Show artists tainted painted comments even great masters of the brush are on record as employing their genius for the small purpose of plaguing enemies when it comes to getting your own back the almot brush may easily prove mightier than the pen our great artists nowadays seldom descend to personalities in their paintings but this was a common trick among even the first rank men not so long ago for instance that eccentric genius whistler never hesitated to use all his powers for getting his own back lie ile was admittedly an adept in the gentle art of 0 making enemies and Us his resentment at real or fancied insult took at times a fantastic form on one occasion lie I 1 quarreled with the gentleman aorl for whom he had painted the famous peacock room and took his revenge by painting a life size portrait of him its as a devil complete with hoofs and horns similar was the unenviable predicament of sir robert sheard a gentleman noted for his penurious habits who by incurring the resentment of no il gartl found himself depleted in one of 0 that artists pictures as a miser sitting in judgment on a dog for robbing its ills kitchen on this coming to the ears cars of sheardy She ards son the latter repaired to the painters house bouse in his absence and destroyed the canvas on another occasion a portrait of a nobleman which ll hogarth had painted was returned to the artist as being nothing better than a gross caricature and payment refused the next nest day the peer received this letter mr Il begs to inform his lordship that it if he does not send for I 1 his bis picture within three days it will be disposed of with the addition of a tall and some other little appendages to mr flare the famous wild beast man mr 11 having given that gentleman a conditional promise of it it for an exhibition picture on his lordships lord ships refusal the money was promptly paid and the picture removed while engaged upon his picture the taking of souza horace vernet received a call from a member now deceased of the rothschild family who asked him what be would charge to paint his portrait upon balzi informed that was the figure he cried angrily nonsense 1 I 1 wont pay such a ridiculous price very well replied the artist some day I 1 will make a portrait of you for nothing and he was as good as his word for there and then he painted the great financiers face upon the body of a flying citizen in whose hands he placed two moneybags money bags each marked 1500 A painting of himself in the act of holding his nose with one ban hand while with the other he pushed away a dish of fish was the covert threat of sir joshua reynolds to robertson his fishmonger on the batters lat pressing for payment of a longstanding long standing account the poor tradesman was horrified such a work must be suppressed sun pressed or all the world that knew him tor for sir joshuaa Jos huas fishmonger would credit the painters innuendo ne ile therefore had to sacrifice his money and acquire the sketch by cancelling the bill A case of the paint brush being mightier might ler than the pen london answers |