The New York herald., 1922-06-10
PAINTINGS BY SPIRITS
LIKEORDINARY KIND
r,
Conan Doyle Is Certain FIX
hibits Could Easily Be
Genuine.
FOUR WOMEN SHOWING
Miss Spoor to Work To-day
Under Guidance of Her Mys-
tcrious Committee
FOUR WOMEN SHOWING


Artists long dead return to earth to
pcrpetuate their art through sensitive
mediums, guiding their fingers so that
remarkable paintings are produced
and new technics evolved by persons
totally untutored in painting ard
drawing and helpless without the
domination of spirit control,
This statement. superficially at
least would seem to be the only an
swer TO the groun of spirit control
paintings and drawing collected at the
Anderson Galleries by spiritualists and
shown at several private, exhibitions,
one of which was attended by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. The exhibition
will be opened to public view on Mon
day and will continue the remainder
of the week.
After spending an hour at the gallery
inspecting the paintings and talking
with those who executed them, Sir Ar
thur said:
Il was much interested in the spirit
pictures. OF course. not having inves-
tigated the matter. 1 cannot tell how
much of this work is due to spirit con-
troll. see no reason, however. why
the genuineness of these picture should
be doubted"
There Is no doubt about the ability
OF artists who have gone before to con-
tinue their work through a sensitive
medium
az Deny Any Ability.
There is nothing eerie or weird about
the pictures. nor anything to suggest,
except In one case, that they might not
have been painted by artists Of un-
doubted skill. and yet the painters
without exception disclaim the slightest
shred of ability and admit freely total
lack of training and experience in pic
torial drawing.
The most interesting part of the ex-
hibtion is group of landscapes painted
by Frederic Lewis Thompson on an ISL
and off the New England coast while
under the domination of r. Swain Gift
ford. The authenticity of these paint
ings Is guaranteed by the Psychical Re
search Society which secretly investi-
gated Mr.. Thompsons case under the
direction of DIR. John H. Hyslop.
After emerging from the obsession
which seized him soon after the death
of Mr.. Clifford, say those responsible for
the exhibition. Mr.. Thompson became
a well known painter under his own ini-
tiative, repudiating his earlier paintings
and refusing to lend his name TO any
thing tinged with psychic pretensions.
Clifford died January 15, 1905 Six
months later. according to the psychical
report, Thompson was suddenly mas
tered by an overwhelming desire to
paint, although up to that time he had
been a goldsmith. Through sketches by
Thompson DR.. Hyslop located an island
off the Maine coast where Clifford had
painted for years.
Like BIakeIock's Work.
Friends of Thompson provided him
with funds, erected a shack upon the
shore and turned him loose with brush
and easel. His paintings at the Ander-
son Galleries show a mastery of tech
niaue and in appearance are somewhat
akin to the works of Ralph Blakelock.
One dealer who Witnessed the exhibi-
tion said they undoubtedly could COM
mand high prices in the market
Very different from Mr.. Thompson S
conventional landscapes are the fantas-
tic astral" paintings of Miss F. Marian
Spoor Artists who viewed her paint
ings were mystified about how she pro-
duced the curious bas relief effects
flowers ard other objects apparently
having been built out solidly to as much
as an inch in oils. DR.. Walter Franklin
Prince, president of the Psychical Re-
search Society. vouches for the fact
that Miss Spoor's work is done under
spirit control After the death of her
mother she began to develop a sudden
drawing ability and soon produced with
an Incredible swiftness series of highly
colored and imaginative water color
drawings Later she took up oil paint
ing and under the guidance of spirit
group" of artists produced unusual
results.
Miss Spoor said she could not identify
her controls. but regarded them as sort
of a COMMITTEE" presiding over her
work. Miss Spoor Is to attempt to give
an exhibition of the manner in which her
pictures are produced at private gath
ering at the Anderson Galleries to-day.
Has XVI. Century Taste.
Mrs. Helen Wells of 600 West t3sth
street exhibited drawings executed in the
fashion of the sixteenth century. She
chatted pleasantly about her work and
admitted her total ignorance of art
"I couldn't duplicate them IL / were
to be shot" said Mrs. Wells. "I feel as
though / had taken hoid OF an electric
battery when the automatic drawing
begins, and from that on / am perfectly
unconscious of what is being placed on
the paper. Often don't look at them
until they are fs.ished. drawing as / read
or talk with my friends"
Mrs. Wells summoned the spirit OF a
relative who had been killed in the civil
war after having been graduated from
the University of Michigan. She wanted
to know If anybody would like to ask
any questions. One of the reporters
who was familiar with the university
asked for the name of one of the col
lege songs Of that period. The pencil
which Mrs. Wells held wrote clearly
"The Bullfrog on the Bank" The re-
porter admitted having heard his brother
sing the words many years ago. The
song is well known among almost all coll
lege men.
other exhibitors are Emily Talmadge
and Mrs. Julian Forrest