Studio: international art (35.1905)

Studio-Talk

smiles, where unfading beauty dwells serene in
peace and happiness. This is no paradise of
Mahomet and his followers, for the female figures
are no merely beautiful houris. There is soul in
their faces, and an atmosphere of purity about them.

Nothing could be more charming than the
graceful pose which each model assumes. That
the figure-drawing might be perfect beneath the
light flowing neo-Greek drapery, the artist fol-
lowed the example of those giants in art, Raphael
and David, and drew each figure in the nude
before draping with the classical peplum. The
central panel represents the amusements of the
immortals, and the dancing girlish figures are
delightfully represented—full of natural freedom
yet classically restrained. Other scenes show
those happy ones who have gained this land of
the blest gathering flowers, lingering in the shade
to watch the revels of their light-hearted com-
panions, or seated apart in a cool glade reading
from the pages of some great work. Each scene

appears perfectly natural, and just such as human
nature at its best could most appreciate, for the
artist does not make the mistake of imagining a
paradise which we can neither understand nor
enjoy. It is excellent work in every way.

Before placing them, M. Richir exhibited his
panels in the Cercle Artistique et Litteraire, Brussels,
with his portraits, and the critics without exception
praised them highly. Fortunately, their home
surroundings are suitable, and the eye turns with-
out a jar from the flowery meads of M. Richir’s
delectable land to the green depths of a beautiful
park. They are domed by a ceiling painted by
M. Crespin, one of Belgium’s principal decorative
artists. J. E. Whitby.

VIENNA.—The exhibition of Emil Orlik’s
works at the Miethke Art Gallery was
very gratifying. Unfortunately the artist
is leaving Vienna for Berlin, where he
has been appointed professor at the Imperial