but her works include a variety of subjects. She also practises etching,
pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching. The
light touch in some of her genre pictures is admirable, and in contrast,
the portrait of her father--- the court preacher--displays a masculine
firmness in its handling, and is a very striking picture.
In 1895 she exhibited at the Munich Secession the portrait of a woman,
delicate but spirited, and a group which was said to set aside every
convention in the happiest manner.
<b>KROENER, MAGDA.</b> The pictures of flowers which this artist paints
prove her to be a devoted lover of nature. She exhibited at Düsseldorf,
in 1893, a captivating study of red poppies and another of flowering
vetch, which were bought by the German Emperor. The following year she
exhibited two landscapes, one of which was so much better than the other
that it was suggested that she might have been assisted by her husband,
the animal painter, Christian Kroener.
One of her most delightful pictures, "A Quiet Corner," represents a
retired nook in a garden, overgrown with foliage and flowers, so well
painted that one feels that they must be fragrant.
<b>LEPSIUS, SABINA.</b> Daughter of Gustav Graf and wife of the portrait
painter, Lepsius. She was a pupil of Gussow, then of the Julian Academy
in Paris, and later studied in Rome. Her pictures have an unusual
refinement; like some other German women artists, she aims at giving a
subtle impression of character and personality in her treatment of
externals, and her work has been said to affect one like music.
The portrait of her little daughter, painted in a manner which suggests
Van Dyck, is one of the works which entitle her to consideration.
<b>LEYSTER, JUDITH.</b> A native of Haarlem on Zandam, the date of her
birth being unknown. She died in 1660. In 1636 she married the well-known
artist, Jan Molemaer. She did her work at a most interesting period in
Dutch painting. Her earliest picture is dated 1629; she was chosen to the
Guild of St. Luke at Haarlem in 1633.
Recent investigations make it probable that certain pictures which have
for generations been attributed to Frans Hals were the work of Judith
Leyster. In 1893 a most interesting lawsuit, which occurred in London and
was reported in the _Times_, concerned a picture known as "The Fiddlers,"
which had been sold as a work of Frans Hals for £4,500. The purchasers
found that this claim was not well founded, and sought to recover their
money.
A searching investigation traced the ownership of the work back to a
connoisseur of the time of William III. In 1678 it was sold for a small
sum, and was then called "A Dutch Courtesan Drinking with a Young Man."
The monogram on the picture was called that of Frans Hals, but as
reproduced and explained by C. Hofstede de Groot in the "_Jahrbuch für
Königlich-preussischen Kunst-Sammlungen_" for 1893, it seems evident that
the signature is J. L. and not F. H.
Similar initials are on the "Flute Player," in the gallery at Stockholm;
the "Seamstress," in The Hague Gallery, and on a picture in the Six
collection at Amsterdam.
It is undeniable that these pictures all show the influence of Hals,
whose pupil Judith Leyster may have been, and whose manner she caught as
Mlle. Mayer caught that of Greuze and Prud'hon. At all events, the
present evidence seems to support the claim that the world is indebted to
Judith Leyster for these admirable pictures.
<b>MACH, HILDEGARDE VON.</b> This painter studied in Dresden and Munich,
and under the influence of Anton Pepinos she developed her best
characteristics, her fine sense of form and of color. She admirably
illustrates the modern tendency in art toward individual expression--a
tendency which permits the following of original methods, and affords an
outlet for energy and strength of temperament.
Fräulein Mach has made a name in both portrait and genre painting. Her
"Waldesgrauen" represents two naked children in an attitude of alarm as
the forest grows dark around them; it gives a vivid impression of the
mysterious charm and the possible dangers which the deep woods present
to the childish mind.
<b>MAYER, MARIE FRANÇOISE CONSTANCE.</b> As early as 1806 this artist
received a gold medal from the Paris Salon, awarded to her picture of
"Venus and Love Asleep." Born 1775, died 1821. She studied under Suvée,
Greuze, and Prud'hon. There are various accounts of the life of Mlle.
