Excerpt from Our American Artists: Painters, Sculptors, Illustrators, Engravers and Architects; Fully Illustraed
In considering the works of the artist who heads this paper, we enter upon what is called the field of decorative art. It is true that Mr. Lafarge has done much excellent work in other branches of art, but it is in pictorial decoration that his abilities have found their best expression.
In order to find the origin of decorative painting, we must go back several thousand years: when we explore the tombs of Egypt in the vast caves of the Nile, we see wall painting there that was done in some cases five thousand years ago. The rich blues, greens and reds that were put on so long before Christ are as bright to-day as they were then. It is surprising also that the color was so true, for of course it had to be laid on by torch-light, as the light of day has never yet penetrated those tombs.
When Mr. Lafarge excavated the ruined palaces of Nineveh thirty years ago he found on those walls the remains of decorative paintings that were blackened by fire and covered with the earth of ages.
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