The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-04
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D. G.
MUGS OF THE MIGHTY.


Washington and devote her time to
immortalizing the nations best known
faces
knowing something of Miss Smiths
achievements as a painter of the great,
| the reporter expected 10 be greeted by
Il learned lady of uncertain age, who
would discourse weightily on the mis-
! sion of her art. The Miss Smith who
led us into her hotel apartment was a
/ blonde little girl of possibly % years.
| Mrs Smith, who is naturally proud
| of her daughters fame, did most OF
the talking.
Before she knew her letters" said
Mrs Smith, "Norett1 always wanted
/ to hold a pencil or crayon and illus
trate the little stories I read to her. L
always told her the queer little figures
we're beautiful, so she kept on draw
ing, on her lesson papers at school,
and often in her play time.
When she was about four, we took
! her to an art gallery. and her delight
in the pictures attracted the attention
| of a French artist who was visiting the
fgaIlery. He followed her about listen
ing to her comments, and when he
4 left he said. Madame, your child will
be a great painter
Eat the time. we were amused
rather than impressed by the French
| mans enthusiasm, but when Noretta
was nine. she painted these" and
! Mrs. Smith indicated two little oil
paintings. copies of famous hkenesses
of Raphael and Shakespeare.
A Child Wonder.
The work was cruCe, but the fea-
| lures could be easily recognized, and
for a child of nine who had never had
| an art lesson in her life-well, they
| convinced Mrs. Smith that her daugh-
/ ter was destined to be an artist.
Not until she was II, however. did
| Noretta Smith go to an art school.
She studied three years at the Art
| Students League in New York, and at
| the National Academy of Design IN
| der George Maynard. whom she con-
| siders one of the finest teachers in
| this country.
IT have never studied abroad"
Miss Smith says. There is so much
to learn in this county, and we have
| such splendid teachers here that 1
should be ashamed to go to NEurope
to study, tho some day when L have
time, I do want to travel
She believes that American art
schools are at last coming into-+their
| own, and that students of the future
| will no longer feel that they must
hasten to Paris and starve in a garnet,
! so that they may say they have been
taught by the great French artist,
Monsieur Y.
Little Miss Smith does not conform
| rigid1y to any school of art. She is
! working things OUT for herself,-as
she says. She is decidedly not an i'm
| pressionist, but inclines rather to real
! ism. She likes to paint officials and
| prominent men, and she is working
steadily with the problems that apply
ee- this particular kind of portrait
painting.
For instance. she paints so that her
| work can be seen at close range-an
important point, as portraits in public
buildings are not always hung where a
! long view is possible. Then she tries
to catch her sitters in their most IA
yorable and natural pose. portrait
4 to adorn a private mansion is made
primarily to please only a few people,
/ and they may request that a thought
full or animated expression be caught
/ by the artist. But an official likeness
| should convey the impression OF the
man as he is generally known To
| achieve this. Miss Smith places her
| sitter in a comfortable chair, and en-
| coura ges him to talk with her as she
| works With>any one as pleasant to
| look at as Miss Smith. this business
/ of being natural is quite simple.
| Faces Much Hot Air.
What the celebrities have told her
! in these informal conversations might
make fascinating copy, but she re-
| fuses to divulge any of it.
Most of her portraits are developed
with plain black or unobtrusive tap
should not be noticeable, she believes
but as you look at the portrait, you
should see only the sitter.
The effect of this method is well IL
/ lustrated in her striking portrait Of
| Governor Cox, which has q soft black
| background, perfectly plain. so that
] the head OF the governor stands out
with lifelike distinctness. This paint
| ing is considered one of Miss Smith s
J best pieces of work. So many people
/ have, come to see and admire it. in
| the studio at her hotel apartment, that
she had almost no time to paint, until
finally it was moved to one of the
hotel par1ors.
George White, national Democratic
committee chairman, who stopped by
| to see it there the other day, was
much impressed. ITS Jimmie him
| SELF exclaimed Mr.. White.
| Governor Cox is expected to drop in
to sec himself on canvas when he
comes to Washington.
Governor Cox's face shows strong
! character" Miss Smith says. His ex-
preston is Straightforward, and he
| has great power of concentration, as
you can see from his keen blue eyes"
Miss Smith described Senator Hard
! ing's coloring as beautiful. He has
wonderful hazel eyes and white hair
Likeness is. think, the most i'm
portant feature of a portrait, and
beauty of color is next" she went on.
Tho greatest difficulty in portrait
painting ?-I believe the carriage of
the sitter requires the most careful
study, even more than the expression
of the face.
At like to work from life. went
to President Wilson's office to sketch
him as he signed papers or talked with
me. The last sitting he gave me was
the day he left for France the second
time. He had a meeting of the casi-
not at the presidents room at the cap
itol and while he talked and signed
documents I got my final impressions
Painted Cox From Life.
Governor Cox came to my studio
I for several sittings. But Admiral
/ Peary's portrait. which I am still
/ working on, had to be made from
four photographs already taken. We
decided upon the most representative
I features of the different pictures and
made composite portrait from
them"
/ One of the unusual features about
Miss Smiths work is that instead of
| hlivine the large assortment Of paints