Page:Women in the Fine Arts From the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentiet.djvu/508

Rh In the summer of 1872 M. and Mme. Mesdag went to Friesland and Drenthe, where they made numerous sketches of the heath, sheep, farmhouses, and the people in their quaint costumes. One of Mme. Mesdag's pictures, afterward exhibited at Berlin, is thus described: "On this canvas we see the moon, just as she has broken through a gray cloud, spreading her silvery sheen over the sleepy land; in the centre we are given a sheep-fold, at the door of which a flock of sheep are jostling and pushing each other, all eager to enter their place of rest. The wave-like movement of these animals is particularly graceful and cleverly done. A little shepherdess is guiding them, as anxious to get them in as they are ta enter, for this means the end of her day's work. Her worn-out blue petticoat is lighted up by a moonbeam; in her hand she appears to have a hoe. It is a most harmonious picture; every line is in accord with its neighbor."

While residing in Brussels these two artists began to collect works of art for what is now known as the Mesdag Museum. In 1887 a wing was added to their house to accommodate their increasing treasures, which include especially good examples of modern J^rench painting, pottery, tapestry, etc.

In 1889 an exhibition of the works of these painters was held. Here convincing proof was given of Mme. Mesdag’s accuracy, originality of interpretation, and her skill in the use of color.

Möller, Agnes Slott, or Slott-Möller, Agnes. This artist follows the young romantic movement in Denmark. She has embodied in her work a modern comprehension