Evening Star Newspaper, March 6, 1932, Page 86

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 6§, OB/ G Calendar of Exhibitions CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART, Seven- teenth street and New York avenue. Permanent collection. “Washington and His Official Family,” special Bicen- tennial exhibition, March 6 to Novem- ber. Paintings by Richard 8. Meryman, February 2 to 29. Paintings by S. Bur- tis Baker, March 1 to 31. Water Colors illustrative of Fairy Tales—by Harold Gaze of Pasadena, February 28 to March 15. PHILLIPS MEMORIAL GALLERY, 1600 Twenty-first street, Permanent collec- tion with recent acquisition and group of painiings by Washingion artists. . Special exhibition of paintings by Walt Kuhn and Gifford Beal, opening Feb- ruary 7. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, Tenth and B (Constitution avenue) streets northwest. Permanent collection. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, Tenth and B streets southwest. Etchings by H. Luthmann, March 1 to 31. FREER GALLERY OF ART, Twelfth and B streets southwest. Permanent collection. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Print Divi- sion, First street between East Capitol and B streets southeast. Lithographs by Joseph Pennell. Loan exhibition of Jap- anese Prints, January 15 to March 15. ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON, 2017 I street northwest. Works by artist mem- bers of the club, February 28 to March 31. TEXTILE MUSEUM, 2330 S street north- west, Rugs, tapestries and other tex- tiles of the Near and Far East. Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 to 5 o'clock. Admission by card, obtain- able at the office of G. H. Myers, 730 Fifteenth street morthwest. GORDON DUNTHORNE GALLERY, Connecticut avenue and De Sales street. An erxhibition of Bicentennial Portraits of Washington and other historic per- sonages. Exhibit of paintings by Ebem Comins. SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO., 1166 Con- necticut avenue, Etchings by Cameron, McBey and Muirhead Bone; Sculpture, Portraits and Illustrations by Vicken von Post Totten; Oil Paintings by Frank C. Kirk and George T. Plowman; Water Cclors by Elias Newman; Sculp- ture by Frank L. Jirouch; Etchings by C. Allen Sherwin and Craft Work by a group of craftsmen from the Delaware Valley, March 4 to 31, inclusive. HOWARD UNIVERSITY GALLERY OF ART, Sixth street and Howard place. Exhibition of Paintings by members of the Landscape Clyb. To March 20. VENABLE’S, 1309 H street. Pastels by Grace McKinstry; Miniatures by Mar- garet Stoltlemeyer. NEJIB HEKIMIAN GALLERIES, 1214 Connecticut avenue. Ezxhibition Persian and Aubusson Rugs, Tapestries, March 2 to 21. T is seldom that a one-man exhibition offers as much variety and interest as does the exhibition of Burtis Baker’s works which opened in the Corcoran Gallery of Art less than a week ago. Mr. Baker is best known for his figure = paintings and portraits, but his present exhibi- tion includes also still life, flower paintings and landscapes, and it would be difficult to say in which field he specially excels—all are so nearly equally good. In fact, in two of his e@anvases setting forth still life compositions he attzins to an exceptionally high plane of professional achievement. There are those who fail to find interest in still life, and regard still life paintings as mere exercises, preparatory, as it were, to larger and more important work, * but still life painted as Mr. Baker has here done has a charm all its own, and, furthermore, opens one’s eyes to near-at-hand beauty. ¥For, after all, a work of art is a matter largely of arrangement, composition, play of light and shade, combinations of oolor, surface finish, texture, technique; when a painter fully com- mands his art it is of little consequence what he paints; the result is delightful, significant. No less pleasing are some of Mr. Baker's landscapes, one in particular, in green and blue, a Midsummer scene—broad fields in warm sunlight, blue sky partly clouded—neither ex- aggeration nor oversimplification, but a lovely view painted with evident feeling and at the same time reserve, reminiscent, perhaps, a little of Charies H. Davis, but Davis at his best has cone no better. A number of Mr, Baker’'s figure studies in this exhibition have previously appeared in the Corcoran Gallery's Biennials, where they have . mor2 than held their own. To see them again is a pleasure, especially in the present excellent company. The three major works are of young 1 set in the environment of a home, :s in which rather high-keyed and delicate color is employed and excellent tonal values maintained throughout—works possessing real unity of effect. All three of these canvases a subtle charm, showing a delicacy of n and great technical skill on the the painter. The portraits, too, give evidence of the paint- er'’s rpathetic and understanding attitude toward his sitters, and are extremely varied in manner of presentation. One of the best, per- haps, is a portrait of Glenn Brown, for many ~¥Years sccretary of the American Institute of Architects and a valiant advocate of the park commission plan for the development of Wash- ington, the realization of which he has happily A Al 1932. AND y LELA MECHLIN Several Unusual Exhibitions in the City—Mr. Baker’s Work at Corcoran Gallery—ILocal Painters Make Splendid Showing at Arts Club. “Mary Josephine,” a portrait by Burtis Baker. Included in exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery. lived to see. Mr. Baker’s portrait of Mrs. John B. Larner was shown in the latest Corcoran Biennial and is an excellent piece of work. Most charming, perhaps, however, are his portraits of children, and among them not least de- lightful is that of the little granddaughter of Edmund C. Tarbell, “Mary Josephine,” which was painted in the board room at the Cor- coran Gallery of Art, Some flower paintings broadly rendered lend colorful