the ,comdie-,franaise1 and which was painted from existing likenesses and from memory1 there is scarcely anything else to cite than the portrait of his brother while a student in the ,polytechnic ,school1 a ,head of a ,woman 7#ahec1 at the museum of ,nantes71 those of ,m4 ,leblond1 at ,vesoul1 mentioned by ,m4 ,guillaumin1 of ,m4 ,a4 ,t4 7#ahfd71 of ,clry1 the great lawyer1 and of ,charles ,garnier1 the celebrated architect of the ,opra4 ,as a sculptor1 ,grme has left some admirable busts1 among others those of ,mme4 ,sarah ,bernhardt1 bequeathed to the ,national ,museum1 of ,general ,cambriels1 of ,henri ,lavoix1 the ,monument of ,paul ,baudry destined for ,la ,roche-sur-,yon1 and1 most important of all1 the ,equestrian ,statue of the ,duc d',aumale1 which is now to be seen at ,chantilly1 and the model for which is at the museum of ,besanon4 ,grme had a sincere and profound love for antiquity2 with him it was not the enjoyment of a contemplative mind1 a tranquil amateur art1 but that of an historian1 an archaeologist coupled with the instinct of a dramatist1 a psychologue1 let us say1 who is eager to discover1 in any scene whatever1 in the graceful or violent gestures of such and such personages of bygone days1 some general application4 ,he was certainly most anxious to suggest interesting or amusing parallels to modern life1 for1 in spite of the dissimilarity of the settings1 the tinsels1 the decorations1 over which the artist laboured with an almost devout care of minute detail1 human nature to-day is always more or less close to the human nature of ,greece or ,rome4 ,exhibit that picture1 it will bring you honour1 said ,paul ,delaroche to his pupil1 who had shown him1 with much misgiving1 the ,young ,greeks ,occupied in ,cock ,fighting4 ,it shows originality and style4 ,and that was his first success 7#ahdg74 ,the grace of the young figures won much admiration4 ,planche praised the harmony of the composition as a whole4 ,as to ,thophile ,gautier1 he showed himself1 as we have already said1 highly enthusiastic2 he declared that the features of the boy were drawn with extreme subtlety4 ,as to the cocks1 he added1 they are true prodigies of drawing1 animation1 and colour2 neither ,snyders1 nor ,woenic1 nor ,oudry1 nor ,desportes1 nor ,rousseau1 nor any of the known animal painters have attained1 after twenty years of labour1 the perfection which ,m4 ,grme has reached at the first attempt4 ,let us note immediately that ,grme was1 as a matter of fact1 a very great painter of animals4 ,his dogs1 his horses1 and his lions are the work of a masterly observer4 ,closely following upon the ,cock ,fight1 we must recall ,anacreon with ,bacchus and ,cupid 7#ahdh1 ,toulouse ,museum7 which ,grme himself characterized as a lifeless picture1 and which nevertheless earned him a second class medal4 ,later on he was destined to treat this same subject in marble 7,salon of #ahha74 ,the polished and somewhat affected grace of ,anacreon must have especially pleased the painter1 because in #ahhi he produced a whole series of compositions of delicious daintiness1 entitled ,cupid ,tipsy4 ,on the same order of ideas1 mention must be made of ,bacchus and ,cupid ,intoxicated 7#ahej1 ,bordeaux ,museum71 and in addition to these1 under the head of what may be called his ,hellenic canvases1--in which he succeeded in conjuring up with magic skill the splendours and graces of that immortal mother of letters and arts1 ,greece beloved by the gods1--the following pictures1 ,the ,idyll 7#ahec71 full of charm and solid erudition2 ,the ,greek ,interior 7#ahef71 of sure and penetrating art2 ,king ,candaules 7#ahei71 in which the sumptuous beauty of ,nyssia illumines the bed-chamber of a ,heraclid1 #gjj years ,b4,c41 and in which the interest of the picturesque anecdote is enhanced by the artist's marvellous documentary knowledge4 ,in the same group must be mentioned ,phryne before the ,tribunal 7#ahfa1 rexhibited in #ahfg71 of charming subtlety1 but with a little too much emphasis1 perhaps1 on the irony of its psychology2 and1 of course1 ,socrates ,seeking ,alcibiades at the ,house of ,aspasia1 analogous in inspiration1 and1 as it happens1 belonging to the same year2 and lastly ,daphnis and ,chloe 7#ahih74 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi4--,,the ,,last ,,prayer ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,the amphitheatre is filled to overflowing with the crowd that has gathered to witness the martyrdom of the ,christians4 ,around the vast circle1 unhappy victims agonize upon the cross4 ,in one corner of the arena1 a group of men and women1 condemned to die1 confess their new faith in an ardent prayer1 while from the opened subterraneous passage the ravenous beasts are advancing upon their human prey4 ,italy also1 with all her memories1 furnished ,grme with scenes of striking contrast1 evoked from the vanished past1 spectacles at once sumptuous and barbaric4 ,he caught this atmosphere with rare felicity4 ,paestum 7#ahea7 commands attention because of its group of buffaloes1 which the ,goncourts praised for their ponderous weight of head1 the solidity of their huge bulk1 the grouping of their attitudes1 the shagginess of their coats1 the prevailing sense of grateful coolness4 ,it is necessary to assign a place apart1 in this series1 for the ,augustan ,age1 ,birth of ,christ 7#ahee1 ,amiens ,museum74 ,in his own private opinion1 confided to his cousin ,timbal1 ,grme held that this enormous composition1 measuring ten metres in length by seven in height1 lacked inventiveness and originality4 ,it is true that the artist's personality is not clearly revealed in this picture1 which is a sort of vast commentary on a phrase by ,bossuet1 and indisputably draws its inspiration from the ,apotheosis of ,homer by ,ingres4 ,nevertheless1 no one can dispute its noble qualities1 and to borrow a phrase from ,thophile ,gautier1 its high philosophic significance4 ,beside ,augustus ,caesar deified appears ,rome1 in the form of a woman1 helmeted1 armed with a buckler1 and clad in a red chlamys2 then ,tiberius1 standing on the right1 then statesmen and poets1 ,caesar1 ,cleopatra1 ,anthony1 ,brutus1 and ,cassius grouped together2 lastly the throng of all nations on their knees1 admirably rendered4 ,in the centre1 relatively unimportant in this immense assemblage1 are the ,virgin ,mary1 the ,infant ,jesus1 and ,st4 ,joseph1 treated in a curious fashion1 modelled on the manner of ,giotto4 ,it is the chief ornament of the ,amiens ,museum1 ,grme would say jestingly2 for he had largely lost respect for this prolonged and important effort which represented two years' work of a serious and diligent student of history4 ,the two flawless masterpieces of ,grme1 the eloquent interpreter of ancient ,rome1 are unquestionably his ,ave ,caesar1 ,morituri te ,salutant 7#ahei71 purchased by ,mathews1 in which1 in the presence of a bloated1 overfed ,vitellius1 sitting pacifically in his imperial box1 not far from the white ,vestals1 crowned with verbena1 gladiators are fighting and dying in the circus1 and ,pollice ,verso 7#ahgd7 in which these same gladiators are represented1 no longer as ,roman soldiers1 but in the exact costume that they wear at the moment when the ,emperor and the crowd1 ravenous for carnage1 turn down their thumbs as signal for the death stroke4 ,this work1 published by ,goupil1 did not appear at the ,salon4 ,we must cite further ,gaius ,maximus1 the ,chariot ,race1 which aroused legitimate enthusiasm in ,america2 ,the ,wild ,beasts ,entering the ,arena 7#aijb7 and we must not forget that ,grme also expended his energy as a sculptor upon these same attractive gladiatorial figures4 ,striking and pathetic contrast is also earnestly striven for and strongly rendered in ,the ,death of ,caesar 7#ahei1 #ahfg74 ,one almost needs to be an incomparable stage manager in order to show the body of ,caesar after this fashion1 in the foreground1 in the chamber deserted by the ,senators2 one ,conscript ,father1 as a touch of satire1 has fallen asleep4 ,the effect is powerful1 even though it has been sought for with too obvious care4 ,undoubtedly ,nadar had the laugh on his side when he compared the body of ,caesar to a bundle of linen and called the picture ,the ,day of the ,washerwoman4 ,grme appreciated the humour of this pleasantry4 ,it is equally true that ,baudelaire applauded the picture1 exclaiming3 ,certainly this time ,m4 ,grme's imagination has outdone itself2 it passed through a fortunate crisis when it conceived of ,caesar alone1 stretched upon the ground before his overturned throne 444 this terrible epitome tells