Page:Great Men and Famous Women Volume 8.djvu/131

GEROME 283 care for the subjects from the histories of France and England in the sixteenth and seventeenth eenturies, that had provided his master, Dclaroche, with so many tragic themes for his pencil : " The Death of the Duke of Guise," " The Children of Edward," the " Death of Queen Elizabeth," " The Execution of Lady Jane Grey," " Cromwell at the Coffin of Charles I.," and others of the same strain. G£r6me's visit to Italy had awakened in him a strong interest in the life of the antique world, and this would naturally be strengthened by all that he would hear and see of the growing interest of the public in the same subject : an inter- est kindled by the discoveries of archaeologists in classic soil : in Greece and Italy, in Assyria and Egypt. These discoveries had filled the museums and the cabinets of private collectors with beautiful and interesting fragments illustrating the external life of the past, and illuminating its poetry ; and it is no wonder that some of the younger artists rejoiced in the new world of anecdote and story that opened so richly before them. However it came about — whether his own interest in the antique life commu- nicated itself to his fellows, or whether they, all together, simply shared in the in- terest taken in the subject by the world about them— G£r6me and some of his companions in Delaroche's studio showed such a predilection for classic themes, that they were nicknamed by the critics " The New Greeks." Among GeYdme's fellow-pupils were two young men, Hamon and Aubert, who later gained no small applause by their playful and familiar way of treating classic themes. They are well known to us by engravings from their pictures, which are in all our shops. Hamon's " My Sister is not at home," and Aubert's various pretty fancies of nymphs and cupids, while they are not great works of art, are reasonably sure of a long life, due to their innocent freshness and simplicity. Delaroche's pupils were working all together in friendly competition for the grand Roman prize which was to give the fortunate one the right to four years' study in Rome at the expense of the state. G^rdme's studio was shared by his friends Picou and Hamon. Hamon, writing in later years about his youthful days, says : " Companions and rivals at the same time, we were all working to- gether for the Grand Prix de Rome. Gdrome inspired us all with the love of hard work, and of hard work to the accompaniment of singing and laughing." But in the intervals of his hard work for the prize, Genome was also working on a picture which he hoped to have accepted for the Salon. This was the pict- ure we spoke of in the beginning of this notice : "Two Young Greeks stirring- up Game-cocks to fight." When it was finished GdJrome showed it to his mas- ter with many misgivings ; but Delaroche encouraged him to send it to the Salon. It was accepted, and as we have seen, won for Gerdme a great success with the public. The next year, 1848, he again exhibited, but the impression he made was less marked than on the first occasion. His former picture had a subject such as it was, of his own devising. The " Cock-fight " was not an illustration of any passage in Greek poetry, and in spite of its antique setting, it had a mod- ern air, and to this, no doubt, its popularity was largely due. But in 1848 he essayed an illustration of the Greek poet, Anacreon, translating into picture the