Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-18

fields he shows US the roads across
which armies have marched to battle,
indeed he shows US the stream of gray
coated men passing on to the fields OF
sacrifice. He shows US the little villages
which have been wiped off the face of
the landscape which they embellished;
he shows us the streets in the towns
which were once lined with homes, but
which are now gaping ruins. Finally
he has pictured for us some of the &C
tivities of Americans in this war-the
camp of the American ambulance field
service, the interior of the field hospital
of Neuilly-good work and needed, but
little enough in proportion to the great
hurt which cannot be healed.
All this the artist has presented with
the utmost frankness and simplicity
There is in his work no straining for
effect. no false note, but rather frank
simplicity. He paints in gouache on
gray paper somewhat as our own painter
Hopkinson Smith, once did, securing eff
fects with frank ease and evident rapid
ity Aside from subjective interest
these paintings have artistic value, and
despite the sadness of the theme, the
painter has found and manifested an
imperishable element of beauty.
NJ Duvent was born in 1867 in LangreS
and studied at the Ecole des Arts Deco
ratifs, the Beaux Arts and the Ecole du
Louvre, and in the studio of Julian
His masters were Gerome. Boulanger
Jules Lefebvre and Dagnan Bouveret
At the age of fifteen his first picture
was accepted and exhibited in the Salon.
At the age of thirty-four he received
the Legion of Honor. He has been given
numerous commissions by the govern.
ment among which was an order for an
historical canvas for the museum Of
Versailles.
At the time the present war broke
out he offered his services as soldier.
eulisting in the African troops, being
A. that time in FeZ.. After being inva-
lided home and for eight months inca
pacitated he was commissioned by the
government to paint the series of pic
lures which IS nov on eXE'oitlon IN the
Octapon The exhibition is held under
the auspices of the surgical dressin ga
committee and small admission fee is
charged.
*
1t is interesting to know that even
in the midst of warfare France does not
forget or fail to recognize the value OF
art in the life of the nation. Paul Crct
the architect, who, associated with Al
bert Kelsey, designed the Pan Amer
can Union and other notable buildings
being 4 Frenchman by birth, volun-
teered and served for a time as a sol
der in the army of France at the be-
ginning of the war AS soon. however
as his superior officers discovered who
he was and what his talents were. he
was forbidden the privilege of fighting
in the trenches and given constructive
work to do which others could not dc
so well.
! The same thing happened to Charles
Hoffbauer, the Young French painter
who was executing series OF mura
paintings in the Battle Abbey, the Con
federate memorial in Richmond. at the
time the war broke out He, too. has
been recalled from the trenches and SCI
to painting pictures for France. Mean
while the abbey" has been closed, the
work of decoration remains in suspen-
sion, and = placard gives TO visitors the
information that the interior OF thu
/ French artist. who was called to HI:
; colors. returns from Europe to finisf
| his work
| An exhibition of statuettes. portrait
busts and bas-reliefs by Miss Clars
/ Hill opened at the Arts Club. 2017
, street. on February u, and will con
tinue until the 2ith Miss Hill is
washin Stonan, "A pupil of Augusta:
Saint-Gaudens. Pucch Injalbert and Er
nest Dubois of Paris.
! Her work has strength, viscr and dis
| tinct individuality. She shows in thi:
exhibition life-size portraits in tn,
| round, medaliions, bas-reliefs, fountains
and other purely decorative pieces from
full size to tiny little works arount
| which one could close ones hand. Thu
| manner of modelling is quite the sam,
| in all. and whether the piece be o
large o. small dimensions, it has with
out exception plastic significance. There