everything4 ,the clever erudition of the painter1 who had already revealed himself as an adherent of the so-called group of ,pompeiians1 in the ,gyneceum 7#ahej71--;in which we perceive a group of nude women in the court of a house in ,herculaneum1--asserts itself once more1 coupled with an incisive touch of epigram in ,two ,augurs ,unable to ,look at ,each ,other ,without ,laughing1 and similarly in the ,cave ,canem1 now at ,vesoul 7in front of a ,roman house a slave is playing the role of watch dog71 in the ,sale of ,slaves at ,rome 7#ahhd71 etc4 ,a similar ingenuity1 with greater amplitude1 constitutes the charm and the surprise of ,cleopatra and ,caesar 7#ahhf74 ,cleopatra has had herself brought into ,caesar's cabinet in the palace at ,alexandria1 concealed in a bundle of clothing4 ,her appearance there1 said ,maxime du ,camp1 who also praised the interest of the accessories1 treated with exquisite care1 is perfectly chaste1 in spite of her nudity4 ,all the details are executed with a masterly command of picturesqueness and accuracy4 ,as a religious painter ,grme has to his credit the ,virgin1 ,infant ,jesus1 and ,st4 ,john 7#ahdh71 a youthful work imitated from ,perugino1 a ,st4 ,george1 in the church of ,saint-,georges at ,vesoul1 a ,st4 ,martin ,cutting his ,mantle1 in the ancient refectory of ,saint-,martin-des-,champs1 a ,death of ,st4 ,jerome 7#ahgh7 at ,saint-,sverin1 a ,moses on ,mt4 ,sinai1 and ,the ,plague at ,marsailles1 and1 most important of all1 ,golgotha ,consummatum ,est1 intensely lugubrious and symbolic in aspect1 with ,christ and the two thieves appearing1 through the desolate atmosphere1 like writhing shadows on the cross4 ,this conception cost the author a violent diatribe from ,veuillot1 while ,edmund ,about1 although making certain reservations1 wrote on the other side3 ,the entire sum of qualities that are distinctive of ,m4 ,grme will be found in this picture4 ,as a painter of exotic life ,grme remains an observer of the highest order4 ,if he has not wholly revealed ,italy to us in his ,guardians of the ,herd and his ,pifferari 7#ahee1 #aheg71 he has at least done so in the case of ,egypt1 still deeply impregnated with an ancient and splendid civilization1 nave and at the same time venerable1 ,egypt before the advent of tourists1 a luminous land where the ,nile and the ,desert reign supreme1 a land of magnificence and of savagery4 ,landscapes of this ,egypt of poetic mystery1 and of ,palestine as well1 childish or perverse almas1 rude ,albanian ,chiefs1 ,turbaned ,turks1--one never wearies of these decorative effects1 these clear visions1 these scenes of animation1 whether violent or delicate1 the people1 the vegetation1 the fabrics1 all resplendent under the marvellous sky of the ,orient4 ,in the company of this intrepid1 venturesome and observant traveller1 we witness the passage of ,egyptian ,recruits ,crossing the ,desert1 we are present at ,prayers in the ,house of an ,albanian ,chief1 we pause in the ,plain of ,thebes1 not far from ,memmon and ,sesostris1 and we watch the ,camels at the ,drinking ,trough1 so admirably realized4 ,grme1 who had a gift for finding the right and pleasing phrase1 gave this rather neat definition of a camel3 ,the ,ship of the ,sea of ,sand4 ,similarly1 the ,egyptian ,straw-chopper 7#ahfa1 again exhibited in #ahfg1 and purchased by ,m4 ,werl7 symbolizes1 simply yet forcefully1 agricultural ,egypt1 and all the varied shadings of her pastoral poetry4 ,then again1 there is ,the ,prisoner 7#ahfc71 in which a boat is making its way along the vast and pacific ,nile4 ,two negro oarsmen1 the master1 a bashibazouk1 are in the prow2 and in the stern1 beside a buffoon1 who apparently derides him1 while twanging the strings of a guitar1 the prisoner lies cross-wise1 fast bound1 and abandons himself to his cruel destiny4 ,there1 in a setting of enchanted beauty1 we have the chief actors in this original drama1 in which dream and reality are blended4 ,what a horde of types1 some of them bizarre1 others simply comic6 ,there are1 taking them as they come1 a ,turkish ,butcher in ,jerusalem 7#ahfc71 ,the ,alma 7,professional ,singing ,girl--#ahfd71 ,the ,slaves in the ,market ,place1 ,the ,clothing ,merchant at ,cairo1 ,the ,albanians ,playing ,chess 7#ahfg71 ,the ,itinerant ,merchant at ,cairo 7#ahfi74 ,then there is the ,promenade of the ,harem1 and still others1 the ,santon 7,turkish ,monk7 at the ,door of the ,mosque and ,women at the ,bath 7#ahgf71 the ,arab and his ,courser and ,the ,return from the ,hunt 7#ahgh74 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii4--,,the ,,vendor ,,of ,,rugs ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,from his numerous journeys to the ,east1 ,grme brought back many curious memoranda of picturesque scenes1 which he subsequently converted into brilliant canvases4 ,he excelled in reproducing the caressing beauty of shimmering carpets and the rippling sheen of silken textures4 ,in the company of this experienced and reliable guide1 we wander from ,jerusalem 7#ahfh7 to the ,great ,bath at ,broussa 7#ahhe71 from a ,corner of ,cairo to ,medinet and ,fayoum4 ,here we have the severed heads in the ,mosque of ,el ,hecanin1 the nude woman in the ,moorish ,bath1 all the barbarity and all the grace of the ,orient1--and invariably the anecdote1 whether agreeable or sinister1 blends with the matchless splendour of the landscape4 ,to this list must be added ,recreation in ,camp1 a ,souvenir of ,moldavia 7,salon of #ahed71 in which a soldier is dancing before his assembled comrades1 to the sound of drums1 fifes1 and violins4 ,a sentinel keeps watch4 ,it is a picture taken in the act1 and intensely real4 ,it is easy to detect the historian1 or1 to adopt the expression of ,m4 ,jules ,claretie1 the ,memoir ,maker1 possessed of the true gift1 agreeable and individual1 lurking behind every one of the works of this authoritative orientalist4 ,he dedicated himself quite naturally and with great success to the interpretation of history and of the historic and literary anecdote4 ,his love of contrasts1 his gift for depicting locality and somehow conveying the very atmosphere belonging to the varied scenes that are to be brought before the spectator's eye1 give amplitude to such attractive little compositions as ,louis ,,xiv4 and ,molire 7#ahfc71 and ,a ,collaboration 7#ahgd72 evoke the whole sombre tragedy of the death of ,marchal ,ney1 ,december #g1 #ahae1 ,nine o'clock in the ,morning 7#ahfh72 and appeal successively to our curiosity1 our sympathy1 or our admiration1 with a ,frederick ,,ii41 conqueror of ,silesia1 playing on his flute1 the ,king ,flutist 7#ahgd1 purchased by ,m4 ,h4 ,oppenheim71 ,his ,gray ,eminence 7#ahgd71 in which the austere and dominant ,father ,joseph is making his way alone1 down the stairway1 in the presence of the obsequious courtiers2 a ,bonaparte day-dreaming before the ,sphinx1 ,oedipus 7#ahhf71 a ,bonaparte at ,cairo gazing at the town from the back of his ,arab horse1 a ,bonaparte in ,egypt1 mounted on a white dromedary1 dreaming of his omnipotence1 of his conquest of the universe1 and surrounded by his overdriven soldiers4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,grme made a sort of hero-worship of ,napoleon and the ,napoleonic epic1 resembling in this respect his friend1 ,m4 ,frdric ,masson1 the celebrated historian of the ,emperor1 who was better qualified than any other writer to pay an eloquent tribute to this ,bonaparte in ,egypt4 ,bonaparte is no longer on the road to ,syria1 he is on the road to ,india2 he is hesitating between the two halves of the world that he holds in his hands2 he is weighing the destiny of ,alexander against the destiny of ,csar2 he is asking himself whether ,asia1 to which he holds the key1 is a fair exchange for ,europe which he has just quitted2 and while his dream embraces the universe1 he leaves his human rubbish heap to suffer4 ,grme is wholly himself when he has an anecdote to give us1 whether it be subtle1 humorous1 kindly1 or dramatic1 and even1--why not use the word8--melodramatic4 ,classified thus1 ,the ,duel after the ,masquerade fully deserves its brilliant reputation4 ,reproduced1 not only in lithographs and engravings1 but even transferred to the theatre 7given at the ,gymnase1 in #ahha1 by ,mme4 ,fould71 its subject has become a matter of general knowledge4 ,it is winter in the ,bois de ,boulogne4 ,a number of people in fancy costume are bending over a wounded ,pierrot1 while one of the witnesses of this improvised duel is leading away the murderer1 the ,harlequin4 ,one can see at once what a tremendous appeal a subject like