Correspondence

Paris April 6—1885—

My dear Weir—

Your letter came to-day and as you have been very negligent with me it was a very agreeable surprise. I was rather sorry that you should be a little blue for it goes to prove that even an artistic temperament as yours finds not enough to keep it from ennui. And the papers are so full of art news and what the artists are doing that, if newspapers were a safe thing to go by, America would be the Artistic and France quite dead. Unfortunately for America that it should be so.

We have been having some treats this winter and have had as many as twelve exs. at a time. How anybody can find time to go to all and see the Louvre at least once a week I can’t see. We are now having the Bastian [sic] LePage and Delacroix; and the Water Color just closed and the Pastel following in its place. Ribot’s ex. of designs was quite disappointing to me as he lacks every search after the character of nature and not so interesting as his painting by far. All the younger men are mad on B. LePage and say that he is the greatest of modern masters and compare him to Holbein, a thing that I cannot understand. Aside of him he was always small and fussy and never looked for the value of a large mass for the whole but made a bit of lace as interesting as an eye. And so you leave his ex. rather [more] puzzled and tired than comforted. He was sincere, but very restless.

We have a new acquisition to the Louvre in the way of some portraits by Frans Hals. A light complexioned woman with dark eyes and hair with the most wonderful finish of the face so that you would hardly take it for his work. A portrait of a man and a large family group are the other two. About the finest picture here is the Marguerita by Velasquez. In spite of his great cleverness he has adopted a workmanship adapted to his subject and it is painted as if a child had done it.

I have again been at school this winter. Last summer’s work went to Boston where I had an ex. at Chase’s with moderate success financially.[1] I was told that artistically it attracted some attention and they were liked by the artists. You will see my largest one at the American Art Association and write me how you like it.[2]

I took a month from school this winter and painted a large canvas for the Salon but it was rejected. Dannat liked it and was much surprised to hear of this.[3] Others who saw it seemed sure of its getting in all right and I should not dwell upon it if it were not that I know of some very bad works accepted.

We go to the sea-side in a week and remain there until the 16th of May when my wife sailes for America in the “Normandie” of the french line. I hope that she will have a chance of seeing you and your family so you must keep a lookout for the steamer. As Dr. Scudder will be in N.Y. when they arrive their stay there will not be so very long and I want you to do me the favor of seeing them. My wife very much looks forward to the pleasure of meeting you and your wife and baby. Write to me soon again and tell me all about yourself. My wife joins me in kindest remembrances to you and yours and believe me as ever your sincere friend.

J. H. Twachtman

Please send me the Article you had published about B. LePage as it would interest us very much to read your reminiscences.

[1] 1885 J. Eastman Chase's Gallery. 

[3] Twachtman is referring to Arques-la-Bataille (OP.731).

[3] The artist William Turner Dannat (1853–1929).