International studio (19.1903)

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position of honour in the gallery he so abiy con-
ducts. Then there burst such a storm of fury
as never before in the history of art stirred the
usuahy piacid Teuton. One can imagine that, here
in London, much the same thing wouid happen
in the event of the directors of the National
Gaiiery, which even yet does not contain a
single specimen of the Barbizon school, commit-
ting a iike piece of very eniightened foiiy.
Well, the Oihciai Academy was up in arms.
The press, with here and there an exception,
ever slow to perceive the vaiue of an artistic
innovation, joined the fray and the battie raged
long. The v.hole art-life of the country was
disturbed and divided for and against the new
men. Incidentaiiy, the same thing happened in
Paris, in 1894, on the occasion of the famous
Cailiebotte legacy of impressionist pictures to
the Luxembourg Galiery, the history of which is
now too well known to call for repetition here.
Munich, Dresden,
Frankfort, and other art
centres joined issue, prin-
cipaily in support of
the action of Herr von
Tschudi, but hnally the
pictures were moved to a
less prominent position.
In 1865 the Paris Salon
jury, bitterly antagonistic,
had rejected e/i the
whole of the pictures of
Manet and his impres-
sionist friends. Angry pro-
tests and a battle of
interests followed. The
Emperor Napoleon III.
put an end to the
business by ordering the
erection of another salon,
known as the " Salon des
Refusees," by the side
of the existing one in
the Palais de l'lndustrie,
now demolished. The
interest and attendance
there exceeded that of the
elder salon, and, though
disapproving of the work
of the new men, the
public strongly reprobated
the action of the salon
jury in endeavouring to
depnve them of the nght
166

of seeing the wonderful and, to them incorn-
prehensible pictures.
Both Jongkind and Boudin were affected by the
<3772/7*,? <r<7?<^ of that fruitful sojourn in London of
Monet and others in 1870. I do not believe that
of themselves they brought much grist to the mill
of the impressionist's idea. Personally, I have not
yet seen one picture by Jongkind which has caused
me any very considerable emotion. The illustra-
tions herewith give a good idea of his methods. His
pictures convey little of the feeling of atmosphere,
many of them are quite unmistakably experi-
ments, and, though absolutely sincere and free
from all yet to me they lack the great
essential—charm. Without doubt he was a man
of extraordinary ability, always striving to be in the
van, experimenting new ideas and processes, and
he evidently exercised a certain influence upon
the impressionists prior to r8yo.
His comrade and pupil, Boudin, is manifestly the

BY BERTHE MORISOT