this would have for the general public4 ,this singular drama1 taking place in the snow1 all this joyousness ending in bloodshed and perhaps death1 is so fantastic that it leaves a lasting impression4 ,it was1 by the way1 as ,m4 ,guillaumin has explained1 suggested by an actual duel that took place between ,deluns-,montaud1 the ,harlequin1 and the ,prefect of ,police ,bortelle1 the ,pierrot4 ,undoubtedly there was1 and still is1 ground for criticism4 ,alexandre ,dumas thought1 not unreasonably1 that serious-minded men of that age would not go out to fight each other in such a costume4 ,edmond ,about criticized the pose of ,crispin supporting on his knee an entire group of spectators1 along with the body of poor ,pierrot4 ,but ,paul de ,saint-,victor praised the truthfulness of the postures1 the etching-like precision of the heads1 the wise planning of the whole composition4 ,in order to appreciate better the daring fantasy and the wise and invariably picturesque inventiveness of ,grme1 we have only to study further such works as the ,frieze destined to be reproduced upon a vase commemorative of the ,exposition of ,london 7#ahec71 ,rembrandt ,etching 7exhibited in #ahfg1 purchased by ,m4 ,e4 ,fould71 which has been admired for its golden half-shadows and freely compared to ,gerard ,dow1 the ,reception of the ,siamese ,ambassadors 7#ahfe71 ,the ,first ,kiss of the ,sun 7#ahhf71 the ,poet1 ,thirst 7#ahhh71 and fantasies1 such as1 ,the ,amateur of ,tulips1 ,whoever you are1 here is your ,master2 anecdotal portraits throwing side lights on history1 such as3 ,they are ,conspiring1 or ,not ,convenient1 ,louis ,,xi4 visiting ,cardinal ,balue1 ,promenade of the ,court in the ,gardens of ,versailles 7#ahif72 animals full of life and prowess1 such as3 ,the ,lioness meeting a ,jaguar and ,ego nominor ,leo1 a lion rendered life size2 lastly1 his studio interiors1 in which he has chosen to depict himself exactly as he was1 that is to say1 a sincere1 clear-sighted1 and indefatigable workman4 ,in the most recent of these studio pictures1 he appears1 wearing a sculptor's blouse and occupied in modelling a statuette of a woman4 ,he astonished his friends and admirers1 during his last years1 by his earnest labours in sculpture4 ,his two groups1 ,the ,gladiators and ,anacreon1 ,bacchus and ,cupid1 claimed the attention of the public at the ,exposition of #ahgh2 and it was the same with his marble statue of ,omphale 7#ahhg71 his ,tanagra1 his ,dancing ,girl1 his bronze ,lion 7#ahij1 #ahia71 etc4 ,his efforts to revive the art of coloured or polychrome sculpture1 the so-called chryselephantine sculpture1 which invokes the aid of various precious elements1 constitute one of the most curious and important artistic experiments of modern times1 even though the result did not always come up to the expectation4 ,on ,february #b1 #ahib1 in an unpublished letter addressed to ,m4 ,germain ,bapst1 who desired information concerning the artist's experiment1 ,grme wrote3 ,i have always been struck with a sense of the coldness of statues if1 when the work is once finished1 it is left in its natural state4 ,i have already made some experiments and am continuing my efforts1 for ,i am anxious to bring before the eyes of the public a few demonstrations that ,i hope will be conclusive4 ,i know that there are a great many protests4 ,the world always protests against anything which is1 ,i will not merely say new1 but even renewed2 for it disturbs a good many people in their tranquillity and their routine4 ,and after having first shown that ancient architecture was adorned with colours and that in chryselephantine sculpture the ,greeks combined gold1 tin1 and ivory1 that they painted the marble and united it with various metals1 ,grme added3 ,shall ,i succeed8 ,at least ,i shall have the honour of having made the attempt4 ,in the interesting study which ,m4 ,germain ,bapst devoted to this question1 after having1 as we have seen1 consulted the artist himself1 he recalled the fact that both in chateaux and in churches the ,medival statuary was coloured4 ,in ,greece1 the ,minerva ,parthenos contained a weight of gold equivalent to more than #b1bjj1jjj francs in the ,french currency of to-day4 ,the statue of ,jupiter at ,olympus was partly of ivory and partly of