The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-11

ception at Boswell hall, Washburn
college, given by the Topeka Art Guild
and the Fine Arts department OF
Washburn college. to the Washburn
faculty and members of the Wash
burn art classes and friends of the To-
peka Art Guild members.
Prof. Pierre Zampierre of Wash
burn college. who lived in Rome for
several years and who had close
hand knowledge of Pope Benedict XIV,
gave a most interesting and instruc-
tive talk on the latter as an artist
and a patron of the fine arts. He in
formed the audience that Benedict
XIV had painted several pictures of
high artistic merit, and that during
that pontiff's residence in the vatican,
the thousands of art treasures there
in were revamped, restored, and
placed in positions where they could
be readily seen and appreciated by
the thousands OF pilgrims and visitors
to that great group of palaces form
ing the home OF the popes.
Mrs. Charles F. Spencer also gave.
by request, an interesting account of
a great exhibition of the works of
Spanish painters, both medieval and
modern. which it was her privilege to
see last spring or summer, while she
was living in London.
The exhibition was held at Burling-
ton House on Picadilly, at which place
are held. She spoke OF the numerous
excellent examples of VelasQuez and
Murillo displayed in this exhibition.
Mrs. Spencer said further, that it is
her opinion, that after making a thoro
study OF the work being turned out
by the artists of England continental
Europe, and then comparing it with
the work being done at present in
America. America has artists with
talent second to none in the world.
Concerning the exhibition of paint
fngs now being shown at Boswell hall,
Washburn college, Richard F. Bach,
extension secretary, American FEEDER
alton of Arts has to say:
This collection includes an Arthur
B. Davies, a. Bellows, a Hawthorne,
a Du Mond, a Carlson, a Belts, among
others, and should contain scope for
the exercises of the most varied tastes
and allow a fair view of the output
of some of the prominent contem-
porary American painters.
While there are, fortunately, no dis
tinct schools in America, nor is it
painters. one could note the many
forms of expression included here.
There are the painters who excel in
the depletion of a realism of appear
ance. such as Bellows and Henri,
among the figure painters, and among
I
vigorous notes on the outdoors and
Jonas Lies strong reports; also Knoll
and Ben Foster. Then those who con-
troll another kind Of realism of ap-
pearances, those who press it into a
decorative arrangement giving an
other pattern of truths, are repre-
scented by Hassam. Eaton and Frieseke.
Then there are those who seek TO pro-
| duce forms purely creative, such as
Arthur B. Davies. Frank Vincent Du-
mond and Ernest Lawson. 1t is evil
dent indeed that those who selected
this collection expressed a wide and
alI-inclusive choice as to viewpoint
and technique.
This exhibition is one of fifty eight
circulated from coast to coast by the
tional work in favor of American art
appreciation. These exhibitions cover
a long list Of subjects from oil paint
ings and landscape gardening to tap
estry, brocades and wall paper.
The Christian Science Monitor for
January. 1922 gives an extract from
an article entitled Abbott H. Thayer,"
by H. B. NJ, which tells of method
of working pursued by this great
American artist who recently passed
away, which is so interesting and
novel that it is requoted here.
1T may perhaps not be amiss to
speak here of the rather unusual
method of working which Mr.. Thayer
has of late years followed 1t is a
method which seems soundly logical
as a means of avoiding the painters
great danger-that of losing the vir-
tues already secured in an attempt
to carry them further; as often the
harder he tries to get back to the
point at which he had secured some
merit in his picture. the farther
wrong he goes
and as soon as he feels it has become
valuable thing he will get an as
sistant to make him a copy of it, On
this he goes forward again, lighted
| by the measureless comfort of the
originals safety, while it directs his
| handling of the replica, which under
| his hand soon outstrips the first. He
will then take up the first picture,
or begin a third. The hindermost so
to speak. of the three learns from the
superiorities of the others which of
these virtues to appropriate, and
thereby become the best of all. Thus
he works with the assurance that he
cannot lose anything already secured.
It may be that the second picture
will be the one which in the end he
will feel is the best, or it may be the
third, or the first.
TT is interesting, in view of the
many pictures which NJ Thayer has
painted of winged figures, to know
of the deep love he has had for the
sea gulls- His intense interest in pre-
serving these birds and the help which
he gave toward this end are worthy of
note. He made repeated pleas that
some effort be made to prevent their
being exterminated by egg and plum
age hunters along our Atlantic coast,
and by his eloquent appeals helped
TO raise funds to finance the work of
saving the gulls and other birds whose
existence was endangered
A collection of fifty etchings. the
work of Joseph Penneu, the worlds
greatest modern etcher, is on exhibit
ton at the Kansas State Normal
School, Emporia, at the present time.
This exhibition will continue until the
26th of this month.
One hundred and thirty mounted
photographs, the work of the leading
pictorial photogra nfers of the ITnited