Evening star., 1917-11-04
NOTES OF ART AND ARTISTS

nell Of war work In America and Great
Britain, which was opened by the Sec
retary of the Navy In the National Gal
lery Of Art, National Museum. last
Thusdsy evening. and which will be on
view, free to the public. for the next
three weeks.
This set of drawings shows q side OF
war not heretofo rerepresented-the me-
chanicai side. from which all romance
is removed save that of a large accom-
plishment. The old-time war pictures
showed men in conflict, swords crossed.
cavalry charging. banners waving. But
all this great spectacle of war has
ceased to be since the introduction Of
trench fighting and Of guns aimed ana
fred at an unseen enemy. Modern In
ventiop has changed all this. so that It
was reasonable and right for Mr.. PEN
nell to make for all time, as represent.
ing cotemporary warfare. pictures OF
munition factories, gunpits and the like.
where these terrible instruments OF de-
struction are made.
He has done his work well, apprecfat-
ing not only the appearance Of things.
but the spirit of the work itself. No
camera could SO faithfully record this
enormous enterprise. The artist alone
was capable of ssising upon the salient
facts and setting them before US with
such graphic impartiality. We see tho
workmanlike midgets going among the
great machines. we become aware OF
the Observation-Disclosures of this Cretan
that man has Invented. To have pro-
duced such drawings as these the artist
must of necessity have had an eye
trained to quick and keen perception,
hand taught to promptly obey. There
is not line that is uncertain. the i'm
pressions in every instance have evil
IDENTIFY been rendered with the utmost
swiftness and decision.
Mr. Pennell has long been an advo-
cate cf lithography as a medium of
artistic impression, and he has done
much to re-establish the art on this
basis. For some years he was presi-
dent of the Senefe!der Club of London,
q club made up exclusively of artist
photographers. In his work on "Lith-
ography and Lithographers.s he says
that lithography has the inestimable
value of being absolutely autographic,
for every print 10 as much the artists
original handiwork as his drawing.
The process, it will be remembered,
was Invented in 1898, though not called
ingly simple, a drawing is made with
. greasy black crayonlike substance
on stone or on paper and transferred
TO stone. and from this the impress
sions are printed.
The edition of Mr. Pennell's litho-
graphs Is limited to fifty and in every
instance he has superintended the
printing. Thus every print may be re-
garded as an original.
The National Museum has issued an
interesting and valuable catalogue of
the exhibition with an introduction by
Mr.. PenneN and comments by him on
each OF the drawings.
The death Of Carroll Beckwith, which
removes a notable figure from the
American art world.
Mr.. Beckwith was born in Hannibal,
Mo. He studied first under instructors
in the school of the National Academy
oL Design, New York. and then under
Carolus Duran In Paris John g. Sar-
gent was his fellow student and great
friend and with him he shared a studio
In Paris for four years.
II was these two young American
painters who assisted Carolus Duran In
his decorations for the Luxembourg
Palace
Returning to America in 1878. Mr..
Beckwith became leader among the
artists. He brought with him fresh In
great painters of Paris. but he was al
ways one who held fast to traditions
and he has done much through his
teaching. his writing and his painting
70 keep the balance of sanity in Ameri-
can art when the art Of the whole world
seemed destined to go mad
MI. beckwtth IL represented In the
Evans National Gallery collection by his
painting entitled. THE Blacksmith" a
teora. N. r. where for many years M
Beckwith had his summer studio and
home. In the National Gallery II also
20 be seen at present his painting en-
titled The Emperor" showing the
q dramatic sunset sky. keeping guard as
1t were over Paris. In the clouds are
seen the approaching hordes. war horses
and warriors.
At the Catholic University there Is
also to be seen at present his portrait
Of Cardinal Aglairdi.
Ar- Beckwtth has produced numerous
mural paintings. but he Is best known
as painter Of portraits. His full-Iength
portrait of Mrs. Beckwith, his portrait
entitled '-The Authoress" and his por-
trait of Mr.. Isaacson may all be classed
with the best works produced in
America.
Two winters ago Mr.. Beckwith rave a
delightful lecture in Washington on
Versailles" illustrated by exquisite
lantern slides in color. auto-chromes.
Miss Clara Hill has q studio this
winter In the Be'asco building. direct
1y over the entrance. a room of fine
proportions, well suited as q sculptor's
atelier.
She has Just completed a sketch
model of monumental group repre-
senting the war snirit in America It
comprises four figures. a young man
DE- shing forward with sword upraised;
Columbia. to the left. q heroic female
figure holding alort q banner in one
hand ard With the other pointing in
commanding ranner ahead. and CIV
ilization. smother female figure, wear
ing the helmet Of Minerva. offering
almost with shrinking timidity sue
cor to a little child. typifylng the c M
theme and Miss Hill has handled IL
fnte- estingly. II is difncult however.
20 Judge of the real merit of such
work from a small sketch model
Miss Hill has also in her studio q
wall fountain designed quite recently.
for the Washington Art Club. which
takes the form Of a panel over q basin
on hich in low relief Is modelled
young maid STOPPING to the waters
dripping from a woodland spring.
At the beginning Of the war it was
thought by American art museums
collectors and dealers that the oppor-
tunity to acquire important works Of
art In foreign countries would be
greatly increased during the period of
hostiiities Oddly enough, quite the
contrary has been the fact Not only