His Masterpiece, Emile Zola [read ebook pdf .TXT] 📗

His Fat Legs,

And Admiring His Handiwork. With His Head Sunk Between His Shoulders,

He Had The Heavy,  Handsome Features Of A Hindu Idol. He Was Said To Be

The Son Of A Veterinary Surgeon Of The Neighbourhood Of Amiens. At

Part 5 Pg 96

Forty-Five He Had Already Produced Twenty Masterpieces: Statues All

Simplicity And Life,  Flesh Modern And Palpitating,  Kneaded By A

Workman Of Genius,  Without Any Pretension To Refinement; And All This

Was Chance Production,  For He Furnished Work As A Field Bears Harvest,

Good One Day,  Bad The Next,  In Absolute Ignorance Of What He Created.

He Carried The Lack Of Critical Acumen To Such A Degree That He Made

No Distinction Between The Most Glorious Offspring Of His Hands And

The Detestably Grotesque Figures Which Now And Then He Chanced To Put

Together. Never Troubled By Nervous Feverishness,  Never Doubting,

Always Solid And Convinced,  He Had The Pride Of A God.

 

'Wonderful,  The "Sower"!' Whispered Claude. 'What A Figure! And What

An Attitude!'

 

Fagerolles,  Who Had Not Looked At The Statue,  Was Highly Amused By The

Great Man,  And The String Of Young,  Open-Mouthed Disciples Whom As

Usual He Dragged At His Tail.

 

'Just Look At Them,  One Would Think They Are Taking The Sacrament,

'Pon My Word--And He Himself,  Eh? What A Fine Brutish Face He Has!'

 

Isolated,  And Quite At His Ease,  Amidst The General Curiosity,

Chambouvard Stood There Wondering,  With The Stupefied Air Of A Man Who

Is Surprised At Having Produced Such A Masterpiece. He Seemed To

Behold It For The First Time,  And Was Unable To Get Over His

Astonishment. Then An Expression Of Delight Gradually Stole Over His

Broad Face,  He Nodded His Head,  And Burst Into Soft,  Irresistible

Laughter,  Repeating A Dozen Times,  'It's Comical,  It's Really

Comical!'

 

His Train Of Followers Went Into Raptures,  While He Himself Could Find

Nothing More Forcible To Express How Much He Worshipped Himself. All

At Once There Was A Slight Stir. Bongrand,  Who Had Been Walking About

With His Hands Behind His Back,  Glancing Vaguely Around Him,  Had Just

Stumbled On Chambouvard,  And The Public,  Drawing Back,  Whispered,  And

Watched The Two Celebrated Artists Shaking Hands; The One Short And Of

A Sanguine Temperament,  The Other Tall And Restless. Some Expressions

Of Good-Fellowship Were Overheard. 'Always Fresh Marvels.' 'Of Course!

And You,  Nothing This Year?' 'No,  Nothing; I Am Resting,  Seeking--'

'Come,  You Joker! There's No Need To Seek,  The Thing Comes By Itself.'

'Good-Bye.' 'Good-Bye.' And Chambouvard,  Followed By His Court,  Was

Already Moving Slowly Away Among The Crowd,  With The Glances Of A

King,  Who Enjoys Life,  While Bongrand,  Who Had Recognised Claude And

His Friends,  Approached Them With Outstretched Feverish Hands,  And

Called Attention To The Sculptor With A Nervous Jerk Of The Chin,

Saying,  'There's A Fellow I Envy! Ah! To Be Confident Of Always

Producing Masterpieces!'

 

He Complimented Mahoudeau On His 'Vintaging Girl'; Showed Himself

Paternal To All Of Them,  With That Broad-Minded Good-Nature Of His,

The Free And Easy Manner Of An Old Bohemian Of The Romantic School,

Who Had Settled Down And Was Decorated. Then,  Turning To Claude:

 

'Well,  What Did I Tell You? Did You See Upstairs? You Have Become The

Chief Of A School.'

