Evening star., 1920-01-18
Notes of Art and Artists

III lHoeoo - za4
This will be the last week of the
Corcoran Gallery's contemporary ex.
hibition. It will continue through nex'
NIT those whose occupation prevent
attendance during the regular nours
of opening, the gallery will again DC
open to the public on Friday evening
free of charge.
| This exhibition is not only compare
BILE with the best exhibitions that are
being held in other cities, but is far In
Iadvance of the majority that are now
to be seen in New York. 1t is Infinite
ly better than the winter exhlbltiQn
of the National Academy of Design
which has just closed, and 1t Is faf
lsuperior to the exhibition of cotem-
Iporary French art, which has been
lsent to this country under the au-
spices of the French government ano
is now on view in the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. This would, however
not be saying great deal. for rarely
has there been a more pathetic and
sorry showing than these paintings
by French artists of today.
There are in the catalogue of the col,
lection some well known names and
the works exhibited are by no means
the works by the ultra-modernists
They are feeble efforts, poor in many
instances in drawing and in color
lacking the characteristics OF the
splendid French school to which arr
lovers of all nations have long looked
for inspiration and example. Such a
display can only be explained by the
conditions brought through the devas-
tating influences of the war. France
has given her best to the cause OF
Icivilization and those VINO s9fvlve
have been so spiritually drained that
even their gifts have been diminished
and their vision for the moment i'm
poverished.
The pictures composing this French
Exhibition were assembled py repre-
sentatives of the three leading art So
cieties of Paris under the patronage
of the government, and it is not pos
sible to believe that they do not rep.
resent the best of the French output
of today. ~
tance behind us. and it was fought on
French soil. That our artists have
been able to rebound in this space OF
time is not unreasonable, but that the
French should have could hardly be
time Of holding this exhibition should
not have been postponed until cond1-
tions in France were more nearly nor
NAL.
The French exhibition in New York
was sent to this country, it will be re-
membered, as return courtesy for
the exhibition of American art sent to
| France last summer and shown this
autumn in the Luxembourg. 1t is
only fair to remind ourselves that If
the French exhibition is not all that
could be desired in merit, neither was
our American exhibition up to the
high standard that we should like to
have had it maintain. In fact. so far
tdiH fo ha1nxv w a
was hoped for it that the director of
the Luxembourg volunteered to sup
plement it by loans from the French
national collection in order that
American art might be adequately
represented.
Furthermore, to the delight of
many and the confusion Of few. he
declined to have placed on exhibition
in the galleries of the Luxembourg
ten works by ultra-modernists that
had been sent with the collection Sc
lected by the members of the jury be-
longing to this group of painters and
/ forwarded under the misapprehension
that it was the desire of the French
government that all phases of Ameri-
can art, and especially this be repre-
sented. He was eminently correct
because these modernists do not rep
| resent American art and the modern
istfc movement. which came over to
US from France. is well nigh spent
| )" HCh 4NCNlh6ohs 'HC lSduiI6 oTlItSH
exponent of cubism. was asked on the
occasion of his visit to this country
some months ago how cubism Jared,
he promptly replied, "Cubism is dead"
averring that its more ardent expo
nents knew it could not live, but be-
lieved it was a progressive step to-
ward something better.
And this may be 80. There il no
doubt but what, irrational and un-
beautiful as were the works of the
s-k-
| of ruts. awaken thought and lead to
better things. Painting is not merely
an art of imitation; the painter must
interpret as well as represent. and
though the principles of art are un-
changing, its outward manifestations
are as variable as the weather and as
mum erous as the stars To say that
one mans style is right and another
| mans style is wrong is the height OF
folly. But for individuality of express
sion art would soon cease to interest.
In the Corcoran Gallerys present
| exhibition there are two portraits of
widely different style which possess
each peculiar merit and interest. Ono,
by Ebin +. Comins, is entitled 1.-The
Two Sisters and is owned and loaned
by Mrs Marshall Field; the other is
by Giuseppe Trotta and is entitled '"The
Story" representing little girl Of ten
OF tWcitS YEARS o4 d6cs oCdtcus Will a
book in her lap.
Mr. Comins IL q New Englander;
Mr.. Trotta an American by adoption.
Both paintings show extreme simplffi-
cation in method. but whereas Mr..
Trotta follows the style of the old
Italian masters Zone might almost
say of the old Italian primitives). Mr..
Comins employees broad method
peculiar to the present day, which
| would seem to set aside as of little
value the amenities Of technique and
craftsmanship.
Il Mr.. Trotta is a technician Of the ut
!; most skill. Every detail Of his picture
! is perfectly represented, but he has
succeeded in subordinating detail to
the higher human quality Of his work
and has produced a portrait of extraor-
binary individuality. The little grl
that he has pictured is a living per-
!: sonality, the observer would recog~
nize her in a crowd and must feel in
terested in her character.
Il Mr.. Comins has not attempted to
interpret textures. though he has pro-
duced a pleasing surface. 1t is spirit
ual rather than human quality that he
has succeeded in getting into his
work, and. what is more, he has en-
/ SnfArouf}nD <NyAp