Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 August 1898 — An Earnest Painter. [ARTICLE]

An Earnest Painter.

An eminent American artist, who is now an old man, has never forgotten the lesson he learned from Sir Frederick Leighton in his youth. Leighton was then a brilliant and fascinating young painter, whose future was still before him. He was at work upon an Italian landscape, or upon a picture with an Italian background. In that background he was anxious to Introduce an olive tree. He remembered a tree which he had seen In the south of Italy, and remembered it quite distinctly enough to reproduce it, but lie was uot content to trust his memory. The American artist remembers how Leighton came Into a case in Rome on his way to southern Italy, making the long journey from England for the express purpose of studying that olive tree and of taking honje an exact sketch of it, and he rememliers also how, four or five weeks latef, the ardent young Englishman, brilliant, enthusiastic, versatile, but with a capae* lty for taking pains, reappeared xvlth a wonderful sketch of the olive tree, upon-which he had spent days of unbroken observation and work. From this little Incident the American student learned a lesson, which he never forgot, and which went far to secure the success which entne to him later In life. The story Illustrates the great quality which lies behind all real success, alike for the man of genius and the man of talent.—Outlook.