The Washington times., 1922-09-24

Horta, who visited America and
Washington last year. M. Horta
is q leading architect Of Belgium,
and during his stay at Washing
ton he lectured >on Flemish ca
thedrals. .. ...... N
He Is now engaged with a royal
commission for grand palace of
art. But his interest in America
is keen as ever, and when he learn
ed Of the invitation of The Wash
ington Times to Flemish artists
of today to exhibit their works in
Washington, and, IL possible, to
visit eur Capital In person, he was
heartily In sympathy with the idea
and consented to take charge of
the movement, which thus finds
strong support in Belgium.
LIKES AMERICANS.
II like America and the Ameri.
cans" confessed NJ. Horta. "Yes.
almost better than my own coun.
try. j am coming back to America
as soon as my present commission
Is finished. Please express my
cordial greetings to my many
friends there"
Also interested in the exposition
of modern Belgian art at Wash
ington is NJ. Arthur De Rudder.
art editor of lie Soir," the leading
Brussels newspaper. NJ. De Rud.
der is an immediate friend of NJ.
Horta, and they will cooperate in
the plans. The ambassador of
Belgium at Washington. Baron de
Marchienne. has also been invited
TO lend his aid. as he is a well.
known patron of art.
One problem remains to be set
tied; the artists Of Belgium are
very poor since the war. though
they have again resumed their
pursuit of art. But can they af-
ford the expense of sending their
works TO America, or to come IN
person? Probably not, but Victor
Flambeau is confident that there
will be sufficient interest in Ameri-
ca to make the project possible,
by raising there a small fund.
And no doubt some Of the more
successful artists, like the famous
architect, NJ. Horta, may easily af-
ford the trip also.
An interesting discovery of i'm
portance to Washington was made
by F'lambeau in the Brussels Art
Gallery, where there are so manv
splendid works too little known by
Americans. In the Holland school,
which is particularly rich, -here
q, are many Rembrandts. and one Of
them is a duplicate Of the signed
Rembrandt painting, The Mar
With the Hat" given by Ralph
Cross johnson to 6e National
Gallery of Art at Washington.
A PLEASANT EXCURSION.
The subject Of ours was un-
known before, but now we may
definitely place il as "a portrai.
probably of Rembrandts brother
in-law, Francois -Coepel. a. Date
1641," which is all stated in
French on the one at Brussels.
Ours in Washington seems equally
fine in character, though II may
he slightly smaller. and may diff.
fer in the detail of the sitter with
glove in hand, but this difference
does not imply its inferiority.
since artists often change soma
particular in replieas they make
of their own works.
A pleasant little excursion from
Brussels is to the Royal Chateau.
or summer palace of the royal
family at Laoow, and a longer one
is to the grottos of Han and of
Rochefort. fairy caverns as fan
tastic as ours in America at Luray
and the Mammoth Cave of Ken
lucky. George Sand, in her novel,
"Malgretout," describes the Hall
of the Dome. one of the grandest:
"A ravine, below torrent, the
base Of colossal mountains whose
SUBMITS tower out of sight, and
give to the whole n canopy Of un-
fathomat,e gloom, an Alpine
chaos" - And this scenic
grandeur has inspired other writer's
and poets.
Belgium Is an active country
commercially. the principal indus
tries being those 6f mining. coal,
steam engines, cutlery, lace,
matches and preserved foods, The
leading cities industrlally are
Charleroi, Liege, Namur Bruges,
Alost and Mons, At the latter
and at Charleroi there are notable
schools for mining engineers, be-
ing In the coal mining center of
the Province of Hainault, which
was invaded and occupied by the
Germans with terrible destrhc.
ton. Liege is renowned for the
manufacture of firearms, including