Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-06
JOHN FREDERICK LEWIS
On Selectjno Exhibition Pictures

TIME public has no idea Of the amount OF
i labor, time and trained skill that is OK
pended in getting up great art cXhib,.ion'
saws John Frederick Lewis, president OF inc
PENNSYLVANIA Academy of Tn" fihc Nr'S;
the annual exhibition of which opened
Saturday evening.
"Our annual spring exhibit said Mr..
Lewis. .'is an exhibition Of oil painting.
and sculpture representing the best work OF
American artists during the preceding %chr'
and is beyond question the premier 'Nhlo'-
tion held in the United States.
1.-The Academy has no acadcmicians VINO
possess the fright of line ; that Is. no hr'lH'S
who have any inherent right to- exhibit pie
lures by reason Of membership in the Arhd-
envy, but all works shown are approved by
Jury before acceptance. Inc painters
Jury consists Of eleven men selected from
different parts Of the country, and not ihil-
adelphia alone.
ton and New York, one two from the
South or Southwest, and three from Phlla
dcphia. We have, besides this jury, hv"
men who sit in Chicago and select pictures
sent to them from points in tho Near west
and another jury Of five in st. Louis to ac-
cent pictures from the Far West.
Jurics Have Free Hand
IAN the jurors serve without compcnsa =
ton and pass on the work submitted TO them
y
Academy In other words, the exhibition IS
an artists exhibition based upon tn" iidg :
ment of artists rather than upon the juds-
mcnt Of lnymcn. ,;.,.,o ,,o
hanging of the pictures and the placing OF
Tho sculpture arc all done by the hanging
Committcc, to which the galleries OF the
Academy are turned over without rcStric-
| ton, or. rather, without any real rrstrW-
| tion the only limitation being that no pc
I,pir irah1n
| shall be hung.
The chairmcn of the juries or their rep.
| rcscntatives visit studios Of artists in 'lif
| fercnt cities and thereby procure available
material, and the jury as an entirety: that
| is the whole eleven painters, goes to Boston
| and passes upon all canraseS from the East
| ern section of the country. Then the jury
men go to New York to pass upon the pic
| tures from that district and finally sit al
Philadelphia. TO which CL'y works OF art arc
| scnt from nll over the United States, csle'
cially from the South and the Southwest.
Accepted Works Hung
.Thosc works of art which are accepted
orc hung with the sole Limitation which
hnve heretofore mentioned, and those no
accented are returned with thanks, the re
tnrn being determined not because the pie
lures are not we'll painted. but because the,
were deemed BY the jury; Tor various r"a
sons. not available for exhibition in Il pub
lie gallery. They may be too small or com
monplacc: or, though having merit stll b
not of such exceptional quality MS to max
them worthy Of exhibition in the creates
American art show Of the year
."The hanging of the pictures, usually
tender point with exhibitors, is absoIutcl
in charge Of the Hanging Committee. b
reason of the vast extent Of the country
n large number of paintings find place i
the show, and 1t is not possible to civ
every one the best position.
.',rhe public has no idea Of the numbc
Of pictures which Is examined either by tn
iury or BY some of the chairmcn in orcc
70 Obtain the final selection. The total
not measured by hundreds, but rather b
thousands An artist will make sclectio
himself from his best work of the year an
: submit such examples as he deems fit. Thos
. examples are then passed upon by the jlr,
, and they are really passed upon, not Der
functoriy, but carefully and with critic,
, | kindness.
Judgment System Unchanged
81 have sat with jurics for many year.
! and the meetings of the jury for the cIirrer
| exhibition were similar in method to tho,
pursued In former years. The entire iur
of eleven painters was present and ever
r picture was put upon an easel in full vie
, | and in the best possible light.
' "a single adverse vote from any of N
eleven sets aside the picture under consid