Evening star., 1919-04-27
Notes of Art and Artists

One of the most interesting and i'm
Aressive of the victory loan posters
which are now to be seen on every
side is by Gerrit Beneker. who from
June to October of last year was en-
ployed as a special aid by the Navy
Department In connection with the
work of constructing the great Army
and Navy buildings bordering Poto-
mac Park. This poster represents a
Iaboring man in overalls and bears
the legend. Sure. Well Finish the
Job"
Mr. Beneker is now with one of the
great manufacturing concerns of this
country in Cleveland, Ohio, working
half day in the shops in order to get
in touch with the men. and the other
half day in his studio, making posters
and pictures which through visual ap-
peal get the message over to the
1aboring men.
The employees of this manufacturing
firm publish magazine for the work
ingmen. The cover design Of the
March issue was a picture Of one of
the workmen painted by Mr.. Beneker.
AHirieresting account is given in this
magazine of Mr.. Beneker. His grand
fathers so this notice says. both came
from Holland. where one was a dyke
boss and one carpenter. After
high school education Gerrit Beneker
went to work in furniture factory
TO earn tuition money so that he could
study at the Chicago Art Institute.
In his second year the school gave
him a job of sweeping up the class
rooms from I until 9 every morning..
He persevered with his broom and
his art so that he earned scholar
ship at the Art Students League of
New York, where he studied for
year. During that time he won
5000 prize for an eastern drawing
Shortly after that" his biographer
says. "he stopped in front of a sky
scraper in course of construction to
watch a steel worker ride a girder
from the ground to the sixteenth
story. At once he knew that the most
beautiful sight in all the world is an
honest worker at his job. So he
painted a picture of the fellow riding
the girder, and the design was repro
duced as a cover for Leslie's Weekly
in 1905.
Ever since he has been painting
the workinsmen on their Jobs. and
he has spent days and weeks on sky
scrapers and bridges. in tunnels and
excavations. in mines and factories
and mills to find and worship his
hero. the American worker"
Thirty OF Mr.. Benekers Cape Cod
pictures were exhibited in the Gage
Galleries. Cleveland. from March Is
to April 6. That exhibition was spe-
rially opened on the evening of March
20 to the workingmen of the plant.
who were invited to come and bring
their families. Tickets were dis
tributed to members of the organiza-
ton free.
The attention of the workingmen
Is also called in the same publication
to the fact that the art museum in
Wade Park is open every Sunday
afternoon to the public. without
charge. and the workers are advised
ito take their wives and children to
see some fine paintings and hear some
good music
was the open window in the work.
shop referring to its recreational
value and its ability to open vistas.
II is interesting and significant to And
that it is being put to this use through
the medium of an artist by great
manufacturing plant
An exhibition Of approximately 100
paintings and twenty works in sculp-
ture by living American artists will
open in the Luxembourg Galleries,
Paris. about the LIST Of May This ex-
hibition has been sent to France by
invitation of the French government.
and was assembled by a committee of
: artists headed by William A. Coffin of
New York.
The collection comprises works of
distinction by such well known ar
lists as Cecilia Beaux, Frank W. Ben
son, George de Forest Brush Emil
Carlson, the late Kenyon Cox. Bruce
Crane, Charles H. Davis, Joseph de
A1harf CralI phi1in Ia
Harrison. Childe Hassam. Charles ".
Hawthorne. W. L. Lathrop, Richard
Miller, Violet Oakley. Edward w. Red
field. William Ritschel. Gardner Sy-,
mons. Abbot H. Thayer. Horatio Walk
er. ]. Alden Weir and Irving r. WiIes.
Judging from the list of artists and
from the titles Of the paintings sent,
the collection is fairly representative
of the various phases of cotemporary
American painting. There are, doubt
less, in the collection some paintings
which might have been omitted some
which do not uphold. according to
eraver judgment. the standard of the
best, but II is perhaps as well for the
sake of honesty and complete under
standing to have the collection varied
and to have it include the works of
some of those painters who are re-
garded by the more conservative az
extreme.
There are certain painters who for
one reason or another were obliged
TO decline the invitation of the COM
Edwin H. Blashneld. Daniel CARRIER.
Thomas W. Dewing, William Metcalf
J. Francis Murphy. Maxfeld Paris. d.
w. Tryon and Frederick J.. Waugh.
This is unfortunate. as each one OF
these painters would have made VAL
liable contribution and would have
lent distinct credit to the show as
we'll
The sculpture section comprises al
also to give a fair idea of the versa
tility and skill of American sculptors.
The president Of the National Acad
emy of Design. Herbert Adams. is
represented by an ideal composition
entitled Meditation" James f. Fra
ser has sent his well known bronze.
END of the Trail: Anna Hyatt Is
represented by the model Of the Joan
Of Ark statue on Riverside Drive. New
York: Hermon A. MacNeil. by THE
Sun Vow replica OF the statue in
the Corcoran Gallery: Paul Manship is
represented by Dancer and Gazelles,"
very beautiful example of his work:
A. Phimister Proctor shows a small
reproduction of one of the buffalo on
our Q street bridge. Among the 9TH
er sculptors represented are Daniel c.
French. Cyrus E. Dallin. Charles Graf
ley Bessie Potter Vonnoh and A. Stir.
ling Calder.
Among those invited and not able to
accept are Paul Bartlett. George Gray
Barnard. Frederic MacMonnies. Janet
Scudder. Andrew O'Connor and Lora-
DO Taft. II Is understood that a COM
mittee in Paris has selected works by
Americans residing in France and