interest to this showing, which com- fortably fills one large gallery and redounds, not only to the artist’s credit, but gives occa- sion for pride in the accomplishment of a local painter. OCAL painters, members of the Arts Club, are in full possession of the club's gallery and drawing room walls at present and for the remainder of this month. This is a no-jury exhibition, each member being privileged to show one work, yet an excellent average is maintained throughout. There are 43 oil paint- ings, 25 water colors, several works in black and white and six in sculpture. The oil paintings are hung for the most part the gallery, whereas the water colors are layed in the drawing room. About 70 artists are repre- sented. Of notable interest in the gallery is a still life painting by Lewis P. Clephane entitled “In the Curio Shop.” It shows a group of objects on a table in front of a blue-black screen, dec~ orated in gold with the foliage of banana trees, a striking composition very well rendered in minutiae, but with a semblance of breadth. On the same wall hang two portraits, one of Charles E. Russell by Emily Burling Waite Manchester, an excellent likeness, the other by Mathilde M. Leisenring, of an elderly lady, very sympathetically rendered, Marjorie Phillips is represented by her char- acteristic painting, “Swan Boat,” a gay little scene painted with evident pleasure and genu- ine spontaneity. “Fujiyama, Peerless Mountain.” An etching by H. Lutmann. One of a group of prints on view at the Smithsonian. On the opposite wall one notes with excep- tional interest Charles Bittinger's exquisitely painted interior of the Arlington Mansion, lately refurnished and opened to the public. Nearby hangs a picturesque rendition of a New England church with its pointed spire, by Elizabeth E. Graves, and a characteristic flower study, by Marguerite Neuhauser. Minor S. Jameson is well represented by a Winter landscape, a snow scene finely rendered, and A. H. O. Rolle, chairman of the Art Committee of the club, by a painting, entitled “Snow Patches,” a recent work showing strong color and broad handling. Interestingly contrasted are a bit of New Mexican landscape, by Alice L. L. Ferguson, and a painting, entitled “Early May in Mary- land,” by Garnet Jex. Admirable, both as a piece of painting and as an individualistic interpretation, is Lucia B. Hollerith’s painting of a corner of her studio, a red lacquered table before a window, drapery thrown over a screen to the left and other objects well disposed—the whole most skillfully set forth. May Malone Ashton is represented by a por- trait of her mother, Blondelle Malone, by a characteristic painting of cherry blossoms, Hattie E. Burdette by one of her most charm- ing flower studies, Nella F. Binckley by a portrait of Maud Howell Smith in costume. In the dining room, lending color and dec- orative effect are a study of “Tiger Lilies,” by Eben F. Comins, and a still life, “The Red Candle,” by Rosebud Clephane, together with landscapes by J. C. Claghorn, Margaret S. Zimmelee, Cherry Forq White and others. Here is to be seen an interesting figure paint- ing, a character study, by Louise Rochon Hoover. Over the mantel in the drawing room is an interesting double portrait in water color, life sized, by Clara R. Saunders, entitled “They,” readily recognizable as Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dunn. This is flanked to the right by a painting of the “Old North Church,” by L. M. Leisenring, and to the left by a picture of the steps at the head of Twenty- second street, “June,” by Lesley Jackson. Of exceptional interest is a study of be- gonias by Mary D. Dawson, who is making not only steady but rapid progress, achieving with each successive work more and more notable results. There is a delightful picture of boats, “Dry- ing Sails,” by Eleanor Parke Custis; a typical work by Margaret Lent, entitledq “Victorian Sofa,” broadly rengered. Much, too, may be said in praise of Elizabeth Sawtelle’s still life; “Tulips,” by Annie D. Kelley; “The Jade Lamp,” by Prances H. Coombs, and “Vege- tables,” by R. Arcadius Lyon. More than a touch of modernism is found in Hugo Inden’s water color of New York and Elizabeth Lan- genbeck’s “The Riveters.” In the group of black and white studies are etchings by J. C. Claghorn of the United States Capitol and of Mount Vernon, a profile por- trait in charcoal and chalk on gray paper, by Marian Stevens, subtle and very charmingly rendered, and a typical work by Mrs. Man- chester. The sculpture is chiefly by Clara Hill, who shows five characteristic works, ranging from a garden group to a portrait of Lincoln, all in small scale. There is one work by Mrs. Kelley, & group, “The Young Family.” This exhibition will continue throughout the month, not changing as do other transient shows, at the end of a fortnight. . HE March exhibition set forth by the division of graphic arts in the Smithsonian Building consists of etchings in black and white and in color by a German artist, H. Luthmann, rec- ommended, and with good reason, by Bertha E. Jaques, the dis{inguished secretary of the Chi- cago Society of Etchers. Mr. Luthmann has had an interesting and unusual career. He was born in Hamburg in 1888. In 1910 he went to China as the com- mercial representative of a large German dye- stuff factory. After the siege of Tsingtai in 1914 by the combined English and Japanese Army and Navy, he was taken prisoner and transported to Japan, where was retained, as he puts it himself, “behind barbed wire” for more than five years. It was during the period of his imprisonment that he began drawing. Continued on Sirteenth Page AC DEMY—- 1333 F St. N.W. ME. 2883 * Y 3k e de ke Felix Mahony’s New Classes Now Forming National Art School 1747R. L Ave. qu;thfil 1 14 Landscape Painting GARNET JEX, Instructor Commercial Art Spring Term, March 15th Summer Session, June 15th THE ABBOTT SCHOOL OF FINE & COMMERCIAL ART 1624 H Street N.W. NA. 8054