Mayer. That of M. Charles Guenllette is the authority followed here. It
is probable that Mlle. Mayer came under the influence of Prud'hon as
early as 1802, possibly before that time.
Prud'hon, a sensitive man, absorbed in his art, had married at twenty a
woman who had no sympathy with his ideals, and when she realized that he
had no ambition, and was likely to be always poor, her temper got the
better of any affection she had ever felt for him. Prud'hon, in
humiliation and despair, lived in a solitude almost complete.
It was with difficulty that Mlle. Mayer persuaded this master to receive
her as a pupil; but this being gained, both these painters had studios in
the Sorbonne from 1809 to 1821. At the latter date all artists were
obliged to vacate the Sorbonne ateliers to make room for some new
department of instruction. Mlle. Mayer had been for some time in a
depressed condition, and her friends had been anxious about her. Whether
leaving the Sorbonne had a tendency to increase her melancholy is not
known, but her suicide came as a great surprise and shock to all who knew
her, especially to Prud'hon, who survived her less than two years.
Prud'hon painted several portraits of Mlle. Mayer, the best-known being
now in the Louvre. It represents an engaging personality, in which
vivacity and sensibility are distinctly indicated.
Mlle. Mayer had made her début at the Salon of 1896 with a portrait of
"Citizeness Mayer," painted by herself, and showing a sketch for the
portrait of her mother; also a picture of a "Young Scholar with a
Portfolio Under His Arm," and a miniature. From this time her work was
seen at each year's salon.
Her pictures in 1810 were the "Happy Mother" and the "Unhappy Mother,"
which are now in the Louvre; the contrast between the joyousness of the
mother with her child and the anguish of the mother who has lost her
child is portrayed with great tenderness. The "Dream of Happiness," also
in the Louvre, represents a young couple in a boat with their child; the
boat is guided down the stream of life by Love and Fortune. This is one
of her best pictures. It is full of poetic feeling, and the flesh tints
are unusually natural. The work of this artist is characterized by
delicacy of touch and freshness of color while pervaded by a peculiar
grace and charm. Her drawing is good, but the composition is less
satisfactory.
It is well known that Prud'hon and his pupil painted many pictures in
collaboration. This has led to an under-valuation of her ability, and
both the inferior works of Prud'hon and bad imitations of him have been
attributed to her. M. Guenllette writes that when Mlle. Mayer studied
under Greuze she painted in his manner, and he inclines to the opinion
that some pictures attributed to Greuze were the work of his pupil. In
the same way she imitated Prud'hon, and this critic thinks it by no means
certain that the master finished her work, as has been alleged.
In the Museum at Nancy are Mlle. Mayer's portraits of Mme. and Mlle.
Voiant; in the Museum of Dijon is an ideal head by her, and in the
Bordeaux Gallery is her picture, called "Confidence." "Innocence Prefers
Love to Riches" and the "Torch of Venus" are well-known works by Mlle.
Mayer.
<b>MESDAG-VAN HOUTEN, S.</b> Gold medal at Amsterdam, 1884; bronze medal,
Paris Exposition, 1889. Born at Groningen, 1834. In 1856 she married
Mesdag, who, rather late in life decided to follow the career of a
painter. His wife, not wishing to be separated from him in any sense,
resolved on the same profession, and about 1870 they began their study.
Mme. Mesdag acquired her technique with difficulty, and her success was
achieved only as the result of great perseverance and continual labor.
The artists of Oosterbeck and Brussels, who were her associates,
materially aided her by their encouragement. She began the study of
drawing at the age of thirty, and her first attempt in oils was made
seven years later. Beginning with single twigs and working over them
patiently she at length painted whole trees, and later animals. She came
to know the peculiarities of nearly all native trees.
She built a studio in the woods of Scheveningen, and there developed her
characteristics--close observation and careful reproduction of details.
