The New York herald., 1922-03-11
Independents Have Hung
Everything in IL Galleries
mt the Waldorf.
TRAGIC TURNIP FEATURE
Also Portrait Of Harding
Thought to Have Been Done
by Democratic Committee.

ABOUT tne only expected feature OF an
art exhibit that was lacking on the roof
OF the Waldorf-Astoria last night at the
opening of the sixth annual exhibition
OF the Society Of Independent Artists,
Inc, was the disappointed painter
sculptor who had failed to get his own
stuff on the wall or floor and had come
10 spend the evening knocking the show
He wasn't there because the condi-
uons under which this bootleg brand of
art is spread before the public are such
that any man. woman or child possessed
of picture and $40 gets chance. You
notice that the moment you enter the
seventeen roaring galleries. There are
no prizes offered nor juries TO render
verdicts. That too, seems obvious.
Not that this isn't good show. Most
emphatically otherwise. Nothing quite
like it has been seen since last year
exhibition by the same society. Con-
gress isn't circumstance In comparl-
son. Last night admission was by in
Nitation. The doors are thrown open to
the public tonight and Will continue to
be thus widely swung until April 2. AT
the height of the crush at last nights
select gathering it took one an hour to
shuttle along from The Tragic Turnip
back, loop by loop, to the portrait OF
President Harding. Virtually everybody
who thinks differently was there or
was represented by some prominent
member of his or her little different
circle.
Tnrxnn of the village.
DESPITE what has been or may be said
about The Tragic Turnip, The Poets
Dream and the portrait of Tarzen Lar
kin the portrait of President Harding
is going to be the rallying point for the
critics. Last night there came very
near being a few fights about the iden-
tity of the artist, Kathryn Chandler IS
given credit in the catalogue but there
were men present last night who
wanted TO offer two to one that some
member of the National Democratic
committee welded that brush. Others
said their guess would be that 1t was
done early on the morning of November
3. 1920, by James Middleton Cox. Then
there were those who said 1t looked ike
the work of Leonard Wood or Hiram
Johnson.
One of the few chances the public has
had of seeing Tarzan Larkin in other than
o recumbent position is offered by this
exhibition. The pugilistic downfall of
Tarzan is fully explained. He has taken
to Greenwich Village. In oils he has
been done by Eleanor Rixon and It
seems but fair to Eleanor to say that
she has painted Tarzan in his street
clothes and not inside the ring There
fore Tarzan is not reclining on his
Slavic countenance, but sitting plump up
right in chair.
Life has no mysteries after one round
of those seventeen galleries of artistic
walops Great throngs of elderly
ladies armed with large reading glasses
were in evidence last night. One OF
them, shuckirg an enormous mink wrap
and kicking off swashbuclSling galoshes.
stood revealed in socks held up by
mans garters. knee-length skirt and
a MILDLY blouse. Her hair was almost
pure white and there is adequate reason
to believe that the lady is not so young
as she was say, fifty years ago. Such
was the shock to those who beheld her
at first that the detective on duty at
the gate stepped forward and began
thus:
my lawd. lady, not that it's none Of
my business but
Nude ns an Esqufmo.
lie got no further. She clarnped
pair of horn rim spectacles to her eyes
and ears and plunged into the multitude
where even she was absorbed and barely
noticeable A considerable amount OF in
tercst was bestowed upon Toshi Shi-
mizu's chop suey. which showed village
maiden picking the hip pocket OF Tom
Sharkey. The picture almost failed OF
hanging because of It's improbability
lust as Karl Skoog had some trouble
getting his water lily. sculpture for
fountain. past the committee because
ho refused to tell where his model had
been before she had reported for work
that day. Whoever sold II 60 the lady
was no gentleman.
Ono of the neatest things in the exhi-
btion is Ben Bcnns nude. 1t requires
Independence to do n thing like that.
Thc subject is portrayed as nude as IN
Eskimo. There is humor in the corner
allotted to Benn. The majority OF last
nights mob decided that the designat-
NC numbers had become mixed and
.hat Benn was the victim Of the mis-
take.
Almost all of the pictures are for sale.
Not" explained one of the guides.
That they are going to be purchased.
but merely to show that the artists were
serious when they did them"
Among the artists exhibiting are Mar
iorie Acker c. ID. Ratchclo-. Nuvart
rcrberian, Homer Boss. Oscar Cesare.
Louis NJ EiIshemius. Earl Groetzinse-.
Elolse Howard. Daisy b. King, Dean
korach, Walter Pach. Tyrone Powe.
Christian Schiott, John Sloan and Va
ierie H. Walter.