Evening star., 1921-02-27

r. 'f5Jt SdUeTS OI CuieHlpOaFy IAulSt
leans is making a sensation in
Europe. For the first time in art a
European painter. smigrating to America
with his own technique and tendencies,
returns TO glorify the American atmes-
pheFe and his own astonishing progress
in it. His success is equaied only by his
gratitude. The object Of Ossip PsSel-
mas exposition is to open the eyes OF
| Europe and 10 boom the United States
nation" ] take the liberty to quote his
exact words.
First. who he is. He is a natural
| 'zed American citizen. In 1916. Rus
sian Of the Don tdona;n of the
toSsacks), forty years OF age. who
had begun life as an engineer and
imateur in general of arts and
sciences. he emsrated 70 the tnitet
states as painter.
Cssip Pereima. oorn al Cha abelsk in
| 1876. studied a, Odessa and ST. t'etcfs
blrg and graduated from lie linparis
, lieher School of Sciences. Later.
; With six medals for various pro-
icienc;es. he entered the Imperial
/. Academy of BeauX-Arts and the
studio of the celebrated Russian
painter. Prof Repin. as student Of
historical painting. Graduating with
she title of historical painter and
| Russian academician. he might have
| and in fact he did continued bril-
| !antly along these lines. Witness his
| composition bought by the Russian
! state. Epoch Of the Tartar INVASION;
! lumber of pictures winning d:stinc-
F.; ion for him in the salons of tho
| 5ociete Nationaie in Paris and. par
! icularly. the Smile of victory.
! ,ousht in full war time by ;hy rsenS,
| ;overnmen, from the exposition OF
i ;ouen in 1915. and today hanging Ia
| he museum of the army.
j :: x = -
The Smile of Victory dates iron,
1915. the year rerelma emisrated To
! the United States to become an Amer
| lean. a portrait painter. and to re-
visit Paris FIVE years later. bringing
with him this notable gallery OF
| American citizens.
His talent as portraitist was fore
seen by the celebrated Russian art
| critic. Vladimir Stassoh when Pc
| relma was in full food of his his
terical production. Stassoff urged him
to go to Paris. to paint Ellie Metch-
rikoh. the great biologist. dominat-
ing figure.
Prof. Repin equally advised the
trial--Perelma's living expressions
of the human face having made him
| Repin's favorite pupil while he was
still at the Russian Beaux-Arts.
The Metchnikof portrait hangs in
the Library of the Pasteur Institute
in Paris: they would never let it go.
Ii brought Perelnla orders from high
placed Russians. particularly in Mos
COW: but, while it was the Metchnikoff
portrait which undoubtedly decided
the bent of his career as America n
citizen. he. as fact. continued to
exhibit historical works with distinc
tion in the salons of the Societe Ma
tionale.
The sensation created by this gal
lery of American men in Paris is be-
yoRd all precedent of one-man exhi-
bitions. II is political event. a So
ciety event. an art event and an event
of popular curiosity.
President and Nine. Millerand. cabi-
net members. senators. deputies and
members of the diplomatic corps paid
honor to its three days vernissaxe In
deed. it was like leaving cards for their
American counterparts on the wall.
So. the three nlarshals. Foch. Joffre
and Petain. with officers in quantity,
and with them their wives and a kaleido-
scopic throng of fashionable women.
They have been making the picture halls
of the Maison des Arts, in the Fau-
bourg ST. Honore, across the street from
the French White House. sort Of new
all-Paris extension.
What for? Here is the strong part of
/ 1t. Why. to admire. study, analyze the
faces and the breathing spirit, not (for
once) of a bunch Of pretty America n
women, but to stand there, l tell you,
and collate. compare and dream over
(yes, it is the right word) the portraits
Of hundred representative America n
| men. The American man-at last. He
is worth looking at. Few OF the sub
jects are young, either. They are
Americans in many walks, of whom you
feel in looking at them that they total
there are nearly q hundred Of them. OF
certain Of them Europe has heard
much, or less. and is that much the
more curious, interested-anxious. The
ma jority stand for the great unknown
American residue Of possibilities, and
interest speculation. confidence. hepe,
worriment, the breathing Witnesses,
alike, of optimist and pessimist.
Wilson. Harding. Franklin Roese-
welt, Daniels. Franklin Lane, Frank Z.
Noyes. Henry Ford. Victor Hugo
known to Europe are before US.
Here are eX-Gov. Cox. Senator Phe-
Ian OF California. several members of
the cabinet. House and Senate; num-
Der of diplomats. jurlsts and unirer-
sity men, Gen. Pershing and officers of
the United states Army. the late S.
H. Kaufman OF Washington and 9TH
er newspaper men, like Fleming New
bold, Philander Johnson. Rudolph
Kaufman and Newbold Noyes.
What imprint Of what American di-
receives do they carry-these strong.
amia BILE. courteous faces? What sur
prises. from the flaming UP of the
known influences Of tomorrow? Eu-
! rope thinks TO have. here. samples Of
expression. What does Europe see?
'To be an English gentleman is re-
earded as the acme Of culture snd re-
finement." says Ossip Perelma, but I
| maintain that AN American gentle
man has more essential sentility and
manhood"
Nothing of the kind was ever done
before. Never was gallery Of Amer
lean men tor of cotemporary men Of
any country moved bodily, like this
across frontiers for the appreciat lion
of ano o;her people. And at such mo-
ment OF intense interest in the Amer-
lean people from whom they spring
; and whom they represent. in j CEN
tain sense
x Il y
Of one portrait. ! heard the fol-
| lowing:
Those eyes. The secret Of the man
is in those gentle eyes. SO fine and