Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-21

The Corcoran Gallery's great BIZ
ennial exhibition, which opened yes
terday with a private view and re-
ception. not only upholds high
standard of merit, but sounds most
encouraging note. The work shown Is
| for the most part excellent, and more
than this, it is fresh, youthful and IN
dividual
For the first time for at least four
years we seem to have got out Of the
| shadow of the war. In the entire ex-
hibition there are but two paintings
| which recall the great world Tragedy.
| 1t is little more than year since the
| armistice was signed. yet the major
! ity of the pictures in this exhibition
have been painted since then. There
are some few paintings dating back
| to days before the war, for example, q
| family group by George de FOREST
Brush. which is by no means a recent
| work But no exhibition which the
Corcoran Gallery has previously heid
| has been so thoroughly up-to-date
and distinctly cotemporary as this.
| 1t will be remembered that during
| the war the artists as a body gave
| loyal service, putting ASIDE their
| painting and going into the RANKS. OF
! the great cause. Now. apparently
| they have turned from the memory
of the dark days to an even Iulier
| 10y than previously expressed IN .ne
beauty of nature. One Of the nrst I'M
| nressions received by the visitor 10
| This exhibition is that Of lovely color,
of freshness and virility. OF some
| thing essentially gladstone in the ar
! And, what is more. there is. great 81
yersity in style. The influence OF the
| extreme modernists is to De oDseEVeo'
vet so tempered by sanity and SO IN :
ferpreted with due relation to tradi-
ton that it lends interest and IN not
infreouent instances merit as wen.
That which was extreme ana oLAagIe
and false has apparently peen qua.s
generally DISCARDED; wnte t;o m coiSr
arrangement and directness OK nan-
ner has been retained. 1t is very worm
| noting. moreover, that 1t is the meri.
of the work by the younger men anu
women rather than those OIL ions a
average in this exhibition SO hign.
This is an encouraging slga hor -he
/ future of American art. .,,,.
II has been said many times tnat
| American art lacked Distinguishing
Qualities. that we had borrowed SO
tfnr1aiv from the art of other nations
that we literally had no art OF 0ui
own The impression which this exm-
hilton gives, however. even to the cas-
nal observer, is shat in spirit IL
| essentially American. In 1act, .ne
Regiments in khaki, as they swung
down the great boulevards OF Paris
| brave and strong and fuii OF the
life of our own young country, were
no more typically representative ol
America than the paintings assem- Ieo
now under the Corcorah IaiiefS
! roof.
| Some may object that there are rev
that attain to great heights. thai
among the portrait painters there are
still none rivaling Sargent and Ceclhs
Beaux. that the landscapes by lnness
and Wyant are superior to the works
Of landscapists of today. Perhaps they
that Is not the point. The thing thai
signifies is that so many q tne
American painters from different
parts of our land are looking gu,
upon the world with open vision ano
and their own ans
in some instances in way in which
II has never been interpreted before
Not only have our painters olscovereo
how to interpret light and atmos'
phere. but in their WORKS sl naTe ia nets
which will mean better compositions
and more lasting interest.
Another thing this exhibition as q
| whole goes to show is that It realIy
makes very little difference what
ia skillful enough as a technician ano
| talented enough as an artist. Some
| NJ the figure paintings. for instance
are rendered with little or no model
ing. and in a color sc atn ns wn ny the IS
contrasts of light and shade and pro
| duce pictures that are primarily tone,
| fuI but the results are the same, All
other things being equal, an interpre-
| tation of beauty, renoltloh OF CHAR
| acter. ...,,
Tn the three galleries devoted as
rule to American paintings IN the per-
manent collection the pictures are
placed in a single line and WIN space space
between, affording most enecttve
showing. So high is the standard OF
merit maintained in these rooms tnae
they might well constitute a perma-
nent exhibit.
loant.s nortrait of John D. Rockefeller.
q splendid piece of painting and re-
/ markable Characterization. On either
side Of this have been placed Drill
iiantly colorful pictures by Frederick
c. Bartlett. one The 6lue lea aouss.
has purchased. Canton Street" ON
the same wall are wildly painted still
life studies by Hugh Fl. Breckenrioge
land Alice Worthington Ball, while be.
tween. to. the right. Is magn1ncent
to the left, marvellous winter land
scape by Gardner Symons. entitled,
.swhere Waters Flow and Long Shad-
ows Lie" the latter an extraordinary
piece of realism interpreted with a
brilliancy and sureness rarely, II ever
excelled. In some respects no more
amazing bit of landscape painting has
been done than this. and the Corcoran
Gallery is to be congratulated upon
having acquired it for its permanent
collection.
There are two lovely landscapes by
Willard L. Metcalf on the opposite
wall, one May Time" the other Gray
october" both in Mr.. Metcalfs char
Iacteristic style.
There are also two paintings OF
homely subjects. made beautiful
Through color and handling. by Robert
Spencer, one 1.-The Barracks" which
has lately won a prize in Chicago. the
. other, 1.-The Red Boat" which the Cor.
coran Gallery has bought. Mr.. Spen.
. GERS painting has the charm of color
and texture and the surface finish Of
a piece of Japanese pottery or an an.
Client Persian jar. It Ii thus that h
makes nominees attractive.
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