 

'Ah! Yes,' Replied Claude. 'They Are Giving It Me Nicely. You Are The

Master Of Us All.'

Part 5 Pg 97

But Bongrand Made His Usual Gesture Of Vague Suffering And Went Off,

Saying,  'Hold Your Tongue! I Am Not Even My Own Master.'

 

For A Few Moments Longer The Band Wandered Through The Garden. They

Had Gone Back To Look At The 'Vintaging Girl,' When Jory Noticed That

Gagniere No Longer Had Irma Becot On His Arm. Gagniere Was Stupefied;

Where The Deuce Could He Have Lost Her? But When Fagerolles Had Told

Him That She Had Gone Off In The Crowd With Two Gentlemen,  He

Recovered His Composure,  And Followed The Others,  Lighter Of Heart Now

That He Was Relieved Of That Girl Who Had Bewildered Him.

 

People Now Only Moved About With Difficulty. All The Seats Were Taken

By Storm; Groups Blocked Up The Paths,  Where The Promenaders Paused

Every Now And Then,  Flowing Back Around The Successful Bits Of Bronze

And Marble. From The Crowded Buffet There Arose A Loud Buzzing,  A

Clatter Of Saucers And Spoons Which Mingled With The Throb Of Life

Pervading The Vast Nave. The Sparrows Had Flown Up To The Forest Of

Iron Girders Again,  And One Could Hear Their Sharp Little Chirps,  The

Twittering With Which They Serenaded The Setting Sun,  Under The Warm

Panes Of The Glass Roof. The Atmosphere,  Moreover,  Had Become Heavy,

There Was A Damp Greenhouse-Like Warmth; The Air,  Stationary As It

Was,  Had An Odour As Of Humus,  Freshly Turned Over. And Rising Above

The Garden Throng,  The Din Of The First-Floor Galleries,  The Tramping

Of Feet On Their Iron-Girdered Flooring Still Rolled On With The

Clamour Of A Tempest Beating Against A Cliff.

 

Claude,  Who Had A Keen Perception Of That Rumbling Storm,  Ended By

Hearing Nothing Else; It Had Been Let Loose And Was Howling In His

Ears. It Was The Merriment Of The Crowd Whose Jeers And Laughter Swept

Hurricane-Like Past His Picture. With A Weary Gesture He Exclaimed:

 

'Come,  What Are We Messing About Here For? I Sha'n't Take Anything At

The Refreshment Bar,  It Reeks Of The Institute. Let's Go And Have A

Glass Of Beer Outside,  Eh?'

 

They All Went Out,  With Sinking Legs And Tired Faces,  Expressive Of

Contempt. Once Outside,  On Finding Themselves Again Face To Face With

Healthy Mother Nature In Her Springtide Season,  They Breathed Noisily

With An Air Of Delight. It Had Barely Struck Four O'clock,  The

Slanting Sun Swept Along The Champs Elysees And Everything Flared: The

Serried Rows Of Carriages,  Like The Fresh Foliage Of The Trees,  And

The Sheaf-Like Fountains Which Spouted Up And Whirled Away In Golden

Dust. With A Sauntering Step They Went Hesitatingly Down The Central

Avenue,  And Finally Stranded In A Little Cafe,  The Pavillon De La

Concorde,  On The Left,  Just Before Reaching The Place. The Place Was

So Small That They Sat Down Outside It At The Edge Of The Footway,

Despite The Chill Which Fell From A Vault Of Leaves,  Already Fully

Grown And Gloomy. But Beyond The Four Rows Of Chestnut-Trees,  Beyond

The Belt Of Verdant Shade,  They Could See The Sunlit Roadway Of The

Main Avenue Where Paris Passed Before Them As In A Nimbus,  The

Carriages With Their Wheels Radiating Like Stars,  The Big Yellow

Omnibuses,  Looking Even More Profusely Gilded Than Triumphal Chariots,

The Horsemen Whose Steeds Seemed To Raise Clouds Of Sparks,  And The

Foot Passengers Whom The Light Enveloped In Splendour.

