International studio (20.1903)

i860 to 1864 he lived in Paris, and was not un-
inH uenced by the style of Rousseau.
We have also seen on one wall, for the first time,
five pictures by Antonio Mancini, a perfervid realist,
by birth a Neapolitan and a Roman by long settle-
ment. ' Mancini's portraits are not attractive owing
to delicacy of finish. In the accessories of dress
and of the background he adopts every possible
means to produce a sort of relief. Whatever his
shortcomings may be, he is at any rate a colourist
of very uncommon power and marked individuality.
R. P.
H ^ARIS.—The purchases made by the
) ^ City of Paris at the of this
; year may well cause surprise. Never,
indeed, have these annual "acqui-
sitions " been more unfortunately inspired, for
the Commission would seem to have sys-
tematically avoided everything in the exhibitions
that could possibly be of interest. Wrth the

exception of the two little canvases by M.
Houbron, not one of the pictures bought is worthy
of being preserved in an art gallery. Let the
Ville de Paris bestow as much encouragement, as
many rewards, as it likes on the artists it is bent on
favouring—one knows not why; but, at least, let it
be implored not to treasure in our galleries works,
like some of those purchased this year, which have
not even the merit of being bad. They simply
should not exist at all.

The new Art Association known as the "Peintres
du Paris Moderne" is one to be heartily greeted,
especially as it has made an excellent choice in its
president, M. Raffaelli, who is, the
painter of Paris and of its every aspect. The
exhibition might have been strengthened by the
inclusion of artists such as Houbron, Prunier, and
others, who have a very individual manner of
regarding the great city; nevertheless, the display
is very interesting, and one recognises with pleasure


AFTER THE DAY S LABOUR
300

f tS7?;<3%7- 712/%^

BY ROBERT STERL