Part 5 (1/2)

He was so earnest in his devotion to the study of landscape that in solected the ordinary routine of school education

He successfully accomplished the three R's, but after that his school was the fields, in the face of Nature He was by no means a Romantic painter His taste was essentially for Home subjects In his landscapes he introduced picturesque fars; and his advancement and success were commensurate with his devotion to this fine branch of art The perfect truth hich he represented English scenery, associated as it is with so s, forms the special attractiveness of his works This has caused theh prices

Patrick had a keen sense of hu He was a great reader of old-fashi+oned novels, which indeed in those days were the only works of the kind to be hts, Robinson crusoe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, and such like, were his favourites, and gave a healthy filip to his iination He had also a keen relish for music, and used to whistlewith his work

He acquired a fair skill in violin playing While tired with sitting or standing he would take up his violin, play a few passages, and then go to work again

Patrick removed to London in 1808, and exhibited at the Royal Acade year He land, where he found subjects congenial to his ideas of rural beauty

The ihbourhood of London, however, a bounded with theand appropriate subjects for his pencil These consisted of rural ”bits” of the most picturesque but horown orchards, coes and farled hedges and neglected fences, overrun with vegetation clinging to thelected these ht be by the far such subjects he was in his glory, and he returned to his easel loaded with sketch-book treasures, which when painted fore subjects glimpses of the distant capital may be observed, with the dome of St Paul's in the distance; but they are introduced with such skill and correctness as in no way to interfere with the rural character of his subject When he went farther afield --to Windsor Forest, Haht --he was equally diligent with his pencil, and came home laden with sketches of the old monarchs of the forest When in a state of partial decay his skilful touch brought theain, laden with branches and lichen, with leaves and twigs and bark, and with every feature that gives such a charlish landscape scenery On my brother's first visit to London, accompanied by my father, he visited many collections where the old Dutch masters were to be seen, and he doubtless derived e from his careful studies, more particularly from the works of Hobbema, Ruysdael, and Wynants These came home to him as representations of Nature as she is They wereher The works of Claude Lorraine and Richard Wilson were also the objects of his adh the influence of the time for classicality of treatment to a certain extent vitiated these noble works When a glorious sunset was observed, the usual expression anificent Claudish effect!” thus setting up the result of man's feeble attempt at representation as the standard of coinal!

My brother carefully studied Nature herself His works, following those of my father, led back the public taste to a more healthy and true condition, and by the aid of a noble army of modern British landscape painters, this departh standard of truth and excellence

I find some letters from Patrick to my father, after his settlement as an artist in London My father see the early part of his career, and afterwards until he had received the amount of his commissions for pictures In one of his letters he says: ”That was an unlucky business, the loss of that order which you were so good as send me on my account” It turned out that the order had dropt out of the letter enclosing it, and was not recovered In fact, Patrick was very careless about all money transactions

In 1814 he made the acquaintance of Mr Barnes, and accowood, near Southampton, where he reht home ”lots of sketches”

In 1815 he exhibited his works at the Royal Academy He writes to his father that ”the prices of uineas each (suineas, and two at fourteen guineas They are all sold but one These pictures would now fetch in the open uineas each But in those days good as little known, and landscapes especially were very little sought after

Patrick Nas of the finer portions of landscape nature attracted the attention of collectors, and he received many commissions from them at very low prices There was at that ti the payment for pictures painted on commission, as well as considerable loss of time by the constant applications made for the settlely under the necessity of painting his pictures for the Dealers, who gave him at once the price which he required for his works The influence of this system was not always satisfactory

The Middlemen or Dealers, who stood between the artist and the final possessor of the works, were not generous They higgled about prices, and the suave were almost infinitesimal compared with the value of Patrick Nasmyth's pictures at the present time

The Dealers were frequent visitors at his little painting-rooe of ard to the commercial value of his works When he had sketched in a beautiful subject, and when it was clear that in its highest state of development it must prove a fine work, the Dealer would pile up before hins, and say, ”Now, Peter, that picture's to be mine!”, The real presence of cash proved too reed to the proposal, and thus he parted with his pictures for much less than they orth He was often re them slip out of his hands in that orks that he would not surrender until he had cohest point of his fastidious taste and standard of excellence

