Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-10
A R T N @ T Els.

A petition was sent to President Roosevelt
this week signed by lis of the students of
| the Corcoran School and Art Students
League of this city, we'll as by their in
structors, Mr.. Andrews and Mr.. Brooke,
soliciting his interest and patronage for
| the joint resolution introduced in Congress
on April % by Senator Frye for the erection
of building in Paris to be known and
USED as an American National Institute.
| This resolution was referred to the COM
mittee on foreign relations by whom it is
| to be shortly taken up and is in itself
measure of the greatest Importance.
| This institute projected is not in any
| sense an art school. Art, in fact will only
be single branch of its beneficence, for
there are TO be scholarships for music,
| science, literature and even manual train
| ing.
These are to be for three years of I'M
interrupted study in the best schools of
France and shall be obtainable through
| competitive examination only. The munIc-
| lpal government of Paris has given a site
for the building, Offering fourteen different
lots for selection-one<o of which is valued al
no less than 100000, and philosophical in
dividuals have given valuable requests and
donations of money, pictures sculpture,
musical instruments and the like.
All that is asked of our government
ton of the building and the appointment
OF board of control. The resolution
further provides that the institute be UNI
sectarian and non-partisan, and that each
student Shall be bound to send home year
~ such work as may be called for at the
discretion of the board of control.
The character of the institute is to be
modelled after the French "Prix de Rome"
and Its advantages are many The stu
dent, in the first place, will be provided
with healthy, comfortable home; they will
have the opportunity of studying in the best
schools of France, and the privilege of open
doors and associations which go to create
the best atmosphere and at the same time
Will retain their nationality. This last Is
perhaps one of it's most important features
and the one which would work for art In
America the greatest good. There are UNI
questlonably as good academic schools in
America in France Drawing is better
taught here than there, but for advanced
students there is little comparison We are
still a young nation, and our energies here
tofore nave been rather toward the develop
ment of commercial interests than the en-
couragement of intellectual or artistic pur-
suits, to say nothing of the rich treasures
or art in the great galleries of the old
world.
This resolution, as presented. has some
strong friends and indorsers, among whom
is the French ambassador NJ. Cambon, and
1t seems scarcely possible that it Will not
be favorably considered.
X j.
The eleventh annual exhibition of the
Capital Camera Club opened in the hemi-
cycle of the Corcoran Gallery on Tuesday
evening with a reception and private view
| The catalogue Is attractivey gotten up
with numerous Illustrations and contains
besides the list of 21O exhibits, a clever lit
tie foreword, which states that the stand
ard of this exhibition has been decidedly
raised all the pictures being admitted on
their art. rather than technical merits
1t is this side of photography which the
camera club has done much to develop and
the present show significantly demonstrates
the fact that the day is past when you
touch the button and we do the rest
Another pleasant feature of this exhibit
ton is the complete absence of the com
mercial element. 1t is clearly craft for arts
sake. Much of the work shown is excep-
tionally good, showing knowledge of com
position (Which some one has lately cleyerly
defined as the art of elimination'O and a
keen appreciation of values And perhaps
from these photographers choice of SUBJ
jects and selections of titles even the artists
whom they emulate might learn a useful
lesson.
The decision In the Mcclellan Statue
award was in every way more reasonable
and satisfactory than that rendered re-
Gently for the Grant memorial, though #
could scarcely be deemed complimentary to
even the fortunate four. 1t has been sug-
gested that fairer and a kinder Wav for
the obtaining Of other statues and memo
rails in the future would be the previous Sc
lection of limited number of sculptors
whose works guarantee their ability and
who could be instructed to the desires of
the park commission. In so doing, however
the public would lose for both the Grant
memorials and the Mcclellan models made
Immensely Interesting eXhihjtiOpS II a.,
deed, remarkable to note the variety of
thought which has entered into the latter
whose possibilities for the demonst ration of
originality seemed very limited. Mr.. Anna
teis' model showed perhaps the widest de-
parture from the conventional tyne and was
most interesting conception. Mrs Kit
sons and b. A Capehart's were also quite
out of the usual, and illustrative as well as
monumental.
Mr.. Scion H. Borglum's horses maf3a
again a notable feature of the exhibition.
for it was he who modelled all of Mr. Me
haus as well as Mr.. Rhind's and his own
and it seems therefore rather hard that in
both competitions his own models. which
were sculpturally excellent, should have re-
ceived no award.
Many were surprised to find Mr.. U. 8. r
Dunbar among the competitors for the Nc
Clellan statue, as he has never attemnted
an equestrian statue before. This horse. in
fact, is the first he ever modelled, and 1t is
excellent. He shows Mcclellan as he was
Familiarity seen, waving his cap in response
to the cheers of his men. and both horse
and rider have been warmly complimented
by Gen. Ruggles and other military men.
Mr.. Dunbar has lately executed a bust of
| Mr.. Myrick. which he himself considers
the strongest and best work he has yet ac-
complished.
*
At the Corcoran School work ia heino
pressed with energy as the time of the
annual closing exhibition and prize con-
| test approaches. The water-color class has
already turned out an unusual amount OF
fire studies and the pen and ink class, un-
4Ssasu.,d Asusz uox.d< c,,ts1.