Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-02
Notes of Art and Artists

An exhibition of sculpture by P.
Bryant Baker opened yesterday in the
Corcoran Gallery of Art and will con-
tinue until November 81.
Mr.. Baker was born in London and
is a British subject. His father is an
architectural sculptor and, has made,
speciality of ecclesiastical work of
a rather archaeological character. Civ
ing most of his time to the restoration
of sculptural work on British cathe-
drals. Thus Mr. Baker early became
familiar with artistic traditions and
learned the technicalities of model
ing. AS lad he attended the Royal
Academy of Arts in London, from
which he graduated in 1910.
A bust of King Edward was his first
exhibition piece. Though the work of
a student and an unknown sculptor.
it was singled out by Queen Alexan-
dra from nine others by distinguished
artists as being the most satisfactory
likeness of the king. The original in
marble is now in Marlborough House,
while replicas are to be found in the
minister and the Woolwich town hall
This led to an order from Queen
Alexandra for a bust of Prince Olay
OF Norway and later to the commits
sion for memorial to King Edward
VII at Huddersfield, which was un-
yelled by King George in 1912
AS soon as Great Britain went into
the war Mr.. Baker endeavored to en-
list. but because of some slight phys
zeal defect. trouble with one knee,
ne was rejected. as was also his offer
TO work in munitions plant 1t was
and established himself in Boston,
where he lived for about two years.
A year ago he came to Washington
and enlisted as first-class sergeant
IN the surgeon generals Office In
tnls capacity, in the Army medical
department he gave much of his time
70 making plaster casts and models of
raise hands, casts of faces wax models
or gas burns and the like for the
army Medical Museum. and during
In Inc .,me that ne was not SO engaged
ne mace portrait busts of some of the
more distinguished Army and NAVY
officers in Washington.
Inc collection now on view in the
Corcoran Gallery consists of twenty
portraits and five Imaginative groups.
Among the portraits are likenesses
from life of Secretary Baker, Secre-
tary Daniels. Gen. Gorgas. Gen. Ire
land. Senator Lodge, Gen. Peyton c.
March and James Whitcomb Riley.
besides portrait busts of President
Wilson and Col. Roosevelt, both ad-
mirable likenesses. but for which the
sculptor did not have sittings
Among the recent of Mr.. Bakers
works is a portrait bust of John Hays
Hammond. jr., which was done this
last summer in an improvised studio
at Gloucester. Mass.
The imaginative studies embrace a
statuette, entitled THE New Age" a
sketch model of "a Civil War Soldier"
a sketch model for a fountain group,
entitled reflections" and two statu-
cites. one proposed as fountain,
Song of the Ocean," and the other
The Broken Bow"
Mr.. Baker has taken Wallace Bry-
ants studio, on v street. for the WIN
| ter, and will possibly make Washing
| ton his headquarters in the future.
\ II ~
! A huge painting, nine by seventeen
| feet in dimensions. by Denman Fink,
| the original of a poster made for the
American Library Associations war
| work campaign, is now on view in the
| loanroom at the Corcoran Gallery of
| Art. 1t pictures wounded soldier
| with bandaged eyes listening to an
| other soldier, who is reading to him
from a book. Coming through a door
way behind the invaded man is an
other doughboy with a cigarette in
| his mouth and an armful of books to
add to the collection already in evil
| dence. The scene is the porch of III
/ Army hospital.
AS poster this painting served a
most admirable purpose, its display
inducing people in all parts of the
| country to donate books for men in
the Army hospitals and camps. hun
/ dreds of thousands OF volumes being
| given for the purpose.
Mr.. Fink is better known as an
illustrator than as painter. his
! works appearing from time to time
| in the leading magazines. He was
represented at The Panama-Pacific
| exposition and has contributed to
exhibitions in Chicago, st. Louis. New
York and other cities.
He was born in Springdale. Pa. and
began his study in Pittsburgh. from
whore he went to Boston, studied in
the museum school under Frank Ben