. Artists and Arabs; or, Sketching in sunshine. ld not be com-plete without some mention of the camels, ofwhich there are numbers to be found in the 90 ARTISTS AND ARABS. Arab quarter of the town. Some of them aresplendid creatures, and as different from any-exotic specimens that we can see in this countryas an acclimatized palm-tree from its wildgrowth. Some one tells us that these Algerian shipsof the desert have not the same sailing quali-ties, nor the same breadth of beam, as those atCairo. But (if true) we should have to go toCairo to study them, so let us be content. Weshould like to see
. Artists and Arabs; or, Sketching in sunshine. ld not be com-plete without some mention of the camels, ofwhich there are numbers to be found in the 90 ARTISTS AND ARABS. Arab quarter of the town. Some of them aresplendid creatures, and as different from any-exotic specimens that we can see in this countryas an acclimatized palm-tree from its wildgrowth. Some one tells us that these Algerian shipsof the desert have not the same sailing quali-ties, nor the same breadth of beam, as those atCairo. But (if true) we should have to go toCairo to study them, so let us be content. Weshould like to see one or two of our popularartists, who persist in painting camels and des-ert scenes without ever having been to the East,just sit down for one day and painta camels head; not flinching from the work,but mastering the wonderful texture and shag-giness of his thick coat or mane, its massivebeauty, and its infinite gradations of color. Sucha sitter no portrait-painter ever had in him up first, get a boy to keep the Hies. A PORTRAIT. 92 ARTISTS AND ARABS. from him, and he will sit almost immovablythrough the day. He will put on a sad expres-sion in the morning, which will not change;he will give no trouble whatever; he will butsit still and croak. Do we seem to exaggerate the value of suchstudies? We cannot exaggerate, if we take intofull account the vigorous quality which we im-part into our work. And we cannot, perhaps,better illustrate our argument in favor of draw-ing from what we should call natural models,than by comparing the merits of two of themost popular pictures of our time, namely, Friths Derby Day and Eosa Eonheurs HorseFair1; the former pleasing the eye by its clev-erness and prettiness, the latter impressing thespectator by its power, and its truthful render-ing of animal life. The difference between thetwo painters is probably one more of educationthan of natural gifts. Eut whilst the style of MODELS. 93 the former is grafted on a fashion
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublisherbosto, bookyear1874
