The sun., 1919-06-08

THE exhibition of Canadian war
paintings which will open on
L Tuesday afternoon at the An
derson Galleries will once more recall
the thoughts Of New Workers. to mat
ters Of art in spite of the lateness Of
the season. OF this unusual show the
appeal sent to the British land Cana
dian societies gives an adequate idea
It reads:
Members of your organization are
earnestly invited to take an active
interest in the remarkable exhibition
of Canadian war paintings at the An
derson Art Galleries, Fifty-ninth street
and Park avenue. This great collec-
ton of Canadian war memorial paint
ings made an enormous stir when ex-
hibited at the Royal Academy In Lon
don last winter. For two months the
galleries were thronged from morning
to night and the exhibition was uni
versally pronounced to be the greatest
artistic event since the outbreak of the
war. The exhibition will remain open
daily until the end Of July.
These Canadian war memorials con-
stitute unquestionably the most COM
plete artistic record of any country's
significant manifestation Of artistic
activity during this period.
In organizing the scheme the COM
mittee throughout endeavored to do
equal justice to the claims of history
and OF art. Historical accuracy has
been secured by the timely despatch
of a band of distinguished artists to
the fighting front at a period of the
war when the issue was still in the
balance. and when the opinion was
generally held that art should stand
back until the war was won-as
though experience had not proved
again and again the worthlessness of
"posthumous" war pictures! To in
sure artistic success the committee
worked out schedule Of subjects en-
bracing every sphere of Canadian war
preparation and war activity, at home
and abroad, on land, on water and in
the air, exemplihed by typical scenes.
each one being entrusted to the artist
whose past achievement pointed most
clearly to his ability to do full justice
to his task. These artists were
selected In the most catholic spirit to
represent every school and group from
the most academic and traditional to
the most revolutionary and advanced,
30 that the collection OF large decoraI
tive paintings, which form the nucleus
of the war memorials, should give a
fair picture of the artistic conditions
which prevailed at the most momen-
tous epoch of the worlds history.
Moreover-and in this respect the
Canadian war memorials stand alone
among modern ventures Of this kind
this series of decorative panels was
thought out in connection with an
architectural scheme which Is to form
q suitable and imposing framework for
the pictures. so that they will present
themselves as an impressive ensemble
In orderly sequence. The memorial
when complete is to have more in COM
mon with the Pantheon in Paris than
with the ordinary round OF fatiguing
and bewildering picture galleries.
Around this nucleus of vast decora-
tive panels has been built up a COM
prehensive collection of minor paint
tngs, drawings and engravings Of war
subjects, portraits Of generals. states
men and Canadian V. C.'s. works OF
sculpture and a historical section Of
early English paintings and engrav-
ings directly connected with Canadian
history.
While the committee have made a
point of employing as many Canadian
artists as possible-a considerable por-
ton of the funds have been placed at
the disposal OF Sir Edmund Walker for
the purpose of commissioning works
from artists living in the Dominion