DOI Heft:
Nr. 46 (January 1897)
DOI Artikel:Little, James Stanley: Maurice Greiffenhagen and his work
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17298#0255
Maurice Greiffenhagen
author a black and white man or a journalist able to return to his real love; but he has to pick
respectively. Hence I do not propose, excellent as up his lost experiences; to begin all over again so
much of the work is, to deal with Mr. Greiffen- to speak. Then, when the old cunning has come
hagen at length as an artist in black and white, back to him, when he feels himself again, the stern
How splendidly graphic, how necessities of life obtrude
instinctively truthful he can themselves once more ; he has
be in pen and ink or in wash BMW^^Mf^j^^ K/V ^1 to forego his art to fill his
drawing all the world knows. ZjKf^^k pocket. He has to return
The comic journals and the to black and white for a living,
illustrated magazines for the wis ^or t^1's ^ast tnere 's a ready
past ten years give evidence of market, while for important
the fact. Again, in the yet pictures in oils, which have
more mechanical and com |.» WS9^wgtr; #i cost months of thought, labour
mercial work, which in the \f§mlk MimB/a^M^t Ik. an<a much expenditure of
very nature of things illustrat- hard cash to produce, the
ing a romance must be, Mr. K»W« market is uncertain; indeed
Greiffenhagen has achieved the purchasers for such are
results which none but an ex- always so much the fewer in
tremely clever man could direct ratio to the excellence
achieve, for he has often i^fl of the work. So the struggle
achieved them against tre- Wm^%, §oes on aSa^n an<^ again; the
mendous odds. However, thwarted painter living mean-
such things as these can only /' jjhK- ' while in a condition bordering
demonstrate dexterity, clever- mk on despair. Such a man, and
ness, what you will; they afford in what I am writing I make
no scope for a man of genius no secret of the direct appli-
to proclaim his powers. More- cation of my remarks to the
over, to a man who is subject of this essay, really
primarily a fine colourist— leads the life of a person who
and the really great painter has one absorbing business
mustbethis—it is as obligatory and attempts to follow another,
as finely trained draughtsman- He is constantly hoping to be
ship—to be condemned to able to do without his crutches
devote the best part of each and walk a free man; but
year to mere pot-boiling, to j^^^ when he makes a determined
sensuous black and white, is, upon these uncomfortable aids
case it has fortunately not HH^^^Bli weakness in the man as a
been destructive or even per- whole; it is due to a local
manently hurtful, for he has weakness, that is to say, to a
rigorously restricted his out- mBHHHBBbm ilfeiliiyJi-. lamentable deficiency of gold
put and so has preserved his in his pocket. The crippling
balance ; but it has been the mermaid from a painting by effect of drawing in black and
eminently painful. It is a maurice greiffenhagen white when one approaches a
hard fate to have to sell one's wider field from an art point
birthright, especially when that birthright is of the of view, lies in this, that black and white pro-
highest and noblest, for a mess of pottage. It wants duced for the public deals of necessity with
little imagination to picture what it must mean. A incident, some topical or superficial incident. I
man may work for six or more months in the year am identifying myself with the true artist who
at black and white, using in his craft ways and cares not at all for mere incident. Thus he may
methods entirely different from those employed in have evolved a charming arrangement, but has to
oil-painting. Then comes a lull, he finds himself subordinate it to the exigencies of his story, muti-
240
author a black and white man or a journalist able to return to his real love; but he has to pick
respectively. Hence I do not propose, excellent as up his lost experiences; to begin all over again so
much of the work is, to deal with Mr. Greiffen- to speak. Then, when the old cunning has come
hagen at length as an artist in black and white, back to him, when he feels himself again, the stern
How splendidly graphic, how necessities of life obtrude
instinctively truthful he can themselves once more ; he has
be in pen and ink or in wash BMW^^Mf^j^^ K/V ^1 to forego his art to fill his
drawing all the world knows. ZjKf^^k pocket. He has to return
The comic journals and the to black and white for a living,
illustrated magazines for the wis ^or t^1's ^ast tnere 's a ready
past ten years give evidence of market, while for important
the fact. Again, in the yet pictures in oils, which have
more mechanical and com |.» WS9^wgtr; #i cost months of thought, labour
mercial work, which in the \f§mlk MimB/a^M^t Ik. an<a much expenditure of
very nature of things illustrat- hard cash to produce, the
ing a romance must be, Mr. K»W« market is uncertain; indeed
Greiffenhagen has achieved the purchasers for such are
results which none but an ex- always so much the fewer in
tremely clever man could direct ratio to the excellence
achieve, for he has often i^fl of the work. So the struggle
achieved them against tre- Wm^%, §oes on aSa^n an<^ again; the
mendous odds. However, thwarted painter living mean-
such things as these can only /' jjhK- ' while in a condition bordering
demonstrate dexterity, clever- mk on despair. Such a man, and
ness, what you will; they afford in what I am writing I make
no scope for a man of genius no secret of the direct appli-
to proclaim his powers. More- cation of my remarks to the
over, to a man who is subject of this essay, really
primarily a fine colourist— leads the life of a person who
and the really great painter has one absorbing business
mustbethis—it is as obligatory and attempts to follow another,
as finely trained draughtsman- He is constantly hoping to be
ship—to be condemned to able to do without his crutches
devote the best part of each and walk a free man; but
year to mere pot-boiling, to j^^^ when he makes a determined
sensuous black and white, is, upon these uncomfortable aids
case it has fortunately not HH^^^Bli weakness in the man as a
been destructive or even per- whole; it is due to a local
manently hurtful, for he has weakness, that is to say, to a
rigorously restricted his out- mBHHHBBbm ilfeiliiyJi-. lamentable deficiency of gold
put and so has preserved his in his pocket. The crippling
balance ; but it has been the mermaid from a painting by effect of drawing in black and
eminently painful. It is a maurice greiffenhagen white when one approaches a
hard fate to have to sell one's wider field from an art point
birthright, especially when that birthright is of the of view, lies in this, that black and white pro-
highest and noblest, for a mess of pottage. It wants duced for the public deals of necessity with
little imagination to picture what it must mean. A incident, some topical or superficial incident. I
man may work for six or more months in the year am identifying myself with the true artist who
at black and white, using in his craft ways and cares not at all for mere incident. Thus he may
methods entirely different from those employed in have evolved a charming arrangement, but has to
oil-painting. Then comes a lull, he finds himself subordinate it to the exigencies of his story, muti-
240