Studio: international art (13.1898)

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Forbes, Mr. Alexander Young, Mr. (i. R. Burnett, by its great shadow thrown upon the pavement,
and Mr. Y. (labbitas. liver since his work, in fact, Harpignies showed by these works that he had the
was introduced to English art-lovers by Messrs. power of producing the most powerful effects by
Obach, through whose courtesy The S tudio is feints units; his sobriety of colour, breadth of
enabled to give a facsimile reproduction of one of his treatment, firmness of touch, and precision of draw-
most characteristic water-colours, there has been a ing placing him in the front rank of water colour
stead)- sale for his pictures. And that most of these artists. In addition to this side of his work, I must

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DRAWING IN LEAD PENCIL AND INK BY HENRI HARPIGNIES

pictures have been water-colours shows a very keen
appreciation of the artist's ability. Harpignies holds
a higher position as a water-colour painter than most
people imagine. As far back as 1869 he exhibited
water-colour at the Salon ; La Cite, and a number
of studies of Paris, were among the best pictures of
that year. For many years his water-colour draw-
ings at the annual exhibitions of the Societe
d'Aquarellistes Francois, of which he was elected a
member in 1881, were considered the finest on view.
In 1882 he held an exhibition in the Rue de Seze,
in Paris, which attracted great attention, the collec-
tion including a picture of the Pont JVeuf, from
which all vulgar and fatiguing detail was eliminated,
leaving only the street bathed in a sweet blue atmo-
sphere ; and another remarkable work, the subject
for which was the Place-Saint-Germain des PrSs, in
which the presence of the church was only revealed
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not forget to mention his drawings in pen-and-ink.
Much of his early work was done in this medium.
I can remember seeing in his studio a study from
Nature which he made in Rome as far back as 1861.
Some of the subjects for the 1882 series of water-
colours, already mentioned, were first of all drawn
in ink, one being a charming view of the Seine from
a balcony overgrown with creepers—such a view of
bridges and boats as may be obtained from the
balconies of the houses on the He Saint Louis, a
subject such as Mr. Whistler would have loved to
have chosen for a lithograph. Another of the same
series, also done in pen-and-ink, was the square on
the Boulevard St. Germain. Harpignies has, more-
over, done most of his studies for decoration with
the pen, notably those for the decorative panel at
the Grand Opera, La Vallke av£geriet which was
exhibited at the 1870 Salon.