Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-12

LECTION TO BE PLACED On Il
LERY OF ART.
One of the most notable exhibitions
of the year is to open in the Corcoran
Gallery of Art with a private view
and reception Tuesday. This COM
i prises a collection of 242 paintings
in oil and water color by British
artists, made during and with direct
relation to the war. They are sent
to this country by the British gov
eminent and are being shown under
the auspices of the British ministry of
public information. The exhibition
opens in this city and will later be
shown in all of the principal art
museums of the United States
Among the artists represented are
Muirhead Bone, Frank Brangwyn,
by the way. is an American by birth
Augustus John, Sir John &Lavery,
James McBey, c. r. w. Nevinson Sir
William Orpen, G. Spencer Pryse and
William Rothenstein. practically the
biggest names III the entire 1ist OF
British artists.
The largest contribution is by Sir
William Orpen, who Is represented by
a group Of 103 paintings. Orpen is
an associate. Of the Royal Academy
Art Club. He was gazetted as major
in the Army Service Corps, and re-
ceived facilities to paint on the west
ern front All of the pictures he has
painted he has freely given to the
government. So valuable are "Opens
works that when, while the war. was
! in progress a collection Of finished
pictures by this artist was to De
| conveyed across the channel, II
was sent by the government by arr
plane rather than by boat
It was to Orpen some years ago that
one of the leading Carnegie prizes
was given at the International expo
sition in Pittsburgh. He was at that
time. both in Great Britain and Amer
lea, recognized as one of the most
brilliant painters. His work has been
from the first bold and vigorous, I'M
pressive and original. but, according
to- English critics. the war has added
emotional quality to- his already svtTile
style.
The group which will represent him
in this exhibition comprises portraits
of some of the most distinguished of
Mai Gen. Sir David Watson. who COM
manded the 4th Canadian Division;
Mai j. 3. McCudden. who. after a
brilliant career in the air, was acct
dentally killed in France In July. 1878,
and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig,
whose name is known from emu 70
end of the world.
But Sir William Orpen has also
painted war scenes showing deyasta-
ton and human incidents of striking
Significance. This group of Orpen' S
work alone would constitute an exhi-
hition of enormous interest:
There are twenty-one. pictures by
Muirhead Bone, one OF the most dis
tinguished members of the Glasgow
School of Art, appointed official artist
and sent to France in August. 1916, to
whose credit stand several illustrated
portfolios showing scenes ON the
western front. with the grand neet, IN
munition factories, etc.
The largest canvas in the exhibition
is by Augustus John and is entitled
"Fraternity." Its purpose is to show
that unlimited tobacco was one of the
consultations of active service.
Sir John Lavery has taken as one
Leaving an English Port. for the
'FRONT.' Lavery was born in Belfast.
studied in Glasgow and has painted
in every great capital in the world.
He is one of the most successful por-
trait painters of our time, but dur
| ing the entire period of the war he
has given his services to his country,
painting nothing but war pictures.
An exhibition of Layery's work was
held in some of the leading museums
of this country just before the war.
James McBey is a Scotchman, born
near Aberdeen, and an etcher Of ex-
traordinary ability. He was ofnclal
artist in Egypt and Palestine in 1917.
His pictures in this exhibition Will
show, with other things, Gen. Al
lenby entering Beersheba the last OF
October, by camel corps, at night.
AT the beginning of the war Nevin-
son was futurist, or, more properly,
| a cubist but he has been able to make
pictures of striking interest and very
genuine artistic merit, using a mod
ification Of the old. extreme methods
| that he once employed. In 1914 he
went to France as motor transport
driver. but was later discharged on
account of i'll health, and sent to
! France as an artist.
This exhibition promises to prove
even more attractive than the exit
bition of British naval photographs
which drew so much attention when
| shown in the Corcoran Gallery few
weeks ago. It will be on view until
the I'd Of February.
An interesting collection Of paint
| ings by a distinguished French artist
| is to be brought to this country, and
| possibly to this city. This collection
consists of paintings by Jean Julien
| Lemordant, to whom the Rowland
memorial prize was awarded at Yale
University last June. This prize.
which was given in 1916, for the first
time, to Rupert Brooke, is awarded
| to a citizen of any. country for rec
| ognition of some achievement OF
| marked distinction in the field of lit
erature, fine arts, or the science OF gov
ernment, an important factor in which
nust be IAN idealistic clement
| Lemordant made a specially of pic
| lures of Breton life, both figures and
landscapes, the majority OF which
were painted in the neighborhood OF
Quirnper, In the. extreme northw esterT
corner of France. He had, however
before the war began done an ex-
tensiye amount of decorative painting
among which may be mentioned 3
ceiling in one of the provincial thea.
| ters. sssss &
| His case is pitiful one. From sc.
we're wounGs sustained from dGhtins
In TIE ranks during August 1914. III
lost his sight. He Was taken risonel