Maturer pupils will readily see the superiority of van Marcke's landscape art if they compare this picture with outdoor animal subjects by other painters.
Books of Reference
Michel's Great Masters of Landscape Painting (translated from the French) is a large authoritative work covering the entire subject from the rise of the art to the present day, with an account of the important painters in every country who have contributed to its development. A brief paragraph is devoted to Emil van Marcke (1827-1890), who was a pupil of Troyon, and whose landscapes, says the author, "harmonized very well" with the animals he painted.
Witt's How to Look at Pictures contains excellent chapter on Landscape, which briefly outlines the historical development of the art, ending with a few suggestions as to the study of landscape composition.
Miss Emery’s How to Enjoy Pictures contains in the chapter on Animals a delightful study of a picture by Troyon similar to this work by van Marcke. The same book has an excellent chapter on Landscapes.
Information About Our Illustrations. If any readers wish to know where the photographs for the various illustrations were obtained, I shall be glad to furnish the information to these who send stamped addressed envelopes for reply.
About Our Questions for Discussion. I must explain to my readers that I was obliged to get some of my landscape material ready for the magazine before answers had been received to the questions on this subject in the January number. The exigencies of the magazine business require an extreme "forehandedness" on the part of the contributors. Let me therefore beg you to send in answers at the earliest possible moment after reading each number. Be sure that sooner or later all correspondence will duly recognized and acted upon in these columns. This month I will ask only these two questions: (1) Out of ten pictures for the school year, how many would be landscape subjects? (2) Do children prefer familiar or foreign landscapes?
