as far as is practicable. Landscape with figures predominating are of many kinds. Some which especially interest the children of lower grade are those dealing with all sorts of outdoor labor. Certain French painters are great popular favorites in this line of subjects, Pictures like Millet’s Potato Planters, The Shepherdess, and the Gleaners, or like Breton’s Lark and Shepherds’ Star, we often used in the schools, but not always, I suspect, with as much attention to the setting as would be desirable Another sub-division of this figure-landscape art is the outdoor animal picture. Now many good animal painters like Landseer and Rosa Bonheur, are rather indifferent landscapists. When we are specially engaged in training the eye in landscape study, we prefer the works of Troyon and van Marcke, who understood how to make the scenery a beautiful and harmonious environment for cattle.
A typical example by van Marcke is the subject called A Watering Place at Treport. It is very similar in composition to a picture in the Albright collection at Buffalo, which may be familiar to many readers. Though we are looking here at French country life, the general aspect of the scene seems perfectly familiar to American eyes. With either picture we begin by examining carefully the fine, well-fed creatures in the foreground. In primary grades—if indeed such a picture should appear there this is about as far as we should get, merely using the subject as a nature study and emphasizing the mild and gentle aspect of the cows. Investigating more fully, we ask, How many are there in the main group? Where are they standing? Is the water a river? a pond? a brook? Does there seem to be any current, or is it still water? is it shallow or deep? That it is both still and shallow we know from the growth of reeds and grasses. The depth can also be judged by the portion of the cows’ legs under water. Here is evidently a marshy meadowland with occasional pools.
Note the variety in color and marking of the cattle, getting a descriptive phrase for each one. Is one more prominent than the other, and if so, is the prominence due to size, beauty, light, position or action? Manifestly, the glorious white cow which is the “feature” of the composition, has all these essentials of prominence. Describing the action of each one, point out in proper sequence: the animal approaching, the one pausing, the one drinking, and the one which, having had her fill, turns away and looks across the country. Thus does the artist give us the whole story. How have the cows been led here? By a lad on horseback who has ridden his horse into the water for a drink.
With pupils mature enough for some sort of compositional analysis we ask how is the space in the background divided? Into two sections woods on the left and open sky on the right, making a fine contrast of light and dark. A detached tree in the center softens the transition. How far do you think it is from the pool to the hill on the horizon? An easy walk or a long one? What object are in between by which you may realize the distance? Note how cleverly the distant cows are placed in line with the animals in front, so to
