“I do not believe,” said he, “in working from an anatomical figure,
or in covering a horse with skin and hair after you have laid in his
muscles. You are apt to make prominent muscles which are not really
prominent. Once I soaked a horse with water, and took photographs of
him, to make a record of the muscles and tendons that really show.
They are practically few, except when in active use. In an art school
you learn little about a horse. The way which I approve is to place
a horse before you, study him and know him, and work till you have
reproduced him. No master, standing over your shoulder, can teach you
more than you can observe, if you have the soul. Corot took his easel
into the woods, and studied close to nature, till he painted truthfully
a landscape. Angelo’s best work was that done to suit his personal view.
“Talent may be born, but it depends upon your own efforts whether
it comes to much. I believe that if your hobby, desire, or talent,
whichever you wish to call it, is to paint or model, you can teach
yourself better than you can be taught, providing you really love your
work, as I do.”
Thus did Mr. Shrady desert a mechanical life he disliked, and start
on a promising career. He is still young, slight, and with delicate
features. His heart is tender toward animals, and he refuses to
hunt. His chief delight is in riding the horse which has figured so
prominently in his work. His success proves two things: the value of
leisure moments, and the wisdom of turning a hobby into a career.