Evening Star Newspaper, December 2, 1934, Page 41

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 2, 1934—PART TWO. | Notes of Art and Artists | COMMENT ON CURRENT EXHIBITIONS. the auspices of the Division | of Grapic Arts, United States National Museum, an exhibi- tion of prints, water colors and draw- ings by Gifford Beal should prove of unusual interest because of the dis- tinction of the artist and the diversi- fied character of his works. To the Washington art-loving pub- lic. Gifford Beal is no stranger. Not only have his paintings bea seen from time to time in exhibitions at the Phillips Memorial Gallery, but quite a number of his more important can- vases are included in this gallery's own collection. Invariably Mr. Beal is represented in the Corcoran Gallery of Art's biennial exhibitions, in one of which, comparatively recently, he won, by his “Circus Performer,” one of the much coveted Clark prizes. But not before have we had the op- portunity of seeing so comprehensive a collection of Mr. Beal's etchings, and to see them in conjunction with his studies in water color is an additional privilege. Primarily Mr. Beal is a painter, and despite his skill in handlirg the etch- ing needle the painter Quality domi- | nates his etchings. It is not line but | mass that attracts him, and that he employs to significant effect. Obviously his outlines are strong—he is an ex- cellent draughtsman—he knows bet- ter than most the value of silhouette, but when it comes to the etched line it is chiefly in the aggregate that under his hand it acquires meaning. To an extent this distinguishes his work, sets it apart and makes it in- dividual. An excellent example of this characteristic at its best is to be found in the etching, “The Prow,” a sailing vessel cutting its way through a rough sea with porpoises leaping ahead through the waves. In this plate through a dexterous use of mul- tiple line the etcher has given an ex- traordinary effect of motion, and the rhythm of the leaping fish and the sWinging waves is very impressive. But it should be remembered that this is not all. Mr. Beal's art, re- gardless of the medium used. almost invariably concerns itself with the drama of life. The world that he sets forth in most instances is peopled, not by the idle and merely orna- mental, but by those who work— toilers of land and sea. This almost elemental human touch is very ap- pealing. It has been truly said that the most interesting exhibit to man is man, and especially when man is at work. Witness the crowds that | gather on the outskirts of building operations. Both in etchinz and in a drawing in this exhibition Mr. Beal will show a figure of a swordfisher- man in the act of spearing a fish. The action is excellent, the power and skill of the spearman obvious to all. The difference in quality between the drawing and the etching is also in- teresting, the former, to the writer, having the greater spontaneity. It is apparently not unusual for| Mr. Beal to draw, etch and paint| the same subject. Possibly this may | be accounted for by interest in theme, | but presumably there is the desire for experimentation to the end of greater achievement, more perfect | rendition. His single figures, such as “Fisherman’s Daughter” and “Hsher-“ man With Basket,” are particularly | strong and engaging—great char- | agterizations. Of exceptional quality also are his compositions such as| " “Hauling Nets,” | ‘Gathering Brush, | Central Park.” proving erroneous the supposition that subjective interest is detrimental to a work of art and Ppresenting scenes not easily forgotten. Mr. Beal has by no means found all of his subjects on the coast or among fishermen. The ecircus has provided him with a considerable number, and how this series of prints appeals to the perennial child in us all! Who but the very forsaken could | fail to be attracted and held by his transcription of “Circus Parade” and | “Grand Entry?” Included in this exnibition will be a lithograph of the trapeze performer which, as a paint- ing, won a Clark medal in the Cor- | coran biennial. Turning to the water colors, of | which there are 16, one feels a greater | element of experimentation—a little | less sureness of touch or command ot medium, but no less individuality. In this group are included a few un- peopled landscapes, such as “After- noon, Wingasheek,” a bay and sandy beach seen over grass-grown dunes and under a very charming partly clouded sky. Quite a number of these seem to have been painted at or near Gloucester, but are not