Show IRONY OF FATE famous artists wh at first scant app eel eal attoa atlon in an article on the art of the age in pearson s there la is an inter esting reference to the early struggles of famous artists J F millet the great french painter of peasant life for instance only reached a moderate amount of comfort toward the end of his life since his death his pictures have sold tor for enormous sums lan L an gelus being bought by his country for 75 can we account tor for this mil let alas as an artist consistently true to himself never turning aside to do what he considered was below the standard he had set tor for himself it not infrequently happens that men of strong personality produce work not understood by the average man and as he Is the largest buyer of pictures it follows that the artist is left to eat his heart out or starve as millet did for years because he works out side accepted conventions recently an exhibition was held in london of tie tae works of the french mon decelli his career was a remarkable one for from poverty and obscurity his pictures suddenly became the vogue and tor for a while he lived in opu lence then they ceased to sell and he became little better than a vagrant tramping from place to place evenou ally dying in marseilles a cauper he resembles in this respect morland whose works are now so fashionable and fetch long prices he was content to work for a drink or a lodging his contemporary richard wilson whose classical landscapes now command thousands could not sell them and liv ed all his days in penury |