Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-07-16
THREE NATIONS
REPRESENTED IN
BLAIR GROUP
Paintings of NeU York Elk
hibitOr Placed at Heron
Art Institute.

Special Exhibitions - Mrs. C. J.
Blair's collection Of Persian and
Oriental paintings: George c. Cal
ie sr5 s sptpts OF pa Wsm Oy pn61ey
Foulke's collection of paintings by
old masters; centennial exhibitions.
Hours-Sundays, 1 p. m. to p. H.;
week days, 8 a. m. to p. m.
MISUNDERSTANDING and Sundays
free; other days. % cents admis-
sion. Teachers and school children
are free.
Rare examples of the ancient Persian,
Japanese and Chinese art are shown in
the group Of paintings, lent to the John
Heron Art institute by Mrs. C. ]. Blair
of New York City. which are on exhibit
ton in the east gallery and will remain
during the summer months.
william Dudley Foulke's choice col
lection Of originals and copies of the old
masters and George e. Calvert's group of
paintings by American artists viii also
be on display until the fall exhibition is
received.
The centennial exhibition, which has
brought many people to the institute, will
also be continued.
The room, which is a replica of an
early Indiana home, is the mein feature
of the numerous antiques shown.
PRESERVATIVE
= POWERS OF COLORs.
The outstanding feature in the Asiatic
works is the preservative powers Of the
colors used.
/ The entire collection dates back to tie
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and
+ all the pieces are in much better condi-
ton than the European work OF the same
periods.
Another contrast between the types
OF the far east and that Of the west is
the regard for detail of the artists Of the
former.
The care with which each detail in the
facial expressions of the characters is
brought out is typical Of this.
Despite the ravages of time on the
paint, this predominant characteristic is
shown in the picture of the Woman IL
the Red Robe
Similarly, the only interesting feature
in the Man in the Green Robe" is the
study Of the multitude of details OBJ
served in the lines of his face.
Not only is this love for minute de-
tails evidenced in the portraits, but it
Is also shown in their paintings Of ami
malls.
It is Of two-fold interest to the OBJ
server, because it was customary 1or
those oriental artists to paint all their
birds and animals from memory.
CONTRAST
OF SCHOOLS.
Thus the contrast between the rough
outlines of the modern school. which Il
painted from a model with the finely
drawn object painted from memory, al
most shocks the student.
IN the picture OF large duck swim
ming the manner each feather is placed
along the wing, and the soft downy
feathers of the throat is drawn for care
full detail and not for the general effect
so typical Of the modern school.
Again, in the picture OF the two Chinese
women, care is given to the placement Of
every strand Of hair.
Perhaps one of the most masterful
pieces in the whole collection is The
Eagle and the Swan" which pictures
swan falling through the air, dragged
to the ground by a mighty eagle clutch
Ing its throat
Although tie colors are much faded
from the original, the colors still have
the power to affect the viewer.
3 WATER COLOR on
SILK FOUNDATION.
With the exception Of two framed
Chinese tapestries, the work is done in
water color on a silk foundation.
: Although toned de2n with the age OF
more than two centuries, we are sur
prised to find the pictures in such good
condition, knowing the general imprac-
Hticability OF such work.
= The sixteen small Persian pictures are
"a direct contrast TO the japanese pic
lures.
with all the fuIlness Of color. they
80
artists brush yesterday instead Of nearly
200 years ago.
The power Of the Persian artist 10 mix
colors entirely foreign to each other;
= colers which the modern painters never
consider combining, is even more than
s remarkable.
The entire group seems to be the iIlu-
: mlnation OF the books OF that age which
is so well known TO US.
The work Of painting the pages OF the
book, during the dark ages, was not lin
ited to the European countries but ex-
listed in as an advanced stage, if not
more so. in the Asiatic.
DECORATED
esXETTERING.
Several examples Of these exquisite
Persian books with letters beautifully
decorated are shown in Mrs. Blair's col
1cEEAll-
All the pictures contain writing which
probably tells the story Of the action in
fhe~ painting.
One interesting picture, showing the
rsPersian Interpretation Of horses, is
sss-Samson Selecting His Famous Horse"
All these are Illustrations OF legends
-popHlar among the Persians at that time.
"5hanze Hunting a Lion" Is another
e similar picture
An example Of the artists power for
= compression many details into a small
: space IS evidence in ''ZOhekha Telling to
+ Joseph His Love"
The brilliance of cOlors and the great
+ variety strikes the observer in ''rimin
on His Throne"
E It Is one of the best examples in tn
entire collection to show the meaning
Of Persian art.
TIE picture is from the Bhzah school
Of the sixteenth century. and the legend
from the book Of Iehro Nah
Another striking picture for its Pc
culiar proportions is samson Fightin
3 With Shinghal'
The triumphant hero has slain his op-
ponent's body, which is floating around
lin two pieces
4 = The story is from the book of the
History Of Persian Kings, from either
fha faurtaaneh or fffeenth caufur-