Victor Hugo as an Artist Author(s): T. C. Reviewed work(s): Source: The Art Amateur, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Aug.

, 1885), pp. 50-52 Published by: Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25628388 . Accessed: 03/02/2012 03:08
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50
VICTOR HUGO AS AN ARTIST.

THE

ART

AMATEUR.

THE death of the greatest of Frenchmen has giveen renewed interestto everyanecdote and det'ail concerning his glorious life and his many-sided genius. With the poet, theorator, the novelist, the humanitarian, we are not concerned here; bu't as a draughtsman and water colorist he well deserves to be spoken of in a journal devoted to thegraphic arts. Victor Hugo had reallysurprisingartistic faculties. In his notice of the Salon of 1859,Charles Baudelaire re marks: " I have not foundamong the landscape paint ers the supernaturalbeauty of the landscapes' of Dela

Victor Hugo never learned todrawv except inthevery im perfect mechanical way inwhich we all learn at school. The first line he ever drew fromnature was when he was already a man. He was travellingin a diligence in the neighborhood ofMelun, and (luring a change. of horses he entered an old church, was struck by the beautyof the apse, and triedto sketch it, using the crown of his hat as a drawingboard. " This was the firsttime,"

hand to change to his own taste the sceneryof the up per room in " LucrCceBorgia." Later onwe findthe man *ager of .thePorte Saint-Martin signing a formal agree ment.". to follow the indications furnishedby M. Victor Hugo forthesceneryof the .fourth part of 'Marie d'An gleterre' and for all the other details of the mise en sc6ne." In "'Le Rhin, Lettres a un ami" (I838) Victor Hugo speaks continually of the drawingswhich he is Victor Hugo used to say, "that I understood how useful making of staircases, .spires and street. scenes at Heidel the copyingof naturemight be to me in my literary work, berg, and the manuscripts themselvesof these lettersare and since then I have always loved to note theoriginal coveredwith drawings and. sketchesof singular preci itiesof local architecture when that architecture isnatu sion, as may be seen fromthe fac-similespublished in ral, and not touched by restorers. Climate is written up L'Artiste" in 1840 and I841. Some feNv years ago L6o

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croix, nor the magniticent imagination which flows throughthedrawings ofVicto'r Hugo. I 'speak'of 'his drawings in India ink, for it is too evident that inwords our poet is the king of landscape painters." During his exile at Guernsey 'in particular Victor Hugo 'used to amuse himself by drawing. His instruments were the firstthat' came' to hand-a quill pen, a rolled paper, a match, a feather. With these improvised brushes he drew the chateau ofRuy' Gomez,with its crumbling tow ers, its ruinedpinnacles, its sombre and gaping arch ways, or some mediaval street, with its pointed gables and swinging signs, or else some vast expanse of tumult uous sea onwhich a ship is tossed and tumbled," fracta sed invicta," the emblem of thepoet's own destiny. The of drawing is th-at a poet, thewhole value being due to the strength of the draughtsman's poetic imagination.

in architecture: a pointed roofmeans rain; a flat roof suIn; a roof ladenwith stones signifies wind;" Victor Hugo onlymade use of this faculty drawing, of wlhichhe'thus discovered,at capricious intervals, and as a distraction rather than. a serious occupation ; but one as on feels, examining theresults which he obtainedwithout having had any trainingor teaching,thathe might have become a master of capital importance. Many of his drawings,which are in the possession of Paul Meurice, of Auguste Vacquerie and other friends, surprise by the us logic and sureness of themethod as well as by thegrace and forceof theconception. The master's first drawings were caricatures. Then he passed on to making sketches forthe sceneryof his dramas. In the interestingsemi autobiography, "'Victor Hugo racont6 par un t6moin
cle sa vie," we see hiim taking the paint pot and brush in

pold Flameng engravedonwood for" L'Ann(6e terrible " two melancholy views of the ruins of the village and castle of Falkenstein sketched byVictor Hugo during a visit toLuxembourg. Other drawings ofHugo have been lithographed, engraved or reproduced in facsimile in "Sept Dessins de Gens de Lettres," Paris, I874; in " Dessins de Victor Hugo avec notice de Th. Gautier," Paris, I863; and in "Dessins de Victor Hugo pour Les Travailleurs de la Mer, grav6s par M. M6aulle," Paris, i88o. Others have been reproducedin " L'Artiste" at va rious times,others in " L'Art " in I875, and others in M. Barbou's book, "Victor Hugo et son temps." Auguste Vacquerie possesses a large collection ofVictor Hugo's earlierdrawings, marines and landscapes of grand style and fullof real artistic merit. Some of these drawings
were given to him by the master; others were bartered

THE

ART

AMATEUR.

