Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-19

To some this might seem a fruitless
waste of effort, but 1t will not be so
in the end. The sculptor is not satisfy
ing a committee, but himself. A pedi-
, ment is a complicated piece OF work COM
prising many figures. all of which have
to be studied relatively, and II is this
study and REIMBURSEMENT which takes time.
AS long as there Is a reasonable possi-
bility of improvement. the work. to the
sculptor's mind, Is not satisfactorily done.
One-half of this great pedment Is now
reported to be complete and the other
half to be well under way. A central
figure represents Democracy" to the
right of which will be groups represent
ing industrial labor in shops and fac
tories, and to the left other groups rep
resenting husbandry. labor In the fields
ALL it has been decided. will be cut In
Georgian marble. which has both pleas
ing texture and tint. Mr.. Bartlett is doing
most of this work i'm his Paris studio.
though 1t was begun and will probably
be completed In the studio he built here.
THE Corcoran Gallery has just received
as a loan from Mr.. Glover. president
of it's board of trustees. a large land
scape by Alfred Parsons. an English land
scape painter of note. 1t is pastoral
scene. painted near Breden-on- the-Avon,
and bears the date 1913. In the imme-
date foreground is the most famous OF
little rivers flowing through tranquil
fields. Beyond are trees-to the right
oaks and chestnuts. to the left "A row OF
poplars. The sky Is partly clouded. and
in the meadows. fairly distant, herds Of
cattle are seen grazing. 1t Is a typical
English scene and Enthusiastically in
terpreted by English painter IL Is
well composed. pictorial and admirably
rendered. but, 1t must be confessed. with
out a great deal of emotion.
Just here IL Is that the English 30
often fail, and the Scotch succeed. The
painters of England, with but a few ex-
ceptions, have not found adequate ex-
preston in landscape. being bound by
facts rather than sensitive to effects. and
their style commonly being narrative
they do not quite succeed as interpreters.
though they know both their tools and
their craft. In times past there were
giants among the landscape painters OF
England like Constable. Crome. Gains
borough and Turner. In the present day
there has been Sir Alfred East. who
painted not only well. but artistically.
interpreting as well as transcrbing
nature Alfred Parsons is an associate
member of the Royal Academy. and Is
represented in the Tate National Gallery
of British Art
THERE was an interesting contrast
between the annual exhibitions" OF
the Royal Academy, London. and OF the
Royal Scotch Academy, held In Edin-
burgh. last summer The London exhibit
ton was as dreary show as one could
well imagine. gallery after gallery, the
walls of which were literally covered with
pictures hung four and five rows deep
and frame to frame. The majority of the
paintings were illustrative canvases tell
ing some simple story which could not
only equally well but far better have
been told in words. well painted so far
as technique went but without vitality
and charm. There were, of course, some
good things-there were great names as
well as lesser ones. but the good sur
fered by the surroundings and conveyed
but small cheer.
The Scotch Academy, on the other hand.
was an esthetic delight almost from first
to last. The pictures were well hung. ana
were vital and significant The portraits
were of extraordinary interest and merit.
Sargent and Shannon being not only
rivaled but almost. II not quite, outdis-
tanced by Sir James Guthrie. the works
of the late Sir George Reid. Fiddes Watt
e A. Walton, William Orpen and John
Lavery, Philip Laszie. Blanches and Man
cini. great men OF other nations. were
also represented I'm this exhibition, which
upon first sight, from size and name.
might have been taken as provincial.
There were some excellent landscapes
likewise included. works full OF the fresh
ness and spontaneity which we have be-
come accustomed to look for in the works
of our most virile painters together with
a sense of tone and finish which American
paintings sometimes lack. There were
also not a few excellent genres. paintings
I'm the spirit of the modern Dutch and
German schools. but quite individual
national. The Scotch have succeeded IN
learning from all nations and i'm building
a school essentially their own-they are
strong, sincere and venturesome. and they
are winning high place in the field of CO.
Temporary art LEILA MECHLIN.