The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-25
MINTYRE CALLS
GENIUS OF ROTH
ALMOST UNCANVY
Freud Would Find It
Hard to Explain Artists
Many-Sidedness.
By o. o. M'INrYRE.

NEW YORK. Dec. .4.-rhe art Of
caricature was born In the tumuit
Of the Renaissance. But II was the
Reformation that produced the f,rst
full crop OF satirical ephemerae
and the heads OF Luther and Alex
ander VI are the direct ancestors OF
the masks that smirk and frown
from the cartoons OF Punch and
the Charivari end our modern news
paper.
The highest type Of caricaturins
perhaps in !, the world today is
executed by a blond young man or
rather laughing eyed boy, half
Pan and half worldly cosmopoIite.
His name is Herbert Roth but the
world knows him as Herb Roth, a
product, of San Francisco, who came
to New York in the wake of Tad,
Rube Goldberg and Bud Fisher. He
was an art room helper when they
nrst began to make the world laugh.
His genius for making a single
line depict face in uncanny. We
sometimes think of our caricatur-
lists as unfinished artists and yet
your artist gifted in portraiture
VIII tell you that caricature Is the
most dinlcult of all.
Herb Roth has studied art in
Paris, Vienna and Rome. Before
ne was twenty he was spending his
time In the European galleries. liv-
ing from hand to mouth. He has
literally lived on crusts in Mont
martre and Soho. He has explored
the art treasures Of China, India,
japan and the South Seas
He knows the exquisite in art as
few do and yet should you happen
TO drop into his studio in the peace
full quiet at No. IL Grammercy
Park you will perhaps find him in a
faded flannel shirt, three days
growth of beard and tattered
trousers. listening to a jazz record
on photograph.
He has won medals for wrestling
and boxing and Is an expert on ca
noeing. During the pinnacle of
the dance wave he took a keen in
terest in dancing and nightly he
was to be seen in the cafes, leading
the gay life OF the young blood
about town.
Then he began to be missed In
quiries by his friends ELECTED the
news that he was in Burmah. iiv-
ing with a group of native artists.
The next heard Of him he was at
the Azores, where he made a group
OF paintings that were quite the talk
of New York.
He is a red corpuscled fellow and
Is noted for his ability to punish
food" They tell a yarn OF Roth
being invited to a smart hotel one
day by a woman who was intrigued
by the life of the studios. During
the meal the talk was artistically
highbrowish. When IL came time
for desserts. the hostess handed
Roth a menu and asked him what
he would have.
He studied It carefully and then
said to the waiter: Bring me a
couple OF minute steaks" And they
were brought and he ate them. He
wasn't trying to be funny nor was
he posing. He was hungry and
wasn't ashamed to show it.
1 was walking with him one day
in a rather tough section of East
Fourteenth street. Roth at the
time had developed a sudden fiair
for loud raiment. He wore a green
velour hat a sassafras paddock
coat and channels gloves and car
ried a silver-headed walking stick.
Some toughs on the corner made
some remarks he didn't like. He
removed his coat and without a
word walked back and pitched into
them. He left three in the gutter
when a policeman hove in sight.
That same night he went to a
dinner and discussed art learnedly
with French savant visiting
America. He bubbles with com
complexities. Freud would find IT
difficult to explain him but his
friends know him as a warmheart-
ed. loyal and gifted companion.