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52

~~THE

AR~T AMATBUE.

againstmediaval coffers and cupboards, for which Victor Hugo had a great liking; others wvere won at draughts and backgammon; otherswere bought at the sale of Hugo's house in theRue de la Tour d'Auvergne in I852. The drawingsmade by Victor Htugo during his exile are less exclusivelypicturesque thai thoseabove referred to,and more human in sentiment; such is the remark able picture of JohnBrown, the first proofs ofwhich, en graved by Paul Chenay with the legend "' Pro Christo, sicutChristus," were seized by the imperial police. It vas during his.residence at Guernsey thatVictor Hugo made the wonderfully eloquent illustrations for his
"Travailleurs de la Mer." After the war he

time in drawing, but what he did produce was richer in color anidmore complicated in composition than most of his former work. Such are three drawings which have been engraved for the popular editionof " Quatre-Vingt Treize" and three drawings for the popular edition of Notre-Dame de Paris." In the above notes I have indicatedbriefly collectors to some of theplaces where theycan studyVictor Hugo's drawing and painting,but I make no pretence to com pleteness. Some day or other one of Hugo's admirers will doubtless prepare a catalogue of the master's draw ings,and then the public vill be astounded to find how much he produced; and if the catalogue is accompanied of by fac-similes his finest compositions theastonishment at his fertility be comnbined will with admiration of his powerful imagination,his striking effects, and his curi ous and very personal processes. Th6ophile Gautier boldly reckoned Hugo among the masters of the Ro mantic school of painting. "M. Hugo," he wrote, " is .notonly a poet but a painter, and a painterwhom Louis Boulanger, Camille Roqueplan and Paul Huet would not (lisown as their brother. When he is travelling he sketches everythingthat strikeshim. The contour of a hill, the lace-workoutline of thehorizon,a strangecloud form,a curious detail in a door or window, a ruined tower,an antique belfry-these are his notes ;thenin the evening,at the inn, he retraceshis outline with a pen, shades it,colors it,strengthens it, and gives an effect; and so the rough sketch, often drawn on the crown of his hat in a shaky diligence, becomes a drawing very like an etching,and of a capriciousness and savorwhich T. C. surprise artists themselves."

spent

less

AMA

TEUR

PHO

TOGRAPH

Y.

IV.-LANDSCAPE. IN the popular mind it is the triunph of photography that it so perfectlyreproduces detail. To the profes sional photographer thatphotograph is themost praise worthy thatpresents thegreatest numberof objects with sharpness and distinctness. But this is not theway we see with the human eye. The exclamation of Corot, so quoted, " I see nothing, everythingis there!" frequently is but an exaggerated expression of the true nature of human vision. The eye, in fact, seizes a single thing. Everything else ismerely indicated, and experience sup of plies the imperfectness sight. It is on this side that art lies. Art expresses some salient fact,and other things fall into relationsof more or lessmoment, but all subsidiary. The compromises thatphotographywill make toward thisend in the hands of an artist, or any one of artistic feeling,are much supposed. At the outset one greater thanwas formerly abandons the attitude of the professionalphotographer. It is not detailwe are searching for, but a wvhole, single a which one must be impression. This demands sacrifices, in to wvilling make. Not everything a landscape belongs in but with a littleselection,with knowledge of a picture, constitutesa picture,or feelingforpicturesqueness wvhat without knowledge, and a comprehension of the limi tations of the camera, nature can be made toyield abun dant material forartistic landscape photography. The firstthingnecessary is to select the view. As in must be a salient spot on which the a composition, there eye unconsciously rests, and towhich everything leads, masses of through thearrangement of the linesor of the
light and shade. Let us take a cottage at the base of a

