﻿43° 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  November, 
  1907 
  

  

  The 
  Charming 
  Surroundings 
  Are 
  Keen 
  Incentives 
  to 
  Constant 
  Painting 
  

  

  Now 
  and 
  then 
  an 
  eminent 
  Royal 
  Academician 
  comes 
  

   down 
  to 
  inspect 
  the 
  women's 
  work 
  and 
  give 
  a 
  little 
  practical 
  

   lecture 
  on 
  art. 
  These 
  visits, 
  and 
  the 
  attendant 
  examinations 
  

   and 
  criticisms, 
  together 
  with 
  delightful 
  tea 
  parties 
  and 
  pic- 
  

   nics, 
  render 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  art 
  course 
  very 
  far 
  from 
  arduous. 
  

  

  this 
  has 
  been 
  acquired 
  al- 
  

   most 
  unconsciously, 
  that 
  on 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  school 
  they 
  are 
  

   fitted 
  to 
  begin 
  paying 
  work, 
  

   no 
  matter 
  how 
  humble. 
  

   The 
  students 
  have 
  been 
  

   trained 
  to 
  draw 
  directly 
  

   from 
  the 
  living 
  model, 
  and 
  

   without 
  the 
  tedious 
  train- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  antique 
  figure, 
  

   which 
  was 
  so 
  prominent 
  a 
  

   feature 
  in 
  European 
  art 
  

   schools 
  in 
  olden 
  days. 
  

  

  Rapid 
  s 
  k 
  e 
  t 
  c 
  h 
  i 
  ng 
  of 
  

   models 
  in 
  action 
  does 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  tend 
  to 
  give 
  

   elasticity 
  and 
  ease 
  to 
  the 
  

   drawing, 
  and 
  to 
  do 
  away 
  

   with 
  wooden 
  stiff-looking 
  

   effects 
  which 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   avoided. 
  Periodically 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  students 
  is 
  sent 
  

   up 
  to 
  London 
  for 
  exhibi- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  invitations 
  are 
  

   sent 
  out 
  to 
  artistic 
  and 
  fash- 
  

   ionable 
  folk 
  of 
  all 
  degrees. 
  

   The 
  pictures 
  sell 
  extremely 
  

   well, 
  for 
  only 
  the 
  best 
  are 
  

   on 
  show, 
  and 
  being 
  painted 
  

   direct 
  from 
  nature 
  instead 
  

   have 
  the 
  air 
  of 
  the 
  "real 
  

  

  of 
  from 
  artificial 
  models, 
  they 
  

   thing" 
  about 
  them. 
  

  

  More 
  than 
  once 
  no 
  less 
  a 
  personage 
  than 
  Sir 
  Edward 
  

   Poynter, 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Academy, 
  has 
  gone 
  to 
  

   Finchingfield 
  for 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  and 
  expressed 
  himself 
  de- 
  

  

  The 
  pupils 
  have 
  big 
  charming 
  bedrooms 
  with 
  plenty 
  of 
  lighted 
  both 
  with 
  the 
  practical 
  and 
  artistic 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  light 
  and 
  air, 
  daintily 
  though 
  plainly 
  furnished. 
  They 
  rise 
  young 
  ladies. 
  

  

  at 
  eight 
  and 
  troop 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  regular 
  English 
  farmhouse 
  Altogether, 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  wonder 
  these 
  open-air 
  art 
  schools 
  

  

  breakfast, 
  served 
  by 
  rustic 
  maids 
  such 
  as 
  Jean 
  Francois 
  should 
  be 
  growing 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  popular, 
  and 
  many 
  a 
  

  

  Millet 
  himself 
  would 
  have 
  loved 
  to 
  study. 
  delicate 
  girl's 
  constitution 
  has 
  been 
  built 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  season's 
  

  

  By 
  about 
  half 
  past 
  nine 
  the 
  classes 
  are 
  arranged. 
  Some 
  course 
  amid 
  the 
  smiling 
  valleys, 
  wooded 
  hills 
  and 
  sunlit 
  

  

  girls 
  will 
  group 
  themselves 
  about 
  an 
  old 
  plow 
  and 
  horse 
  

   with 
  rural 
  attendants; 
  others 
  will 
  decide 
  to 
  paint 
  cows 
  with 
  

   a 
  background 
  of 
  woodland 
  trees; 
  others 
  again 
  go 
  in 
  for 
  

   figure-painting 
  or 
  portraiture 
  pure 
  and 
  simple. 
  Although 
  

   the 
  work 
  is 
  very 
  valuable 
  from 
  a 
  practical 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  

   it 
  also 
  forms 
  a 
  most 
  delightful 
  artistic 
  holiday 
  for 
  girls 
  of 
  

   culture 
  and 
  refinement, 
  who 
  may 
  make 
  acquaintances 
  

   which 
  develop 
  into 
  lifelong 
  friendships. 
  Then, 
  too, 
  the 
  

   pupils 
  find 
  they 
  have 
  had 
  so 
  excellent 
  a 
  training, 
  although 
  

  

  meadows 
  of 
  Finchingfield. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  society 
  there 
  is 
  

   found 
  congenial 
  by 
  many 
  a 
  shy 
  fragile 
  girl, 
  and 
  the 
  pure 
  

   sweet 
  air, 
  musical 
  evenings, 
  and 
  constant 
  work, 
  act 
  as 
  a 
  tonic 
  

   whose 
  value 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  overrated. 
  Besides, 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  pos- 
  

   sibility 
  of 
  winning 
  a 
  scholarship 
  at 
  the 
  Royal 
  Academy, 
  

   which 
  may 
  amount 
  to 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  $1000 
  a 
  year, 
  and 
  this 
  will 
  

   enable 
  an 
  economical 
  student 
  to 
  travel 
  abroad 
  and 
  study 
  in 
  

   the 
  great 
  Continental 
  galleries, 
  without 
  which 
  no 
  artist's 
  

   education 
  is 
  considered 
  complete. 
  

  

  