Evening star., 1919-12-21
ART Lovers VIEW
CORCORAN EXHIBIT
OF UNUSUAL MERIT
Seventh "BienniaI" Display,
American Paintings, Has
Brilliant Opening.


The eminenoe Of the artists repre-
sented. the appeal offered to the most
catholic taste by the subjects OF IN
pictures and their treatment. and the
striking results Of the time and pains
consumed in the installation of the
316 entries all combine 10 make the
seventh exhibition Of cotelnDcrary
American oil paintings, which opened
at the Corcoran Gallery of Art last
night, the most successful Of its kind
Yet held and an event of national i'm
portance.
The opening private view Of the
exhibition. which is usually styled
biennial" but which, because of the
war, Is being neld for the first time
IN three years, began at g O'Clock.
The Spacious halls. stairways and
exhibition salons of the gallery We're
specially decorated for the occa sion
with palms. bay trees, garlands Of
laurel and other greens, which was a
brilliant one and which was attended
by some 1000 persons. The guests
included a large number of persons
prominent in official and social life
at the, National Capital, art lovers.
connolsseurs, collectors of fine paint
lngs, art critics from out-of-town
newspapers and from art journals. and
many artlsts from different parts OF
the country who came to Washington
especially for the event.
Headed Receiving Line.
The receiving line was headed by
Charles e., Glover, president of the
poard OF trustees of the gallery, and
included members OF the board, among
Wnom were former Senator Clark. OF
Montana, donor OF the prizes. and
POWELL c. Minnigerode, director of the
institution. and several OF the artists
whose entries in the exhibit won ava r,ls
The reception proper Was held in the
large central gallery on the second floor.
after Which the guests embarked on
tours OF the various galleries \
stringed orchestra stationed on the
nrst moor played throughout the even-
ing. Every picture in the regular col.
lection OF the gallery was displaced to
make way for the present display
with the exception of the full-length
portrait Of w. w. Corcoran. its
founder, never, under any circum-
claim. and last nights guests, vis2.-
ers of many previous displays. testify
to the fact. that the exhibit is Installed
more beautifully than any heretofore
shown here. There is no sense of
crowding. The pictures are hung in
single line. literally spaced
throughout the spacious and brilliant
ly Illuminated rooms. beginning with
the hemicycle. Credit for the excel
lent results OF the long weeks of ex-
perimentaton in the arrangements for
the hundreds Of entries goes 10 the
jury OF award, which. in addition to
passing oD the pictures offered in four
different large cities and awarding
the prizes among the comparatively
small number deemed worthy of inclu-
sion in the disnlay. also installed the
exhibition in the gallery. In this last
named work they had the benefit of
the long experience and keen sense
af artistic values OF Mr.. Minnigerode
director of the institution. and the re-
suit this year IS nothing less than q
triumph.
A typical example. taken at random,
for all the other rooms have been ar
ranged along the same lines. is seen
in the long wall in the large gallery
directly opposite the head Of the main
stairway. Here the central place Of
honor is occupied by d life-size por-
trait of John o. Rockefeller. bv Sar-
gent. Flanking it are two Chinese
subjects by Frederick Clay Bartlett.
On either sid of thasn -, -:r-o
by William Ritschell and a winter
landscape by Gardner SvmonS. Then
come two colorful st;ll-lifes bv Hugh
H. Breckenridge of PhiladelDhia and
Alice Worthington Ball of Baltimore.
The result is an effect which. although
built on contrasts. is remarkably har-
monious.
Display Popular With Visitors.
Criticism OF the display from an ar
tistic and technical standpoint Is left
properly to another department Of
The Star. but the popularity with the
thousands of visitors last night of
certain examples. some prize winners
and some not. was made plainly evil
dent. The spirited appeal contained
in Carl Melcher'S big canvas entitled
Mcpherson and Mcdonald" for in
pause admiringly before ii and leave
it with backward glances. The High
land piper and snare-drummer seemed
to stir the same chord in every nature.
Mcdonald. by the way, is the real
name of the man who posed for the
piper and audiences who have enjoyed
Harry LADDERS concerts during the
past four or five years have had the
pleasure both OF seeing and hearing
him.
sThe Murder of Edith Caveli." by
George Bellows. Seemed to strike
RESPONSIVE note from all who viewed
1t By the merest coincidence the pic
lures winning the first and second
prizes. ''ThA Open Window" bv Ben
son, and THE Sunny Hillside" by
Davis, quite diSsim1lar IN subject ana
treatment. hang side by side. and the
thrones had excellent opportunity to
compare them, each for himself.
Three different phases Of the paint
ing art. shown in the diversity of the
prize winners, is interesting. The
first choice is a figure painting, the
second a landscape, the third is a
still life and the fourth is another
landScaDe.
]. Alden Weir, an eminent artist,
VINO died but few days ago. is rep
resented by a picture of high merit
Only the works of living painters are
accepted in these biennial exhibits.
but Mr.. Weir's offering had been ia
vorably passed upon before his death.
One Of the places Of honor, wherein
a doorway makes a supplemental i'm
pressive frame. Is held by still an
other picture by Melchers, entitled
"At Home" and particularly interest
ing in the fact that one of the two