hillside,with a young wood behind it. The slope is treeless, and a path from the house runs up the hill. This is a view that,according to itsposition, the camera will not may reproduce in severalways. But the results main be equally fruitful.The cottage, it is evident, is the must claim and its lines object. It is in the foreground, attention. We take thecamera out and adjust its tripod

so that the lenswill be on a level with the eye, to avoid affording formsagainst the light farther on, but by giv unnecessary stooping. Two thingswill now be found ingmany gradations of tones to the picture (and conse necessary: First, the ability to judge the effect an in quently color),v of which the development must be regulated verted image on theground glass, and, secondly,the fac to bring out. ulty of translatingcolor intoblack and white. Masses a Suppose we have, fora thirdtrial, view inwhich the of foliage, forexample, of differenttints in nature, are remotedistance is the leading feature. It is,perhaps, a liable tocome out dead black masses, when a different winding stream that we see far away, shining in broad effect of lightmight bring out half tones aid other sunlight. Above it is the sky filled with summer clouds. pleasing gradations. While these catch the eye, neithermid distance nor re To get the real value of our cottage, it inustbe taken mote distancewill be sufficient thepicture. Still take for in perspective,otherwisewe have flat surfacesand miss thoughtof the foreground. Let ithave plenty of detail, the necessary shadowvs. Although the cottage is the judiciouslyarranged with a view topicturesque effect. In chiefobject in theview, it would be too obviously intru such a view as we are considering, the conspicuous light sive in the centre of thepicture. Adjust thecamera un ing is in the distance. In thiscase let the horizon line til it is either in the rightor left the foreground. It is, be low, a littlebelow themiddle of the plate. (Never of we will say, to the left. Here it must not be too low. let it cut the picture in halves.) Be careful of the fore Allow enough ground about it at least for its founda ground. Do not let a light object stand conspicuously tionls;otherwise itwill lack an air of stability.We have against a dark one. This is bad at any time, but here it then in perspective, with its frontdiagonally disposed anybright spotwould take the eye away from the light fromthe left-hand corner of theview, thepath carrying in the distance,which isbroad and diffused. the lineup thehillside toward the right-handcomer and Inmarines the lighting, insteadof coming fromtheright meeting the horizon line, which isone-thirdfromthe top. or left lower corner of the picture, is even better if it The left-hand upper corner is filled with thewood, which comes from the opposite direction. This is especially also niakes a background for the house in perspective. true when boats are to be photographed. In that case Here we have an agreeable arrangementof lines. Now we have the value of the reflectionsand the boats as we must consider the lightand shade, for on such con illuminated objects showingus their shadows. trasts picturesqueness greatly depends. If the sun is and are Coast scenes are almost always full'of interest, we get no shadows at all. If the light easilymanaged. An old boat appeals to everyone's sense facingus clearly comes fromthe righthand it is equally clear thatwe get of thepicturesque. If it is theconspicuous object, place no shadows, for the hill slope is bare. If the lightcomes the camera so as to get not only itsperspective,but its fromthe left get shadows fromthe we wood and fromthe shadows. Consider it with referenceto other lines. The house. If the lightcomes fromthe left, and a littlebe which guid'e the artist are equally rules forcomposition hind the camera, the shadows aremore vivid and more appropriatehere. Rules inart are but sorry dependen picturesque. cies; but ifa picture seemswanting, theyserve toaccount It appears, therefore,that after having selected the for the lack. Thu's, horizontal linesmust be aveided. viewwe shouldwait until theproper timeof day for mak Lines in one directionmust be balanced by opposing ing the exposure. This we do. On looking through the lines. If thegeneral lines of the picture forma wedge camerawe seewe have a picture, so to speak, bisected or a pyramid they will present an agreeable artistic ar diagonally. One half has objects inshadow. On theother rangement. half lie the shadows. If the hillside seems too barren, A Avoid the phenomenal in landscape as in-art. rustic and some sheep or a group of cows wander there, they bridge, an old mill, a few sheep,nibbling,are betterma should be welcomed graciously; otherwise some object terialforartisticlandscape than thebuttesof Idaho or the may be secured to break up the space. A