 

And During Nearly Three Hours,  With His Beer Untasted Before Him,

Claude Went On Talking And Arguing Amid A Growing Fever,  Broken Down

Part 5 Pg 98

As He Was In Body,  And With His Mind Full Of All The Painting He Had

Just Seen. It Was The Usual Winding Up Of Their Visit To The Salon,

Though This Year They Were More Impassioned On Account Of The Liberal

Measure Of The Emperor.

 

'Well,  And What Of It,  If The Public Does Laugh?' Cried Claude. 'We

Must Educate The Public,  That's All. In Reality It's A Victory. Take

Away Two Hundred Grotesque Canvases,  And Our Salon Beats Theirs. We

Have Courage And Audacity--We Are The Future. Yes,  Yes,  You'll See It

Later On; We Shall Kill Their Salon. We Shall Enter It As Conquerors,

By Dint Of Producing Masterpieces. Laugh,  Laugh,  You Big Stupid Paris

--Laugh Until You Fall On Your Knees Before Us!'

 

And Stopping Short,  He Pointed Prophetically To The Triumphal Avenue,

Where The Luxury And Happiness Of The City Went Rolling By In The

Sunlight. His Arms Stretched Out Till They Embraced Even The Place De

La Concorde,  Which Could Be Seen Slantwise From Where They Sat Under

The Trees--The Place De La Concorde,  With The Plashing Water Of One Of

Its Fountains,  A Strip Of Balustrade,  And Two Of Its Statues--Rouen,

With The Gigantic Bosom,  And Lille,  Thrusting Forward Her Huge Bare

Foot.

 

'"In The Open Air"--It Amuses Them,  Eh?' He Resumed. 'All Right,  Since

They Are Bent On It,  The "Open Air" Then,  The School Of The "Open

Air!" Eh! It Was A Thing Strictly Between Us,  It Didn't Exist

Yesterday Beyond The Circle Of A Few Painters. But Now They Throw The

Word Upon The Winds,  And They Found The School. Oh! I'm Agreeable. Let

It Be The School Of The "Open Air!"'

 

Jory Slapped His Thighs.

 

'Didn't I Tell You? I Felt Sure Of Making Them Bite With Those

Articles Of Mine,  The Idiots That They Are. Ah! How We'll Plague Them

Now.'

 

Mahoudeau Also Was Singing Victory,  Constantly Dragging In His

'Vintaging Girl,' The Daring Points Of Which He Explained To The

Silent Chaine,  The Only One Who Listened To Him; While Gagniere,  With

The Sternness Of A Timid Man Waxing Wroth Over Questions Of Pure

Theory,  Spoke Of Guillotining The Institute; And Sandoz,  With The

Glowing Sympathy Of A Hard Worker,  And Dubuche,  Giving Way To The

Contagion Of Revolutionary Friendship,  Became Exasperated,  And Struck

The Table,  Swallowing Up Paris With Each Draught Of Beer. Fagerolles,

Very Calm,  Retained His Usual Smile. He Had Accompanied Them For The

Sake Of Amusement,  For The Singular Pleasure Which He Found In Urging

His Comrades Into Farcical Affairs That Were Bound To Turn Out Badly.

At The Very Moment When He Was Lashing Their Spirit Of Revolt,  He

Himself Formed The Firm Resolution To Work In Future For The Prix De

Rome. That Day Had Decided Him; He Thought It Idiotic To Compromise

His Prospects Any Further.

 

The Sun Was Declining On The Horizon,  There Was Now Only A Returning

Stream Of Carriages,  Coming Back From The Bois In The Pale Golden

Shimmer Of The Sunset. And The Exodus From The Salon Must Have Been

Nearly Over; A Long String Of Pedestrians Passed By,  Gentlemen Who

Looked Like Critics,  Each With A Catalogue Under His Arm.

 

But All At Once Gagniere Became Enthusiastic: 'Ah! Courajod,  There Was