Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-30
ART NOTES.

Mr.. Edward Lind Morse has invited all Of
| the painters sculptors and architects to
l meet with some of the leading citizens Of
| Washington in his commodious studio next
| Wednesday evening and discuss the best
| way of obtaining a municipal art commits
| sion for this city. In view of the many pub
| lie improvements which are In contempla-
| ton for Washington it would seem that
| such a committee as this. composed Of ex-
| perts to whom all questions Of taste and
| practical utility could be referred, would be
! almost indispensable. Washington, indeed
| is behind the times in this matter, for in
| New York, Baltimore, Boston Chicago, Dem
yer, Detroit and Minneapolis municipal art
| commissions have been long since formed
and have done good work Of the Municipal
| Art Society of New York is this notably
| true. That Washington not only will need
| the good offices of such a committee in the
| future, but has needed them in the past, is
| only too plainly evidenced by the many I'M
| slightly buildings, statues and other so-called
| improvements which have in recent years
| been imposed upon the city The functions
| of a municipal art commission are chiefly
| advisory 1t should be composed Of men who
are recognized experts, and whose Judgment
| would be generally accepted as just. 1t
| must have authority, but it need not be au-
| tocratic, and it might have the power to
| promote well pass upon municipal i'm
provements. AS special evidence of the
| need of such a committee attention was cali
| ed in this column some weeks ago to the
| two new, poorly proportional and ungrace-
| ful electrol1erS which were at that time be-
| ing erected in front of the Mills building,
| one of which has since been partially re-
moved by passing vehicles, but one need not
go far afield looking for other equally elo-
quent testimony. Ir. Louis Amates the
sculptor, is to be the spokesman at the COM
ing meeting. He is very much interested in
the scheme and has some practical sugges-
tons to make, and it seems probable that
there will be some tangible result.
X
A full length portrait of lady by Don
Rainondi de Madrazo has been placed this
week in the upper loan room "a the Cor
coran Gallery. 1t is the property of Mr..
S. 8. Rowland and was painted in 1882. The
lady, who is small of stature and slightly
built. is seen standing before a green-blue
curtain. She wears an elaborate evening
gown of the period. which now seems mar
velously out-ofdate in spite of its long
waist and modish lace f1ounces. The face
Is turned toward the observer and the
hands rest lightly together. There Is moth
ing specially original in the pose or color
scheme. but 1t escapes being conventional
1t is carefully painted with considerable
attention to detail, yet it is not consciously
materialistic 1t is not the painter but
the subject which 1t presents most prom
inently; it IS the lady's gentle personality
rather than the artists clever technique
which from first to last pervades the can
vas. Don Madrazo is, it will be remem-
bered. the brother-in-law of Fortuny and
he has been cited by Van Dyke as an ex-
ample of a Spanish painter turned French
in his methods. By all, however ne mas
been declared one of the most brilliant and
versatile of modern nortr.tlt
x x %
Mr.. William Fuller Curtis has recently
been trying his hand at another branch OF
art, modelling in clay and having cast In
plaster a medallion head of young girl.
Mr., Curtis burnt wood Gpanels have ap-
preached so nearly the field Of sculpture
that it seems more natural to wonder that
he has not worked with clay before rather
than that he should do it'new. In art, too,
the boundaries less definite than one
would suppose, for while certain techni-
calities hedge in each Of, the several me-
diums of expression the same spirit makes
one or all available. The plastic medallion
which Mr.. Curtis has just finished is about
fourteen inches in diameter and shows the
head of the young girl in low relief. The
features are regular and have been modelled
with a sensitive delicacy which Is very
attractive. In the hair. which falls loosely
about her shoulders are blossoms and in
the background a conventional design has
been suggested. AS in the burnt wood pan
els. the decorative element is pre-eminent;
and penetrating the newness of the unfa-
miiar material one will find in this as in
them excellent feeling for form and delight
full appreciation of the value of lines.
X K
Miss Irma Peixotto has just designed four
clever and interesting book plates. One
pictures the owner, young scribe. in sill
houette as he is seated at his desk before a
window writing. On the floor to the left
is a pile of ponderous volumes, on which is
seated an owl, while out of the latticed
window one sees a broad stretch of charac-
teristic western land. Another is for civil
engineer, and includes in its composition
the implements of his profession, together
with suggestion of the enterprises in
which he may engage; whereas a third,
which is for "A non professional pleasure
reader, pictures an old Dutch knickerbocker
a-tilt in his straight backed chair, with his
book and his pipe, in apparent peace with
himself and the world All are well con-
ceived and cleverly executed, and for this
kind of pictorial book plate are doubtless
as satisfactory as any that have been de-
signed.
Miss Noyes, who shares a studio with
Miss PeiXotto at 913 F street has been
making recently some interesting studies
In colored chalk. One Is life-sze por-
trait of an elderly woman, and is done in
only three coors on dark tinted paper. 1t
it well drawn and admirably modelled, and
while no more than it pretends to be-a
study-it Is full of good feeling, shows
more than usual ability and is, as a whole |
exceedingly effective.
X x
The February art talk will be given in |
the lecture room at the Corcoran Gallery
on Monday afternoon at o'clock by Mr. |
E. c. Messer, the director of the Corcoran |
school To the students of the school, their |
friends and others specially interested in |
art these lectures are free. The subject of |
next Mondays talk will be Realism"
X X
The following interesting paragraph re-
latng to the recent work of one of our |
local artists is clipped from the art column |
Of the Boston Sunday Herald of January "a: |
Among other new things at the rooms of |