De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period by J. D. Salinger. Short summary

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The artist was assigned to conduct a casting for a painting course. A drawing by a nun named Irma won him over. But the abbot of the monastery forbade Irma to attend the course. The narrator had to put up with it.

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The story is told on behalf of an unnamed young artist. He obtained, not without the help of a lie, a position teaching correspondence courses in painting by signing his resume with the fictitious name of Jean de Daumier-Smith. He moved to Montreal, Canada, and settled in the house of the course director, Yoshoto, a Japanese.

An employee was assigned to go through the drawings sent in by applicants. The first two candidates were blatant mediocrities. But the third candidate won over Domier-Smith with his genius.

All 6 drawings sent in by Nun Irma from a convent in Toronto were flawless. They were done on wrapping paper in ordinary watercolour. The artist was particularly shaken by the painting, «The Sepulchration.»

Influenced by the impulse, the teacher wrote Irma an enthusiastic letter. He waited a long time for an answer. But the letter was sent by the abbot of the monastery, Father Zimmerman. He wrote that he could not allow Sister Irma to attend the course and demanded a refund of the first tuition payment. The teacher had to agree.