In the summer of 1872 M. and Mme. Mesdag went to Friesland and Drenthe,
where they made numerous sketches of the heath, sheep, farmhouses, and
the people in their quaint costumes. One of Mme. Mesdag's pictures,
afterward exhibited at Berlin, is thus described: "On this canvas we see
the moon, just as she has broken through a gray cloud, spreading her
silvery sheen over the sleepy land; in the centre we are given a
sheep-fold, at the door of which a flock of sheep are jostling and
pushing each other, all eager to enter their place of rest. The wave-like
movement of these animals is particularly graceful and cleverly done. A
little shepherdess is guiding them, as anxious to get them in as they are
to enter, for this means the end of her day's work. Her worn-out blue
petticoat is lighted up by a moonbeam; in her hand she appears to have a
hoe. It is a most harmonious picture; every line is in accord with its
neighbor."
While residing in Brussels these two artists began to collect works of
art for what is now known as the Mesdag Museum. In 1887 a wing was added
to their house to accommodate their increasing treasures, which include
especially good examples of modern French painting, pottery, tapestry,
etc.
In 1889 an exhibition of the works of these painters was held. Here
convincing proof was given of Mme. Mesdag's accuracy, originality of
interpretation, and her skill in the use of color.
<b>MÖLLER, AGNES SLOTT, OR SLOTT-MÖLLER, AGNES.</b> This artist follows the
young romantic movement in Denmark. She has embodied in her work a modern
comprehension of old legends. The landscape and people of her native
land seem to her as eminently suitable motives, and these realities she
renders in the spirit of a by-gone age--that of the national heroes of
the sagas and epics of the country, or the lyric atmosphere of the
folk-songs.
She may depict these conceptions, full of feeling, in the dull colors of
the North, or in rich and glowing hues, but the impression she gives is
much the same in both cases, a generally restful effect, though the faces
in her pictures are full of life and emotion. Her choice of subjects and
her manner of treatment almost inevitably introduce some archaic quality
in her work. This habit and the fact that she cares more for color than
for drawing are the usual criticisms of her pictures.
Her "St. Agnes" is an interesting rendering of a well-worn subject.
"Adelil the Proud," exhibited at the Paris Exposition of 1889, tells the
story of the Duke of Frydensburg, who was in love with Adelil, the king's
daughter. The king put him to death, and the attendants of Adelil made of
his heart a viand which they presented to her. When she learned what this
singular substance was--that caused her to tremble violently--she asked
for wine, and carrying the cup to her lips with a tragic gesture, in
memory of her lover, she died of a broken heart. It is such legends as
these that Mme. Slott-Möller revives, and by which she is widely known.
<b>MORISOT OR MORIZOT, BERTHE.</b> Married name Manet. Born at Bourges,
1840, died in Paris, 1895. A pupil of Guichard and Oudinot. After her
marriage to Eugène Manet she came under the influence of his famous
brother, Édouard. This artist signed her pictures with her maiden name,
being too modest to use that which she felt belonged only to Édouard
Manet, in the world of art.
A great interest was, however, aroused in the private galleries, where
the works of the early impressionists were seen, by the pictures of
Berthe Morisot. Camille Mauclair, an enthusiastic admirer of this school
of art, says: "Berthe Morizot will remain the most fascinating figure of
Impressionism--the one who has stated most precisely the femininity of
this luminous and iridescent art."
A great-granddaughter of Fragonard, she seems to have inherited his
talent; Corot and Renoir forcibly appealed to her. These elements,
modified by her personal attitude, imparted a strong individuality to her
works, which divided honors with her personal charms.
According to the general verdict, she was equally successful in oils and
water-colors. Her favorite subjects--although she painted others--were
sea-coast views, flowers, orchards, and gardens and young girls in every
variety of costume.
After the death of Édouard Manet, she devoted herself to building up an
appreciation of his work in the public mind. So intelligent were her
methods that she doubtless had great influence in making the memory of
his art enduring.
Among her most characteristic works are: "The Memories of the Oise,"
1864; "Ros-Bras," "Finistère," 1868; "A Young Girl at a Window," 1870; a
pastel, "Blanche," 1873; "The Toilet," and "A Young Woman at the Ball."