the usual boat and wharf subjects. In every instance the color is fresh, if not intense, and would seem to have flowed freely from & full brush. ‘When figures appear it is as though incidental. A feature of this group of paintings will be found to be several full-length PENING tomorrow in the O Smithsonjan Building under plates on white paper and without background, costume studies rendered, 50 far as texture goes, with con- sumate skill. And how delightful that an artist should allow himself fuch little excursions into the unusual! Mention has already been made of one of the four drawings that will be shown, all of which are delightful. In this day of disregard for drafts- manship these are the more signifi- cant, with their fort-right manner and directness. There is always & temptation to compare the work of one artist with that of another, & temptation which perhaps should be withstood. But to say that Gifford Beal's drawings and etchings at their works of Homer and Bellows, which they do not in the least resemble, is merely an acknowledgement of strength and virility entitling to con- sideration in the best of company. One may get by with a mediocre painting because of color, but an etcher can not afford to stumble. This exhibition will continue through the month of December. * X x % THE special sales exhibition of work ** produced by artists formerly em- ployed under the Public Works of Art | modern fads. prizes given in the Corcoran Biennials best works. lithographs by Daumlier, lent by Stu- dio House. Daumier is indeed a name to conjure with and his lithographs rank high in the art of the western world. figure studies done almost as fashion uH.lgdm,‘ of Print Making and Print Makers,” John Taylor Arms, the eminent etcher, has this to say of Daumier: greatest artist that has ever drawn on stone,” and it would be difficult to disprove this statement. sessed all the qualities necessary to the great artist and a great litho- graphic draughtsman — imagi power, highly sensitive feeling for plas- tion, a preoccupation with the essen- tial and universal, brilliant draughts- manship, complete sympathy with his medium and limitless technical skill He was tremendously prolific, being credited with about five thousand lithographs, mostly political and so- best bring reminiscently to mind the | Cial Satire. He created the inimita swindler, the political demagogue; he delineated the people of Paris with an insight, a wit and & pungent draughtsmanship, never applied to them before. He was imprisoned for his caricatures; he drew on stone the magnificent and terrible ‘Rue Transnonain,’ one of the great works of art of the world; and, perhaps most amazing of all, he main- tained igious “SWORD FISHERMAN,” A DRAWING BY CLIFFORD BEAL. AN EXHIBITION OF THIS ARTIST'S WORK OPENS TOMORROW IN THE | SMITHSONIAN BUILDING. exhibition of paintings by Eilshemius, 26 of 30 shown were sold. but Eilshe- | mius waited to old age for this suc-| cess. After conclusion here this ex- | hibition by the P. W. A. P. artists is | to be shown in Baltimore, at the Maryland Institute, and in Richmond, | both of which cities were included in | the region represented. P ‘HE American Society of Miniature Painters will, by special invitation, hold an exhibition of works by mem- bers in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, opening the last of this week in the southeast corner gallery wherein Mrs. Sommer’s weavings are now so pleas- | ingly displayed. There will, it is un- derstood, be 50 of these intimate little portraits and pictures, and among those to be represented are painters of such distinction as Laura Combs Hills, Elsie Dodge Pattee, Annie Hurlburt Jackson, Helen Harlow, Grace Murray, Mary C. Allen and others. The Wash- ington Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers will hold its annual exhibition in the Corcoran Gallery of Art in January. ‘HE Corcoran Gallery of Art has| announced its jury of selection and | award for the Fourteenth Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting to be held March 24 to May 5 as follows: Jonas Lie, president of the National Academy of Design, chairman; George Harding, painter and illustrator of Philadelphia; Victor Higgins, painter of Taos, N. Mex.; Henry Lee McFee, painter of Wood- stock, N. Y., and Richard E. Mil- ler of Provincetown, Mass. With the exception of Mr. McFee, these men are all conservative and while they repre- sent divergent viewpoints, there should be enough unanimity among them in fundamentals to assure awards which are