Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-19

Is something personal and elemental In
the works of all the great masters.
This accounts for the stability of GER
tain fashions in art as well as the in
stability of others. the interesting his
tory of which Arthur Hoeber. painter
and critic, related to an audience made
up of members of the Washington
Club Tuesday morning.
tan Brinton. lecturing before the
Washington Society of the Fine Arts
in the auditorium Of the National Mu-
scum. on THE Painting Of Today"
called to attention the revolt against
impressionism which. has taken the
form of futurism. cubism and the like.
to all of which he gave the one name
''eXpressionism." This lawless move
ment he explained as an effort toward
individual liberty and a desire to find
tangible independent expression, a
turning back to primitive methods and
primitive ideals, a new kind of art, es-
sentially cotemporaneous, rejecting
the present time and looking toward
a wider field of endeavor. DR.. Brinton
expressed confidence in the sincerity
of the leaders of this movement, but
did not urge the acceptance of their
viewpoint.
by those who have given the subject
much study are especially interesting
and thought-provoking at this time
when such d collection of contemporary
Is on vie" as LnaI TO % seen
now in the Corcoran Gallery. Paul
Dougherty, who is represented in tho
Corcoran exhibition by very inter-
esting painting of the sea, is quoted
as having said, in an address delivered
the National Academy Of Arts and
Letters in New York, that a person
would get much more from an exhibit
rove at will in the galleries than IL
led around and instructed. There is
some truth in this. provided the per-
son goes properly equipped and is will
own powers of application and dis
elimination. By such these sugges-
lions given by Mr.. Parsons, Mr.. Ham
ilton and DR.. Brinton will be found
Illuminating.
THERE are some pictures included
= in the Corcoran Gallery's exhibi-
ton which have puzzled not a few.
1t should be remembered, however, that
the standard of a jury composed of art
lists is almost of necessity technical
achievement, the artist, better than
the layman, realizing how difficult q
thing may be to do and how meritori-
Gus therefore in this respect may be an
achievement. Furthermore, fearful
of being too conservative or of mis-
judging merit on account of personal
prejudice. such a jury is apt to err on
the side of too great liberality.
The public Is left to Judge for itself
and in the end, as all know, It's judg-
ment will be final. When a short time
museums in the United States was
asked whether or not he thought the
works of the so-called "modernists"
would last. he replied promptly: No
judging from the kind of art which
has N
OF one thing all may be assured
neither ugliness nor vulgarity has
ever added to the value of work of
art. The lasting qualities are beauty.
few Of the pictures in this exhibition
possess. After all, then, why concern
ones self with those which are less
pleasant? AS illustrating certain ten
novel works may be profitably con.
sidered. For instance, THE Crepusule."
by Maurice B. Prendergast: George
Bellows portrait of Geraldine Lee.
No. II; Clifford Bears prize painting.
The End of the Street: Robert
Himself and Herself; Charles Reif-
fel's landscape, early Autumn" and
four outdoor pictures by E. Ambrose
Webster. all of which are typical and
the very best of their kind. Mr.. Prem
dergast's picture has the appearance
of having been rendered in woods. em-
broidered or woven, somewhat clum-
silly. as the technical difficulties OF such
modes of expression impose. The forms
are indefinite and Ill shaped. the idea
Of the composition is obscure, the art
lists purpose presumably has been &C
complished. and this is the rendering
of a charming color harmony.
Yet one asks ones self why under
these circumstances employ paint as
the medium why not frankly use
worsteds and thus produce fabric
that Of mere decoration? And still an
other question-why employ human
forms II as such they have no signiff-
canoe? Certainly .geometric patterns.
such as are found in Persian shawls