*<b>NEY, ELIZABETH.</b> The Fine Arts jury of the St. Louis Exposition have
accepted three works by this sculptor to be placed in the Fine Arts
Building. They are the Albert Sidney Johnston memorial; the portrait bust
of Jacob Grimm, in marble; and a bronze statuette of Garibaldi. It is
unusual to allow so many entries to one artist.
<b>PAULI, HANNA</b>, family name, Hirsch. Bronze medal at Paris Exposition,
1889. Born in Stockholm and pupil of the Academy of Fine Arts there;
later, of Dagnan-Bouveret, in Paris. Her husband, also an artist, is
Georg Pauli. They live in Stockholm, where she paints portraits and genre
subjects.
At the Paris Exposition, 1900, she exhibited two excellent portraits, one
of her father and another of Ellen Key; also a charming genre subject,
"The Old Couple."
<b>ROMANI, JUANA, H. C.</b> Born at Velletri, 1869. Pupil of Henner and
Roybet, in Paris, where she lives. This artist is, _sui generis_, a
daughter of the people, of unconventional tastes and habits. She has
boldly reproduced upon canvas a fulness of life and joy, such as is
rarely seen in pictures.
While she has caught something of the dash of Henner, and something of
the color of Roybet, and gained a firm mastery of the best French
technique, these are infused with the ardor of a Southern temperament.
Her favorite subjects are women--either in the strength and beauty of
maternity, or in the freshness of youth, or even of childhood.
Some critics feel that, despite much that is desirable in her work, the
soul is lacking in the women she paints. This is no doubt due in some
measure to certain types she has chosen--for example, Salome and
Herodias, in whom one scarcely looks for such an element.
Her portrait of Roybet and a picture of "Bianca Capello" were exhibited
at Munich in 1893 and at Antwerp in 1894. The "Pensierosa" and a little
girl were at the Paris Salon in 1894, and were much admired. "Herodias"
appeared at Vienna in 1894 and at Berlin the following year, while
"Primavera" was first seen at the Salon of 1895. This picture laughs, as
children laugh, with perfect abandon.
A portrait of Miss Gibson was also at the Salon of 1895, and "Vittoria
Colonna" and a "Venetian Girl" were sent to Munich. These were followed
by the "Flower of the Alps" and "Desdemona" in 1896; "Doña Mona,"
palpitating with life, and "Faustalla of Pistoia," with short golden hair
and a majestic poise of the head, in 1897; "Salome" and "Angelica," two
widely differing pictures in character and color, in 1898; "Mina of
Fiesole," and the portrait of a golden-haired beauty in a costume of
black and gold, in 1899; the portrait of Mlle. H. D., in 1900;
"L'Infante," one of her most noble creations, of a remarkably fine
execution, and a ravishing child called "Roger"--with wonderful blond
hair--in 1901.
Mlle. Romani often paints directly on the canvas without preliminary
sketch or study, and sells many of her pictures before they are finished.
Some of her works have been purchased by the French Government, and there
are examples of these in the Luxembourg, and in the Gallery of
Mülhausen.
<b>RUPPRECHT, TINI.</b> After having lessons from private instructors, this
artist studied under Lenbach. She has been much influenced by
Gainsborough, Lawrence, and Reynolds, traces of their manner being
evident in her work. She renders the best type of feminine seductiveness
with delicacy and grace; she avoids the trivial and gross, but pictures
all the allurements of an innocent coquetry.
Her portrait of the Princess Marie, of Roumania, was exhibited in Munich
in 1901; its reality and personality were notable, and one critic called
it "an oasis in a desert of portraits." "Anno 1793" and "A Mother and
Child" have attracted much favorable comment in Munich, where her star is
in the ascendant, and greater excellence in her work is confidently
prophesied.
