Part 5 (1/2)
Peter's from the Pincian The wind rather spoiled the first or silver one, but the next, the golden, was a grand sight, beginning with the cross at the top and running down in streams over the dolish tourist, who asked a priest '_Quis est illuood-naturedly”
And so our Papal Rome on May 2nd, 1870, retreated into my very appreciative memory, and we returned for a few days to Florence, and thence to Padua and Venice and Verona on our way to England through the Tyrol and Bavaria What a doard slope in art it is froreat irritation at the change, and were too recalcitrant to attend to the Gerhts properly
But I filled the Diary with very searching notes of the wonderful things I saw in Venice, thanks to Veronese, titian, Tintoretto, Palma Vecchio and others, who filled me with all that an artist can desire in the way of colour I was anxious to improve my weak point, and here was a lesson!
It is curious, however, to watch through the succeeding years hoas gradually inducted by circu which is so far removed from what inspired me just then It was the Franco-Gerht that sent ressions Well, perhaps my father's fear, which I have alreadyin a ”tre the field would have been justified had I not taken up a line of painting allish artists
The state of one of uere qu'un peintre militaire, c'est une femme_,” shows the position I wish I could have another life here below to share the joys of those who paint what I studied in Italy, if only for the love of such work, though I auishable in _that_ ”ruck”
CHAPTER VII
WAR BATTLE PAINTINGS
Padua I greatly enjoyed--its academic quiet, its Shakespearean atmosphere; and still ood study of theback to London rejoined the South Kensington schools till the end of the su reat Franco-German War, declared in the middle of that month It seems so absurd to us to-day that we should have been pro-Gerland This little entry in the Diary sho Bismarck's dishonest ht, so Prussia _ but jealousy--a pretty spectacle!” We all believed it was France that was the guilty party I call toupstairs to findon the top step with _The Times_ in her hand, announced the surrender of MacMahon's arious!” and I have lived to see them prostrate Such is history
I was asked, as the war developed, if I had been inspired by it, and this caused an on that line I went at a gallop, in water-colour at first, and many a subject did I send to the ”Dudley Gallery” and to Manchester, all the drawings selling quickly, but I never relaxed that serious practice in oil painting which was nificat”
to the Royal Acade of 1871 It was rejected, and returned to e hole in it
That summer, which we spent at well-loved Henley-on-Thas of the Co for a long time: ”The Destruction of Paris” What horrible suspense there hile we feared the destruction of the Louvre and Notre Dame I see in the Diary: ”_May 28th, 1871_--Oh! that to- a decided contradiction of the oft-repeated report that the great Louvre pictures are lost and that Notre Daer stands intact As yet all is confusion and diss, therefore, to the hope that little by little we ments, at least, may be spared to bereaved humanity and that all that beauty is not annihilated”
In August, 1871, ere off again Fro in oils life-sized portraits of friends and relations and so Franciscantheir doves in a cloister; an old friar teaching schoolboys, _al fresco_, outside a church, as I had seen one doing in Rome For this friar I commandeered our landlord as a ure I required Yet he was one of the ationalist--but very obliging Also a candlelight effect in the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli, in Roe altar-piece for our little Church of St Wilfrid, and so on, a mixture of the ecclesiastical and the military The dances, theatricals, croquet parties, rides--all the old ere linked up again at Ventnor, and I have a very brightthere and reunion with our old friends In the spring of 1872 I sent one of theto the Acade two bishops in a Roman street It was rejected, but this time without a hole This year was full of pro hill clian what proved to be reat importance to me, this year of 1872, was my introduction, if I may put it so, to the British Army! I then saw the British soldier as I never had had the opportunity of seeing hi of the autumn s appeared in abundance to enerals as to be an ureatly interested in me, as a mutual friend had described my battle scenes to him, and said he would speak about me to Sir Charles Staveley, one of the coht have facilities for seeing the interesting ive the British soldiers a turn,” which I did with alacrity I sent some of the sketches to Manchester and to my old friend the ”Dudley”
One of the Horses,” found a purchaser in a Mr
Galloway, of Manchester, who asked through an agent if I would paint him an oil picture I said ”Yes,” and in ti of 1873, I sent e war picture in oils to the Academy It was accepted, but ”skyed,” well noticed in the Press and, to ht, sold The subject was, of course, frohts: a wounded French colonel (for who subaltern of Cuirassiers, walking alongside (studied fro” after one of the French defeats, hlanders were quartered at Parkhurst, near Ventnor, about this tiood many sketches of these splendid troops, so essentially pictorial I have ever since then liked to hlanders subjects for my brush
In this sa to the old faith, whither our e to leave the shores of England since the Refored with the _Graphic_ to e, which was arousing an extraordinary aoal was the primitive little town of Paray-le-Monial, deep in the heart of France, where Margaret Mary Alacoque received our Lord's e I cannot convey to my readers who are not ”of us” the fresh and exultant impressions we received on that visit There was a ious and national patriotiss of the purest happiness The stearims from Newhaven to Dieppe on September 2nd flew the standard of the Sacred Heart at thethus to symbolise the whole character of the enterprise Those _Graphic_ sketches proved a very great burden to rims would have done all by ”snapshots” I tried to sketch as I walked in the processions at Paray and to sing the hymn at the same time There was hardly a moment's rest for us, except for a few intervals of sleep The long cere hymns and the journey there and back, all crowded into a week froth But how joyfully given!
