International studio (21.1903/1904(1904))

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natural to think that whenever we want to depict
night in any fashion black should be used, it
appears that even moderately dark tints are not
necessary. There is another inimitable lithograph
by Otto very much like this as to subject, and
styled simply. On almost all copies the
author has heightened the effect by putting in by
hand light issuing from a window or from a half-
shut door of some house or other.
is another exquisite colour-lithograph. The
trees are grouped behind a sheet of water, and the
pale moon magically lights up the beautiful blossom-
cones, as well as the white down of the swans
moving about majestically on the water below.
Among Otto's midday lithographs the
is one of the best, done with the help of
three stones. A shepherd is resting upon the
ground, and his herd, some browsing, some asleep
in the height of the midday heat, are scattered
over a lusciously green pasture under trees.

r-p^HE FRENCH PASTELLISTS OE
[ THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
I BY ARMAND DAYOT.
DtDEROT, who was fond of using Latin in his
everyday writings, thus addresSes Latour, the
pastellist: " M A
There is, in this melancholy
reminder of human fragility, an evident allusion to
the fragility of the pastel; also a sorrowful appre-
hension regarding the length of existence of the
painter's sparkling masterpieces. Nevertheless, the
pastels of Latour, like those of La Rosalba, Chardin,
Greuze, Boucher, Louis Tocque, Perronneau,
Vivien, Liotard, Mmes. Yigee and Guiard, are to
this day as fresh in colour as they were two cen-
turies ago ; while many then famous paintings by
famous masters—paintings done, as often as not,
" after " the light pastels of the great artists I have
justnamed—haveturned black, or have become
lamentably crackled.
Which proves abundantly
that although the pastel
may be extremely fragile,
we can yet protect it from
the rapid decay predicted
by Diderot by keeping it
away from damp and
sunlight, by choosing a
favourable place wherein
to display it, by putting
the work under glass, and
by Hxing it in its frame by
means of a piece of card-
board, covered by stout,
sized paper or tin-foil.
This is worth knowing
just now, when the pastel-
list's art is in full revi-
val, when galleries and
private collections are
fllling every day with
charming works produced
by the luminous touches
of the coloured crayon.
But, above all, let collec-
tors beware of " fixing "
their pastels by means
of a varnish, to increase
their durability. By so
doing one destroys im-
mediately all the original
charm of the work,
all its exquisite vaporous


I'ORTRAIT or LOUIS XV I'ROM THE I'ASTEI. BY LATOUR

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