The San Francisco call., 1909-04-04

THE official panel to represent
California at the Alaska Yukon
Pacific exposition at Seattle has
been designed and executed by
an artist of southern California-Anton
Molkenboer of Los Angeles. The panel.
which stands as framed. IL feet high
by feet wide, was painted by order
of the Los Angeles chamber of COM
merce.
Molkenboer, says the Sunday Times.
is also the designer of the decorations
for the Hamburg Majestic theater and
he executed the design on the great
proscenium arch over the stage in the
same building. Like his previous work
the panel is highly symbolical, and is
captioned by the legend. Progress
Leading Fair California The two
figures in the piece take up the entire
canvas. California is represented by
vigorous young woman, every detail
of her figure and drapery symbolic of
the fresh beauties of the state. Prog
ress is a finely executed figure of a
man, winged, leading California up the
slopes with a guiding line of orange
and laurel.
The colors used in depicting the
drapery of the woman were suggested
the color of her fruits and flowers.
mountains and waters blending to-
gether in symbolic pattern. The red
cloak of vigor drapes Progress" At
| the feet of the figures is seen a glimpse
of the ocean and shore representing
| That which was" In the lower left
hand corner a pick and shovel are
sketched, and over the slope up which
the pair are travelling are the towers
! of huiI
as yet incomplete. Among them are
the city hall and courthouse towers of
Los Angeles and the Claus Spreckels
and ferry buildings of San Francisco.
| Molkenboer had an Appreciative
critic in the person of his milkman,
who. entering the studio one morning.
| gazed critically at the panel over
which the artist had spent many weeks
of labor.
THAT is very nice" said the milk
man Il like large pictures. [ paint
the same things occasionally on Sun
day when I have little leisure"
Among Molkenboer's works are the
great decorations in the festival hall
of the Polytechnic institute in Delft
The scene includes 65 figures, all seven
/ feet high, the central group being
Christ and the 12 archangels The
work is in Byzantine style. and, while
preparing for its execution, the artist
spent several years in Florence and in
the centers of art in northern Italy.
! The reception hall in Leyden univer-
! sity was also decorated under the direc-
tion of this scenic artist and is a COM
plete monument to the time of William
Third of Orange
1t is the lack of proper study in the
historical details of their work that
Molkenboer assigns as the chief failing
of American students. Barring this,
and a desire to learn their art in as
short a time as possible, he feels that
a great future is possible for them.
He advises them, however. to remain
/ in the west at the commencement of
their student careers, thus avoiding
/ the overcrowded conditions prevalent in
Europe, and giving themselves greater
| freedom and leisure for study than
would be possible under existing condi-
tions in the old world.
/ Miss Evelyn Withrow reports most
encoura ging success in her work for
the exposition. She says that over 100
paintings will be housed in the Cali
fornia building, all representative of
the best work of the California artists.
She has returned from the south, where
she secured the works Of Jane Mann
helm, Hanson Puthoff BENJAMIN Brown
John Gamble, Robert Wagner, Nine.
jain, Joseph Greenebaum. Carl Borg
and Nicoll while among the northern
artists are Keith, Wores, Gale, Ca
denasso. and many others, only one in
% having refused on account of
the length of time the exposition is
to remain open, from June to October.
There will be no jury, and the hundred
paintings will include work by the
best known and strongest men on the
coast.
Anew art gallery is in course of con-
struction at Art Dealer Helgesens
place in Fillmore street The gallery
is admirably adapted for the purposes
for which it is intended. having a large
skylight and exhibiting space for q
number of pictures. 1t is the owners
intention to maintain a permanent
exhibition, consisting of the work of
the local artists and the standard re-
quired will be high one. Probably,
the first one man show held in the new
gallery Will be that of Piazzoni. who
has many canvases of interest and
whose exhibition viii contain some
very fine recent work.
Miss Florence Lundborg and Miss
Belle McMurtry, the last most promis-
ing pupil Of Miss Octavia Holden in
book binding, leave the 18th of this
month for England, Italy and Spain
Miss Lundborg will continue the mural
work which has brought her such well
earned recognition and will also devote
some time to illustration and portrait
work Miss McMurtry, who will be in
New York at the time of the coming
exhibition of the Guild of Book Work.
ers, has been asked to receive on the
opening day together with the presi-
dent and secretary of the guild, Miss
Emily Preston and Miss NJ. G. Haskell.
The California members of the guild
are preparing an unusually excellent
contribution for the New York exhi-
bition and some really unique and ex-
auisite bindings of rare volumes will
be forwarded. Both Miss Lundborg
and Miss McMurtrY will snend the