Zola and Desmoulin as
French artists, I had at least told half the truth. M. Fernand Desmoulin
is, of course, well known in the French art world; and, moreover, he had
already spoken to me of purchasing a water-colour outfit for the very
purpose of sketching, as I had stated. Then, too, M. Zola first
distinguished himself in literature as an art critic, the defender of
Manet, the champion of the school of the 'open air.' And if he made no
sketches whilst he remained at Oatlands he at least took several
photographs. Sapient critics will stop me here with the oft-repeated
dictum that photography is not art. But however that may be, so many
painters nowadays have recourse to the assistance of photography that M.
Zola's 'snap-shotting' largely helped to bear out the account which I had
given of him at the hotel.
Oatlands Park is a large pile standing on the site of a magnificent
palace built by Henry VIII. Anne of Denmark, wife of James I., resided
there, and Henrietta Maria there gave birth to the Duke of Gloucester,
the brother of our second Charles and second James.
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