<b>SCHWARTZE, THERESE.</b> Honorable mention, Paris Salon, 1885; gold
medal, 1889. Diploma at Ghent, 1892; gold medal, 1892. At International
Exhibition, Barcelona, 1898, a gold medal. Made a Knight of the Order of
Orange-Nassau, 1896. Born in Amsterdam about 1851. A pupil of her father
until his death, when she became a student under Gabriel Max, in Munich,
for a year. Returning to Amsterdam, she was much encouraged by Israels,
Bilders, and Bosboom, friends of her father.
She went to Paris in 1878 and was so attracted by the artistic life which
she saw that she determined to study there. But she did not succeed in
finding a suitable studio, neither an instructor who pleased her, and she
returned to Amsterdam. It was at this time that she painted the portrait
of Frederick Müller.
In the spring of 1880 she went again to Paris, only to "feast on things
artistic." A little later she was summoned to the palace at Soestdijk to
instruct the Princess Henry of the Netherlands. In 1883 she served with
many distinguished artists on the art jury of the International
Exhibition at Amsterdam.
In 1884 she once more yielded to the attraction that Paris had for her,
and there made a great advance in her painting. In 1885 she began to work
in pastel, and one of her best portraits in this medium was that of the
Princess (Queen) Wilhelmina, which was loaned by the Queen Regent for the
exhibition of this artist's work in Amsterdam in 1890.
The Italian Government requested Miss Schwartze to paint her own portrait
for the Uffizi Gallery. This was shown at the Paris Salon, 1889, and
missed the gold medal by two votes. This portrait is thought by some good
judges to equal that of Mme. Le Brun. The head with the interesting eyes,
shaded by the hand which wards off the light, and the penetrating,
observant look, are most impressive.
She has painted a portrait of Queen Emma, and sent to Berlin in 1902 a
portrait of Wolmaran, a member of the Transvaal Government, which was
esteemed a work of the first rank. She has painted several portraits of
her mother, which would have made for her a reputation had she done no
others. She has had many notable men and women among her sitters, and
though not a robust woman, she works incessantly without filling all the
commissions offered her.
Her pictures are in the Museums of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Her work is full of life and strength, and her touch shows her confidence
in herself and her technical knowledge. She is, however, a severe critic
of her own work and is greatly disturbed by indiscriminating praise. She
is serious and preoccupied in her studio, but with her friends she is
full of gayety, and is greatly admired, both as a woman and as an artist.
<b>VAN DER VEER, MISS.</b> "This artist," says a recent critic, "has
studied to some purpose in excellent continental schools, and is endowed
withal with a creative faculty and breadth in conception rarely found in
American painters of either sex. Her genre work is full of life, light,
color, and character, with picturesque grouping, faultless atmosphere,
and a breadth of technical treatment that verges on audacity, yet never
fails of its designed purpose."
The fifty pictures exhibited by Miss Van der Veer in Philadelphia, in
February, 1904, included interiors, portraits--mostly in pastel--flower
studies and sketches, treating Dutch peasant life. Among the most notable
of these may be mentioned "The Chimney Corner," "Saturday Morning,"
"Mother and Child," and a portrait of the artist herself.
<b>WALDAU, MARGARETHE.</b> Born in Breslau, 1860. After studying by herself
in Munich, this artist became a pupil of Streckfuss in Berlin, and later,
in Nuremberg, studied under the younger Graeb and Ritter. The first
subject chosen by her for a picture was the "Portal of the Church of the
Magdalene." Her taste for architectural motives was strengthened by
travel in Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
The fine old churches of Nuremberg and the venerable edifices of Breslau
afforded her most attractive subjects, which she treated with such
distinction that her pictures were sought by kings and princes as well as
by appreciative connoisseurs.
Her success increased her confidence in herself and enhanced the boldness
and freedom with which she handled her brush. An exhibition of her work
in Berlin led to her receiving a commission from the Government to paint
two pictures for the Paris Exposition, 1900. "Mayence at Sunset" and the
"Leipzig Market-Place in Winter" were the result of this order, and are
two of her best works.
Occasionally this artist has painted genre subjects, but her real success
has not been in this direction.