friend a strange formationsof Colorado. The value of reflec or wayfaring man can throw himself on the turf.A hay tions has been- intimated,but the abuse of reflections rake, or other garden implements,can be placed on almost everyone will rememberinYosemite views, cur theproper spot. rentsome years ago, inwhich the steepwall of a caflon The composition is now arranged, and the hour has was reflectedin the riverbeneath. The lineof thebase arrived. We make these early trials with the open lens. of the rock and the riverbisected the photograph, and The foregroundis the object of our attention, and the one was quite apt in consequence to set the picture cottage the objective point of that. In focusing,let the upside down. This is curious, but it is not art. In some eye hold the cottage. Adjust the lens with reference to Albertypes-takenfor thenational government of a lake thatalone. When theaspect of the cottage meets ap in the Yellowstone country,the landscape and itsreflec else take care of itself. proval, let everything tions in the lakemeet in the centre of the picture,mak Inmaking the exposure,give plentyof time. The am ing the lines of an hour-glass, and result in a disagree ateur in his first efforts is likely to under-expose rather able view of what might otherwisehave been a charming than over-expose. But it is much easier to correct an scene. over-exposedplate thanone under-exposed, so let theer we have spoken of landscape seen through Thus far rorbe on the rightside. A rule oftenurged in landscape an open lens. Itwill have been observed thatwitlh the photography is, " Expose for the shadows, let the -lights camera comes a thinflat piece of brass, with apertures, take care of themselves."Detail in shadow is one of the which may be slipped in front the lens, and is called of charms of a picture, so let the shadows have sufficient the diaphragm. The diaphragm gives a narrover time togather up theirdetail. angle of view, and brings the foregroundand distance Those elements of thepicturewhich the exposure has into greater harmonythan ispossible by thewide angle, not securedmay be often supplied by judicious develop which gives importanceto the foreground at the ex-_ ment. If thepicture is too light, if the shadows want pense of thedistance. In using thediaphragmbzegin with strength, use a strongdeveloper, that is to say, add pyro, the largestaperture,fornowwveare treadingon theheels which we have seen is the element thatgives density. If, of more delicate experiments in artistic photography. on the contrary,thepicture is largely in shadow, or the This harmony,orwhat ~ve may call the single impres shadows are verystrong,dilute thenormaldeveloperwith sion of the landscape, is stillmore closely attainedlby water, and allow plentyof timeto the development, and what is called stopping down the camera. For thispur thedetail of the shadows will come out toyour satisfac pose there come small pieces of brass,which can be in tion without the high lights losing inquality. serted in the same manner as the diaphragm. These We have takenan example inwhich the conspicuous cut offthe corners,as it were, and in the image thedetail feature is in the foreground. It is now,we will say, in at the edges loses its sharpness of focus, which brings it themiddle distance. 'Let us conceive of a glimpse intobetter relations with the more prominentfeaturesof through a wood. Trees, in comparative shadow in thle view. the foreground,part and disclose a bit of sunlit land Thus fareverythinghas been subordinated to some scape in the middle distance, the wood closing again only salient point at which the camera is directed, and that is to allow glimpses of landscape and skybehind. The trees always focused into prominence. But thephotograph is and shadows in the foreground here form, itwere, a capable of giving also thatmystery and suggestiveness as frame to the picture beyond. Place the camera so that which is so fascinatingin modern landscape art. This is this opening shall take a slightly diagonal line; also done bymaking the exposure with thecamera a little Sout watch the intervening treeboughs to see that they not of focus. The lines are not sharp, but appear softenedas do cut the picturedisagreeably. -Focus for the lightedspot if bathed in the atmosphere,an effect.whichthepainter in themiddle distance,which must have its base below striveseagerly to secure. This is the way in which most the centre of theplate. Although theobject of thepict artists interestedinphotography make the camera serve ure lies in this lightedspace, in exposing remember the theirpurposes. To secure theproper result,patient ex shadowed foreground, and consider the networkof in periment is necessary,but no amount of labor and effort terlacing1)0ughs, which are to do so much not only in in thisdirection will be wasted. M. G. H.