gold4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4--,,the ,,two ,,majesties ,,pierre ,,lafitte ,,cie1 ,,paris 7,in a ,private ,collection1 ,united ,states7 ,in the mournful immensity of ,african solitudes1 the king of planets mounts towards the zenith1 darting his fires upon the arid land that he consumes1 while the other king of the desert1 the lion1 contemplates the triumphant ascension of his rival in the sky4 ,grme has rendered the scene with an eloquence all the greater because he has employed such simple means4 ,towards the middle of the nineteenth century1 the ,duc de ,luynes undertook1 in collaboration with the architect ,dubau1 to produce an example of chryselephantine sculpture1 which cost him more than #ejj1jjj francs and was placed on view at the ,exposition ,universelle held in the ,palais de l',industrie in #ahee4 ,grme in his turn made a like attempt1 in his ,bellona1 in which1 to remedy the cold immobility of the material1 he coloured both the ivory and the marble and at the same time invoked the aid of silver1 bronze1 gold1 and enamel4 ,he had associated with him several experienced collaborators1 such as ,m4 ,siot-,decauville1 who was to cast the face of ,bellona in bronze1 ,messrs4 ,moreau-,vauthier and ,delacour to point the ivory1 ,m4 ,gautruche to attend to the verde-antique and the electroplating4 ,lastly1 ,gall1 and ,m4 ,lalique as well1 made a number of trial models for the little head of ,medusa4 ,among the other examples of ,grme's sculpture1 mention must be made of ,the ,entrance of ,bonaparte into ,cairo 7#ahig71 ,bonaparte1 a bust 7#ahig71 ,timour-,lang1 the ,lion ,tamer 7#ahih71 ,frederick the ,great 7#ahii71 ,washington 7#aija71 ,the expiring ,eagle of ,waterloo1 ,the ,bowlers 7#aijb71 ,cupid the ,metallurgist1 a statue in bronze1 ,corinth1 a statue in polychrome marble and bronze 7#aijd74 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,g,r,,me ,if you wish to be happy1 ,grme used to say to his pupils1 remain students all your lives4 ,for his own part he applied himself ceaselessly to his studies1 trusting nothing to chance4 ,he had an extraordinarily methodical and orderly mind1 even in regard to the smallest details4 ,it is related that1 when he was absent on his travels1 he would notify his models several months in advance1 so that they would be on hand to pose for him in his studio1 from the very day of his arrival4 ,being partly a traditionalist and partly an independent1 he did not always possess the gift of pleasing the critics1 and he loved them none too well4 ,and when one of them asked him one day for a sketch1 he replied1 ,i do not pay to be applauded4 ,but he was exceedingly strict in his self-criticism4 ,in one of his notes entrusted to his relative ,timbal1 he wrote3 ,i am my own severest critic4444 ,i am under no delusion regarding my works4 ,on the other hand1 and it is well to dwell upon this in order to grasp his personality1 ,grme was far from being an eclectic4 ,of the work of ,puvis de ,chavannes he said with virulence3 ,it won't stand analysis1 it is a series of mannikins set on the ground all out of plumb1 and nothing seems to fit in4 ,and he made a play upon words by employing1 in place of ,puvis1 the ,latin word pulvis1 which signifies dust4 ,after his appointment as professor at the cole des ,beaux-,arts1 he did his best to have ,manet banished from it4 ,he couched his protest in the following energetic terms3 ,i am certain that ,manet was capable of painting good pictures4 ,but he chose to be the apostle of a decadent fashion1 the scrap-work school of art4 ,i1 for my part1 have been chosen by the ,state to teach the orthography of art to young students4444 ,i do not think it right to offer them as a model the extremely arbitrary and sensational work of a man who1 although gifted with rare qualities1 did not develop them4 ,in his opinion1 it would have been more suitable to exhibit such works in a bar-room than at the ,beaux-,arts4 ,m4 ,coutil relates that ,grme said further on this same subject3 ,the first merit a painting should have is to be luminous and alluring in colour1 and not dull and obscure4 ,he had1 for that matter1 no more tolerance for ,millet than for ,sisley1 ,monet1 and ,pissaro4 ,on one occasion1 he assured ,m4 ,jules ,claretie that if ,millet could return and again send his canvases to