A his dearest friends were David Roberts and Clarkson Stanfield

He usually replied to their friendly re portfolios of sketches, and saying, ”There's lots of money in these banks to draw from” He thus warded off their earnest and often-repeated releof the ard for money except as it enerally spent at a club of brother artists ”over the water;” and in their company he enjoyed many a pleasant hour His days were spent at his easel They were occasionally varied by long walks into the country near London, for the purpose of refilling his sketch-book

It was on one of such occasions--when he was sketching the details of so all the tiht a severe cold which confined him to the house He rapidly became worse Two of his sisters, who happened to be in London at the time, nursed him with devoted attention But it was too late The disease had taken fatal hold of hiust 1831 there was a violent thunderstorth the peals of thunder ceased, the rain passed away, and the clouds dispersed The setting sun burst forth in a golden glow The patient turned round on his couch and asked that the curtains ht be drawn It was done A blaze of sunset lit up his weary and worn-out face ”How glorious it is!” he said Then, as the glow vanished he fell into a deep and tranquil sleep, from which he never awoke Such was the peaceful end of e of forty-four years

CHAPTER 4 My Early Years

I WAS born on the ust 1808, at h I was named Jalass My mother afterwards told me that I must have been ”a very noticin' bairn,” as she observedwith my little eyes any one who happened to be in the roo to my little self, ”Who are you?”

After a suitable time I was put under the care of a nursemaid

I remember her well--Mary Peterkin--a truly Scandinavian natonshi+re, where in Her hair was of a bright yellow tint

She was a cheerful young woale

She could not only sing old Scotch songs, but had a wonderful meh, you could scarcely see her eyes; their twinkle was hidden by her eyelids and lashes She was a willing worker, and was always ready to lend a helping hand at everything about the house, she took great pride inabout the house, another sister was born, the last of the family Little Mary was very delicate; and to improve her health she was sent to a small farh It was one of the s of the city at that ti taken to see poor little Mary at the far after hbouring field When they made search for me I could not be found I was lost for ht local disturbance aht me out with an armful of brilliant red poppies To this day poppies continue to be reatest favourites

When I was about four or five years old, I was observed to give a decided preference to the use ofit in preference to the right Mycarried on the wrong arht hand was thus confined, and the left hand was used

I was constantly corrected, but ”on the sly” I always used it, especially in drawingwith pleasure one of ranted it liberty and independence for all tio on in your oay in the use of your left hand, but I fear you will be an aard fellow in everything that requires handiness in life I used ht hand in all that was necessary, and my left in all sorts of practical ly beeners into material or visible forms In this way I became ambidexter

When I was about four years old, I often followed my father into his workshop when he had occasion to show to his visitors some of his mechanical contrivances or artistic models The persons present usually expressed their admiration in warently pulled the coat-tail of one of the listeners and confidentially said to him, as if I knew all about it, ”My papa's a kevie Fellae!” My father was so greatly amused by this re” from that old-fashi+oned creature little Jamie

One of my earliest recollections is the annual celebration ofthe eldest of the family, his birthday was held in special honour My father invited about twenty of his ht her culinary powers into full operation The younger members of the fa on, with certain reversionary views as to ”the day after the feast” We took a great interest in the Trifle, which was no trifle in reality, in so far as regarded the care and anxiety involved in its preparation

In connection with this celebration, it was all established institution that a large haood time from the farh It contained many substantial elements for the entertainnums of the richest cream There never was such cream! It established a standard of cream in my memory; and since then I have always been hypercritical about the article

On one of these occasions, when I was about four years old, and being the youngest of the family, I was taken into the company after the dinner was over, and held up bywhich ht me, and Which ran thus:

”I'll no bide till Saturday, But I'll awa' tile morn, An' follow Donald Hielandman, An' carry his poother-horn”