neither compromises nor sops to And yet who can tell what a perfectly “safe and sane” jury may do? Witness the first prize in the Carnegie Institute’s great Inter- national to a sur-realistic painting en- titled “South of Scranton,” represent- ing in a kind of puzzle picture the artists subconscious impressions of an automobile trip. But there is no deny- ing the fact that prizes create interest and that the very generous Clark encourage the artists to offer their * ¥ ¥ ¥ AT THE Public Library this month will be shown a collection of In his recently published “He has been called ‘the He pos- inative tic form, a vivid sense of characteriza- ‘Robert Macaire,’ ‘racketeer,’ and speculator, ‘Ratapoil,’ throughout his work & standard of excellence to which few other masters of the lithographic Project, which opened in the Corcoran Gallery of Art November 4 and closes today, has proved successful. By the middle of last week 65 sales had been made. Water colors by Robert Gates and by Richard Sargent were espe- cially popular, but sales were fairly well distributed among the exhibitors. This is certainly very heartening, not only to the young artists who directly profited, but to all members of the Pprofession and to those who hope to see local art locally supported.- Of coures, in this instance special effort ‘was made to sell, and the purchasers ‘were for the most part persons already interested, but nothing could be better than to encourage the buying habit, disabusing the mind of the public of the idea that in exhibitions works of art are merely on view rather than af- fording opportunities for acquisition. Washington will never be a national art center until it becomes an art market. Artists cannot live on pride in achievement nor on appreciation, and without the aritst there can be o art. In New York recently, in an by bl g e Expert, trained in Dr. Scholl's Mecthods, can quickly determine just what your foot trouble is and g:': ou relief with the proper De. corrective. Fourth Floor. | THE Washington Water Color Club | —By LEILA-MECHLIN cravon have attained in their best works.” Knowing this, how much | keener our interest in this exhibition! * ok X X to the present time. Furthermore, water colors today dare comparison with oils, and at the same time have a freshness and sprightliness all their own. When well done they are envia- ble possessions. * *x * x Society of Washington Artists announces its forty-fourth annual exhibition to be held in the Corcoran Gallery of Art from January 12, through February 3. Paintings in oil and sculpture not heretofore exhibited in Washington only are eligible. Four bronze medals will be awarded for the best work in the “following classes, re- spectively: Figure composition, includ- ing portraiture; landscape, including marines; still life, sculpture. Entry; cards and information can be ob- tained from the secretary, Miss Lucia B. Hollerith, 808 Seventeenth street. The other officers of the society are Minor 8. Jameson, president; Charles Bittinger, vice president, and Clara R. Saunders, treasurer. * ¥ ¥ % N exhibition of the work of Her- man Meril is being held at this time in the Art Gallery of Howard University. Mr. Maril is a Balti- morean whose work under the P. W. A. project brought him into prominence. One of his paintings, shown in the P. W. A. project exhibition last Spring, was selected for the White House, and other examples of his work have since been purchased by Mr. Phillips for the Phillips Memorial Gallery. He is, moreover, one of those represented in the current exhibition in the Cor- coran Gallery end fortunate in the number of sales. He is said to be “essentially modern.” inasmuch as he “reduces his painting to the simplest form and employs in juxtaposition flat tones . in excellent harmony.” Doubtless this is an achievement, but to the uninitiated there is a certain dreariness about his work which takes from its charm. To some it seems immature, childish, rather than naive and unsophistocated. But it has cer- tainly found favor among those whose | knowledge of art is sufficiently wide to give, one would suppose, perspec- tive. The exhibition at the Howard University Gallery consists of oil paintings, opaque water colors, work in black and white, chiefly lent by patrons. It will continue until De- cember 21. AT THE Arts Club the exhibitions of ofl paintings by Dr. Robert E. Motley and of water colors by S. Pe- ter Wagner will continue until De- cember 7. Both are attracting very | favorable attention. On December 9 an exhibition