the ,salon1 he would refuse them over again6 ,and1 when his distinguished interlocutor protested1 ,oh1 come now1 ,grme1 you don't mean that6 he declared unhesitatingly1 ,i mean just that1 and nothing else4 ,messrs4 ,moreau-,vauthier and ,dagnan-,bouveret have given some very accurate and useful details regarding his methods of instruction and of work4 ,they have shown him to us at his task1 both as painter and professor4 ,he emphasized the importance of construction1 and of the character of the form1 rather than the form itself1 which is a matter of temperament4 ,he insisted that a scene must be visualized in its completeness1 as a harmonious and fully significant whole4 ,emile ,augier1 for instance1 with whom he felt no annoyance at being compared1 the excellent comedian1 ,got1 the younger ,dumas1 ,gounod1--all of these he loved for their absolute clarity1 and he demanded it of them4 ,he declared that one has no right to paint off-hand1 without a model2 and he also held that one has no right to make hasty1 careless sketches4 ,his method was distinguished by its scrupulous and admirable precision4 ,impeccable order always reigned in his studio4 ,m4 ,dagnan-,bouveret writes that his palette and brushes were scrupulously cared for4 ,he used to overspread his canvases with a uniform foundation of half-tones more or less warm or cold1 using preparations made by ,troigras4 ,he roughed in the whole picture very rapidly1 and this first rough draft1 according to connoisseurs1 was always extremely interesting4 ,in his paintings1 he proved that the strength of colouring is in inverse proportion to the intensity of light4 ,he had a marvellous faculty for making the delicate shadings of nature correspond with the psychological sentiments that their aspects evoke4 ,from this comes his amazing variety4 ,a man of wide reading and deep culture1 ,grme had a profound love for the truth1 for reality just as it is1 holding that it is the artist's first duty to know his place1 his time1 his episode1 and the one special angle of vision that will give the rarest and most fruitful results4 ,on the eve of his death1 he was still lauding the merits of photography1 which has the advantage of being able to snatch a document straight out of life1 without falsifying it by giving it a personal interpretation that must always be more or less inaccurate4 ,whatever allowance must be made for what we may call the personal equation of an artist1 his own individual temperament1 it is not unprofitable to recall this opinion of ,grme's1 for it helps us to acquire a better conception of his art1 based as it was upon accuracy and unwavering truth4 ,truth1 which he once depicted in her well1 killed by liars and mountebanks 7,mendacibus in histrionibus occisa in puteo jacet alma ,veritas1 ,salon of #ahie71 always charmed and inspired him4 ,he rendered it more attractive by his admirable sincerity1 by his chivalrous and imaginative spirit1 as well as by his archeological and ethnographic learning4 ,thanks to this lofty conscientiousness in research1 his work1 erudite and entertaining at the same time1 making distant and vanished civilizations live again1 and reproducing atmospheres and local settings with a delicacy that at times is a trifle specious1 but always incomparably picturesque1 cannot fail to please and charm to-day as it did yesterday1 and to-morrow as it does to-day4 ,accordingly1 it is with good reason that ,m4 ,soubies has lauded his fine attention to detail1 and that ,m4 ,thiebaut-,sisson has summed him up in the following terms3 ,the artist created his formula for himself4 ,he extracted from it the maximum effect that it contained4 ,and even while we glorify and venerate those painters gifted with a graver or more lyric vision1 a bolder or more laboured craftsmanship1 we must freely subscribe to the opinion of ,edmond ,about when he said of ,grme3 ,he is the subtlest1 the most ingenious1 the most brilliant 444 of his generation4 ,transcriber's note3 ,the following correction have been made3 p4 #ag honoured placed among - placed changed to place ,illustrations were moved to paragraph breaks and a missing comma was added4 ,everything else has been retained as printed 7including ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines74 ,italics is represented with underscore4