Studio: international art (18.1900)

Jean Jacques Henner

and these letters are of
infinite value to the bio-
grapher of this artist's life.
Many are the subjects
upon which he touches, as,
for instance, the Venetian
school of colourists, for
whom, thus early in his
career, he had a great love.
Formerly, he says in the
letter in question, he be-
lieved the effect could be
obtained by the contrast
of black and white, and
he exclaims : " If you only
knew how all the studies
which I did before going
to Venice, those even which
I did at the commencement

study by j. j. henner

of the journey, are earthy
and leaden! It is only

tion and with very little difficulty carrying off the really at Venice that I have been struck with
prize, as had been predicted by Horace Vernet, the all the resources of the palette of this school of
manager of the then Ecole des Beaux-Arts, who saw colourists." And in the same letter he tells what
how particularly suited was the religious subject in nights and days of discouragement he has had,
question for the special talent of the young painter, and how M. Flandrin has told him that this is

Henner went to Rome in the autumn of 1858, necessary. " Sometimes. I pass charming moments
and remained there until 1864 in company with with him," he says, referring to the painter. "He
several others — Jules Lefebvre and Benjamin often comes to see me in my studio. He is ex-
Ulmann among the number — some of whom cellent towards me. It is a real pleasure and a
were destined, like himself, to become celebrated piece of good fortune to be able to approach this
artists in after life. This Italian period was of
great importance in Henner's art education. He
was already preoccupied with the grandeur of art,
with respect for his calling; he was dreaming
during those visits to Naples of painting great
pictures, and he did actually paint a fine, if not
a great, picture—his Suzanne an Bain, now in the
Luxembourg Gallery, which was sent to the 1865
Salon. He had an eye for nothing but beautiful
objects which he could depict upon canvas.
" Figurez-vous ces villages si pittoresques," he
writes to his old drawing-master, M. Gontzwiller,
" 011 vieilles femmes, jeunes filles, enfants et tous
semblent etre faits pour etre peintes. Les plus
gracieuses d'entre ces femmes (et elles se connais-
sent en pittoresque) viennent vers nous quand elles
nous voient arriver avec nos boites a. couleurs et
nous disent: ' Signor, signor, voulez-vous faire
mon portrait ? ' "

Young Henner wrote quite a number of letters
to M. Gontzwiller, who has published some of
them in his book, "Le Musee de Colmar-Martin
Schongauer and his School," in the form of notes, study by j. j. henner

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