Book Review : An Art Student’s Reminiscences of Paris in the Eighties by John Shirley Fox (1910)

Recently, Ramon Hurtado and Jake Taplin (Jakedontdraw) started their online courses together ( https://www.halftonestudio.art/ ), and being just as vehement for 19th century Art and its pedagogy , I try to stay updated with their generous sharings on the matter. 

One of which was their recommended reading list

( https://www.halftonestudio.art/blog-posts/essential-books-guides-on-19th-century-french-academic-drawing-painting-and-history )

I thought this would therefore be the perfect opportunity for me to leave a review and share my personal views on these books. I hope that I'm able to provide some insight  without spoiling too much, and ultimately allow those who may be interested make a more educated decision to either read, or not, the book in question.  

Unfortunately some books of this period can be hard to find, at times expensive, and at other times found for free online ( eg  https://books.google.com/  and/or  https://archive.org/details/books ) as well, so until one goes on the search, it is hard to tell what we may be able to find in terms of a copy to read. On this note, I also want to mention that some modern reprints can have missing pages, missing plates (if they have them, may be very low quality), or worse both and on top of that the pages may not be in order. 

But if interested in a physical copy

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/art-students-reminiscences-paris-eighties/author/fox-shirley/

For other hard copies aside from your local library, Oxfam (if you're in the UK) has often gems amidst everything they offer, ebay, abebooks and even Etsy you can find some, but if none of these, a deeper look may be necessary, and alas! may be the case that is rare enough and is not at an arm's reach. But such is the nature with some of these books. 

So the now the actual review, 

An Art Student’s Reminiscences of Paris in the Eighties by John Shirley Fox (1910) , 

Is a memoir of Mr John Shirley Fox's during his time in Paris, 

If you were thinking that you may learn something technical when it comes to drawing or painting, this book will disappoint you,  this does not offer any such insight.

However, what this book does offer is what a life of a student inside and out of the school was like. Is also a book about the changes Fox saw happen during his many years in Paris. and of course, what Mr Fox was like himself, his views and interests, the cultural differences seen and experienced between  French and English people.

Fox goes first to Paris with his mother to meet his father, who was temporarily relocated to Paris due to work. Showing interest in Art, young Fox joins some art classes where after some work starts to show some promise. His diligence starts to pay off, as the improvement is clearly evident. All of this at a very young age, his father being also very supportive and an art enthusiast himself, young Mr Fox makes way onto his artistic journey.  This progress also made young Fox very confident to the point that he decides, with a strong support of his family, to pursue Art in a more serious manner, to the point that, when the father had to leave Paris due to work, they decided to leave the young Mr. Fox, age 13, in Paris on his own! Mind that, he was with a host family and all was accomodate for, so that he could continue with his Art studies.

Now being very young and able to speak French, after sometime that is, he was able to immerse himself in the life of an art student in Paris. Now, without spoiling too much, he gives many episodes to what life was like inside the studios and out. And perhaps this is what I personally think is the most rewarding of this book. It shows that to be an 'academic ' Artist is not simply to work hard and do endless technical exercises, but is about living life fully, to experience the good and the bad, to be present where the action happens, amidst crowds of people, in the studios smelling of turpentine and cigars, of walks in the countryside, going out at night with your friends, to play pranks on your colleagues, etc. 

That to be an artist is so much about camaraderie and culture, that education one receives outside the studio is just as important when it comes to forging the individual. A light heartful read that makes you smile at points, that gives some insight to what was the art school and studios like, and the transformations and changes that occur to Paris during his stay.

2/5 ***