of opaque water colors by Elizabeth Withington of Rockport, Mass., will open concurrently with an exhibition of photographs of Virginia | Colonial architecture by Frances Ben- | jamin Johnston. These photographs will present, it is said, “some of the high lights” of the “Survey of Early | Virginia Architecture” which Miss Johnston has made during the past | two years under a grant from the Car- | negie Corporation of New York. They are accurate historical records, but at the same time pictorially artistic. Of the utmost value to students of ar- chitecture, they are no less convincing because they conserve the charm of | atmosphere with which these houses | were surrounded. It is this dual merit | which gives them great interest and | value. * % ox will open its 39th Annual Ex- | hibition in the Corcoran Gallery of Art a week from today. A. H. O./ Rolle is president, Benson B. Moore vice president, Eleanor Parke Custis | treasurer, and Susan B. Chase secre- | tary. This is invariably one of the interesting events of the season in the | local art world,” for Washington can | well boast of its water colorists, and the high standard set by this club be- | fore the present century came in has been steadily and consistently upheld yoi. * ok ok % . A\IARJORIE PHILLIPS of this city is one of those invited to con- tribute to the Whitney Museum's sec- ond biennial exhibition. She will show “Landscape With Pine.” The representation in this exhibition is sectional, covering the country from the East Coast to the West and from the Canada border to Mexico—thus again a general survey of American art of today will be given. In this exhibition, which opened in New York November 27, $20.000, donated by Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney, will be expended in purchases for the Whit- ney Museum. * %% ELIO‘T O'HARA has been holding | exhibitions of his water colors in Boston and at Middleburg, Vt. Under the auspices of Southern Art Projects a collection of 30 of his water colors is now on view in Augusta, Ga. Mr. O'Hara will conduct classes in water color painting successively in Augusta and Savannah, Ga, and at the Uni- versity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, | between February 1 and April 15, * o x o HANB SCHLERETH, who for some years was associated with a local photographic firm as portrait painter, has severed this connection recently and opened a studio in the La Salle. | He is a former pupil of Earl Marr, and | last year he won the prize for figure painting in the Society of Washington Artists’ annual exhibition, by and ex- ceedingly strong and well painted por- trait study. Mr. Schlereth is repre- | sented by a garden picture in an ex- hibition recently sent, by request, to Jackson, Ky., to be shown during De- cember in Lee's College. * ok k% MAEY LEWIS HALL has been doing some excellent work in por- traiture of late—work which shows discernment in characterization and fine plastic sense. Among her latest canvases are a three-quarter-length portrait of a lady and dog; seated por- trait of her father in s white Summer suit, head of her sister, and others. roof as the Puppetieres, an old stable, conveniently located, converted to the purpose. * % *w TH! Survey of French Painting exhibition recently opened by the Prench Ambassador at the Baltimore Museum of Art will be visited by members and friends of the Interna- tional Art Forum, under the direction of the chairman of fine arts, Francis Jean Reuter. Persons interested in the exhibit, which comprises 40 can- vases illustrating the high 32, and the other Wednesday, Decem- ber 5, by communicating with Mr. Reuter at 3620 Sixteenth street northwest, telephone Columbia 3439. R. PERRY STANLEY, 68, OF DAMASCUS IS DEAD 8pecial Dispatch to The Star. DAMASCUS, Md., December 1.—R. Perry Stanley. 68, of Damascus, died D-—§ Fannie Mount Stanley; three sons, Willard, Grover and Clifton; three daughters, Mrs. Catherine Barnsley, Mrs. Willie Hawkins and Mrs. Ruth Burns; a brother, Ray Stanley, and a sister, Mrs. Victor Chambers. Funeral services will be held at the home tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in th» Damascus Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery. 864,000 Bottles Needed. As a result of the boom in cheap milk for schools in England the Na- Miss Hall is assisting in the puppet work of the Junior League, and her studio this Winter is under the same Colorful Kapok-Filled Fancy Pillows and red. Filled with $I soft kapok. 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