" A person with no recognized
position, but one who occasionally does inferior work of this
nature for us, recently surprised Kin Yen without warning, and
found him in his sumptuously appointed picture-room, busy with
compasses and tracing-paper. About the place were scattered in
elegant confusion several of his recent masterpieces. From the
subsequent conversation we are in a position to make it known that
in future this refined and versatile person will confine himself
entirely to illustrations of processions, funerals, armies on the
march, persons pursued by others, and kindred subjects which
appeal strongly to his imagination. Kin Yen has severe emotions on
the subject of individuality in art, and does not hesitate to
express himself forcibly with reference to those who are content
to degrade the names of their ancestors by turning out what he
wittily describes as "so much of varied mediocrity."
The prominence obtained by this pleasantly-composed notice--for it was
copied by others who were unaware of the circumstance of its
origin--had the desired effect. In future, when one of those who sit
in easy-chairs wished for a picture after the kind mentioned, he would
say to his lesser one: "Oh, send to the graceful and versatile Kin
Yen; he becomes inspired on the subject of funerals," or persons
escaping from prison, or families walking to the temple, or whatever
it might be.
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