International studio (40.1910)

Miniatures by Miss Dix

PORTRAIT MINIATURES BY MISS
EULABEE DIX
BYNORREYS JEPHSON O'CONOR

Miniature painting, according to
Miss Eulabee Dix, has at present fallen into disre-
pute. It is looked down upon by many artists,
when it should be considered one of the most diffi-
cult and charming branches of painting. A minia-
ture is not merely the makeshift of one who cannot
paint successfully in oils—witness Holbein, the
founder of the art in England—but is a peculiar ex-
pression of the artistic nature, distinct in itself. If
those who scorn miniature painting will but con-
sider the origin of the art they will find it a develop-
ment of the illumination of manuscripts with the
portraits of saints and martyrs by the monks of the
Middle Ages. And, as the art of illumination (now
lost) is one of the most beautiful, so miniature paint-
ing is a modern survival of an exquisite product of
medieval times. Is not the best miniature painting,
filled with a sincerity, an attempt to express ade-
quately and in perfect form the sentiments which
animate the artist, akin to the poetry of one of the
great singers of courtly love ?

Copyright, 1910, by Eulabee Dix

mark twai>j by miss eulabee dix

xciv

portrait of mrs. c. by miss eulabee dix

Jewel-like color, resembling the earliest stained
glass, is the effect Miss Dix has most zealously
striven for. In the miniature of Mrs. Michael
Dreicer the sitter is clothed in emerald green, a color
which contrasts most effectively with her reddish-
brown hair. The miniature of Mark Twain in the
gown of an Oxford doctor of letters shows a pre-
vailing tone of gray, the broad red band of the gown
lighting the whole picture. The miniature of Miss
Purdon-Clarke is exceedingly beautiful. This
shows only the head and neck of the sitter, thrown
into strong relief by a dark grayish-blue back-
ground. Every feature is strongly modeled, and
even the tiara in the hair stands out distinctly.
From across the room the color in this miniature is
still brilliant and striking. It is an example, more-
over, of what Miss Dix feels she can do particularly
well, an effective background and an attractive
neck. Her belief is, I think, well sustained by her
work. The backgrounds of her miniatures are all
agreeable in tone and harmonize perfectly with the
portraits of the sitters. Miss Dix's sense of color
values is peculiarly happy.

The portrait of Mrs. William Wood Plankinton
shows a lady in pink against a lavender background.
She holds a spray of apple blossoms, which gives the
final note of color to the picture. In the miniature