The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, December 1883Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
History
The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, December 1883
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
A novel and entertaining exhibit was held in Paris in October. It was
called “The Exposition of the Incoherent Arts,” and was arranged by
and contributed to by young artists. Such a collection of absurdities
is rarely seen, this one being on a much larger scale than those in
previous years, and those who attend go to laugh. It is necessary to be a
Frenchman and a Parisian to thoroughly appreciate all the happy hits and
plays upon words, but even a foreigner can find food enough for laughter.
The proceeds of the exhibition are for the poor of Paris, and it is
expected that it will net quite a good sum. The exhibition abounds in
pictures of the realistic school. For instance, where there is a figure
wearing a shoe it will very likely be a genuine shoe attached; or hair
will be stuck on instead of painted, suns and moons be represented by
gold and silver paper pasted on, and one painting gives a ship sailing
along accompanied by fishes, the fishes being two or three regular dried
herrings glued to the canvas. One of the most prominent pictures is a
portrait of the lecturer and critic, M. Henri de Lapommeraye. The hair
and mustache, the eyeglass, the book just laid down, the letter he is
reading, and the glass of sugar and water at hand, are all real objects
attached to the picture, and of course, stand out most “naturally” from
the canvas. No. 85 is entitled, “Poem of a Pig.” It is a very striking
geometrical fantasy, the five different handlings of plain geometrical
figures giving a pig drama in five acts. First act, pig strolling along
seeking whom he may devour; second act, a sudden noise startles him, he
scents the wind; third act, feeling he is pursued, he turns his head;
fourth act, a knife shines in the air, he guesses, he flees; fifth act,
fate is fate, and the beast sees heaven. No. 167 is “A Wild Pansy” (study
of flowers). One forgets that “_une pensée sauvage_” can also mean a
savage thought, and the surprise comes in to find the flowers of the
picture are a fierce young boy and a scared-looking cat, and the boy is
murdering the cat by running a spear through its neck. These are but
samples of the whimsicalities.
ASTRONOMY OF THE HEAVENS FOR DECEMBER.
By PROF. M. B. GOFF.
THE SUN.
On the twenty-first day of this month, in our latitude, occurs the
shortest day in the year. The sun rises at 7:20 and sets at 4:37, making
the day’s length 9 hours, 17 minutes. This is also the day on which
properly our winter begins. The sun has reached the winter solstice, his
most southerly point, and now begins his journey northward, causing the
days to grow gradually longer.
THE MOON.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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