The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-08
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con exhibit accompanied by a lecture
on American sculpture at the Y. w. c..
A. building. Thursday morning. The
slides came to Topeka thru the Amer
lean Federation of Art. with general
headquarters in Washington, d. C.
This federation keeps number of art
exhibitions of various kinds on the
road all the time, which can be OBJ
tanned for the use of clubs and art So
cieties. The showing of these slides
at the Y. W. C. A. was especially in
teresting to many of those present be-
cause several were pictures of sculp-
ture which was part of the Borglum
exhibit held in Topeka two or three
years ago, under the auspices of the
Topeka Art Guild.
This stereopticon exhibition will be
repeated at Boswell hall, Washburn
college, Tuesday evening for the bene
fit of. the members of the Topeka Art
Guild and their friends.
1t may be a little late to write about
Christmas cards, but the writer cannot
refrain from making mention of one
which he did not see until few days
ago. 1t is the work of Robert Merrell
Gage, late of Topeka but now living in
Kansas City, Mo. 1t was designed for
the use of Mr.. and Mrs. Gage in send
ing holiday greetings to their friends.
It is a wood cut picture of an old barn
which Mr.. Gage converted into home
and studio, and suitable greetings let
tered beneath. The card is effectively
printed in black and red.
John c. Freund of New York City,
editor of Musical America is leading
a campaign for the creation of a sec
retaryship of fine arts in the presi-
dents cabinet.
The cart News and Comment" page
of the Christian Science Monitor for
December 20, 1920, contains a most
delightfully."- interesting article on An
ders Zorn, the great Swedish etcher
and painter. 1t is accompanied by a
cut of Zorn's most noted etching, THE
Lady at the Piano..
On the same page is an article on
John Storris, the sculptor and en-
graver. in wood.
On the Home Forum" page of the
same issue is a four column cut of one
of Burger Sandzen's landscape litho-
graphs; also an article entitled Color
and Music" which gives the general
public a very clear explanation ot
what a great number of persons do
not at all understand concerning the
work of many artists, namely, that tn.
artist has not endeavored to paint =
picture in the ordinarily accepted
of color harmony and beauty.
AS an example. the writer refers to
the late James A. MCNEIL Whistler ,
who was soundly ridiculed by the pub
lie, including some professional critics.
for attaching such titles as Harmony.
symphony" "Nocturne," etc. to works
which, o the public, were nothing
more than daubs and spiashes of
color. or at most a very extravagant
application of color to the merest sug-
gestion of form. The writer AYERS
that such work is intended to be looked
at exactly in the way one would view
Ia beautiful piece of wall paper.
There are now four art schools in
Topeka, namely, the Washburn college
fine arts department, the College of
the Sisters Of Bethany art department,
the Topeka high school art depart
ment. and the studio Of David Over
myer.
The Washburn school is under the
direction of Mrs. L. d. Whittemore,
who teaches the history of art, draw
ing and water color painting. Other
members of the faculty are Miss Marie
Witwer, instructor in china painting,
and Miss Ruth Thompson, instructor
in design, including costume design
ing.
The Washburn art school has an en-
rollment of 125 students, and has
reached a high state of excellence,
owing to the untiring energy of it's
present director, who had long CAM
paign in order to make her depart
ment's value appreciated not only by
the general public, but by many local
educators as we'll. Every Wednesday
morning Mrs. Whittemore conducts a
class in history of art which is attend
ed by twenty-six prominent Topeka
housewives, all of them working for
college credits. and one evening each
week she has a similar class for
twenty-five local public school teach
ers.
George NJ. Stone is director of the
Bethany college art department, and
Mrs. Katherine Perkins is instructor.
BESIDES an elementary course in draw
ing and color work similar to that of
the Topeka public schools which all
Bethany students must take, there are
special classes in outdoor and still life
sketching, and painting in both oils
and water color. There is also a class
in general design.
The high school art classes are in
charge of Miss Marian Peers. The
course includes a certain amount of
drawing from objects and, living mod
els, lettering perspective drawing, wa
ter color and wash drawing and de-
signing. The high school art classes
are conducted more with a view of
developing the latent talent in the stu
dent and starting him out on the right
road. than to give a finished course
in art.
Mr.. David Overmyer is a native To-
pelza artist of much talent, who has
studied extensively in eastern art
schools. His specially is commercial
art, but he also conducts two life
classes a week, on Monday and Thurs
day evenings.