I can never forget the hearty, well-ave us, lay and clerical The place itself was lovely and the weather kind It is good to have had such an experience as this in our weary world The Bishop of Salford, the future Cardinal Vaughan, led us, and our clergy reat force The dear French people never showed so well as during their welcome of us It suited their courteous and hospitable natures Most of our hosts were peasants and owners of little picturesque shops in this jewel of a little town We tere billeted at a shoe our own ined I love to think back on the truly beautiful sights and sounds of Paray, with the doave us a graceful send-off, pleased to have the assurance of our approval of our reception Many corets as to their own ”_legerete_,” and so forth
”_Vive l'Angleterre!_” ”_Vive la France!_” ”_Adieu!_”
CHAPTER VIII
”THE ROLL CALL”
I had quite a large nuh on my return home, and an oil of French artillery on the lass studio under St Boniface Down But after ” at the Academy, I became more and more convinced that a London studio _ winter Of course, my father demurred He couldn't bear to part with me Still, it must be done, and to London I went, with his sad consent I had long been turning ”The Roll Call” in otten” My mother rather shi+vered at the idea of the snow It was no use; they saas bent on that subject My dear mother and our devoted fa in his power to help ot me the studio, No 76, Fulhaht me such utterly unexpected celebrity
Mr Burchett, still headhted to seeout my work, and he sent me the best models in London, nearly all ex-soldiers One in particular, who had been in the Crieant who calls the roll I engaged ive me an extra half-hour Towards the end, as always happens, I had to put on pressure, and had them for six hours My preliminary expeditions for the old uniforms of the Crimean epoch were directed by my kind Dr Pollard, who rooted about Chelsea back streets to find what I required aood custohtful tiy little pawnshop in a hideous Chelsea slum, and, indeed, I enjoyed it _far_ th of tiot nearly all the old accoutretramp in the city for more accoutrements, helmets, coatees, haversacks, etc, and I sallied forth with the 'Ole Clo!' in the rain tohouse under ouras well We chatted about the trade '_chemin faisant_'”
[Illustration: CRIMEAN IDEAS]
I called Saturday, Deceanmade a little water-colour sketch previously, very carefully, of every attitude of the figures, I had none of those alterations to make in the course of ure was drawn in first without the great coat, et the figure well drawn first How easily then could the thick, less shapely great coat be painted on the well-secured foundation No matter how its heavy folds, the cross-belts, haversacks, water-bottles, and everything else broke the lines, they were there, safe and sound, underneath An artist remarked, ”What an absurdly easy picture!” Yes, no doubt it was, but it was all theThis h, really, it see is at a discount It will coht say I was too anxious to be correct inthe least ave myself some unnecessary trouble For instance, on one of my last days at the picture I became anxious as to the correct letters that should appear staht professional advice Dr Pollard sent me the beery old Cri a gold-laced hat, to answerold gentleman, redolent of rum I, full of expectation, ask him the question: ”What should the letters be?” ”B O!” he roars out--”Board of Ordnance!” Then, after a congested stare, he calls out, correcting himself, ”W D--War Deportment!” ”Oh!” I say, faintly, ”War Departether and roars, ”W
O!” And that was all I got He mopped his rubicund face and, to my relief, stumped away down my stairs Another Cri put a grenade on the pouches ”Well, renade, but it was so ”like his hand” just in tie lent me by the War Office--and obliterated the renade