The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-06
Women at Pen and Brush
Club Rush to See 1t and
Some Talk Harshly.
TWO BRANDS OF NUDITY
Whether Painting Is Refined
or Reverse to Be Acted
Upon Very Soon.

Members Of the National Arts Club,
Is Gramercy Park, have raised strong
protests against George Bellows's
Nude Girl with Shawl one Of the
eighty-two paintings making up the
clubs annual prize exhibition.
Objections to the painting have been
made by members of the club to the
arts committee and to the board of
governors, and there is strong senti-
ment among the artists on those
bodies, it developed yesterday, against
allowing the painting to remain on
exhibition. 1t Is charged that it lacks
refinement, that 1t is immoral and
tEat 1t obviously is not the proper
sort of thing to be shown at the club
Mr. Bellows defended the painting
yesterday afternoon at reception
given in his honor at TIE Pen and
Brush Club, 1874 East Nineteenth
street. He said he had heard much
criticism of tie painting, and that he
understood the board of governors
would meet some time this week to
decide whether it should be thrown
out of the exhibition. AS to the paint
ing itself, he contended it was per-
fectly proper. but that it also was "the
sort of thing that might be candi-
date for censorship"
Light shawl ON Shoulder Edges.
The picture Is front view OF young
woman who is nude from the waist up
Her head is turned slightly TO her right
light shawl is thrown around the
edges Of the shoulders.
BY alludins- to the criticisms against
lis painting Mr.. Bellows caused score
of women from the Pen and Brush Club
to go over to the National Arts Club
as soon as they could to judge II for
themselves. Some of the comments
most Of thcm--were unkind.
That depression under her right
shoulder" said one woman, '1ooks bad
to me, like she's had an operation"
On the arts committee. which passes
judgment OH pictures offered for exhi-
bition. are r. Luis Mora, George Glenn
Newell. John Clyde Oswald. Douglas
volk and Edward ]. Wheeler A mem-
ber Of the committee said last night:
THE National Arts Club is very much
opposed to the sort of thing shown in
Bellows's painting. A refined nude is
one thing, painting like that is an
other. The arts committee would have
rejected that painting before the exhi-
bition opened, but. 1t did not care to
become involved In a controversy. Ia
fact. there Is strong belief that Bel
lows presented this picture In an at
tempt to get notoriety. and we would
have been helping his game II we had
rejected IL.
Both the arts committee and the
board of governors decided that no con-
troversy would be started this year, but
that hereafter the closest kind of watch
would be kept OH Bellows. He showed
a good picture last year and won g
prize with II, but when he. saw he
couldn't win a prize this year he put
in this one In an attempt to gain noto-
riety."
Couldn't Print His Thoughts.
Another member Of the committee was
asked his opinion of the picture. lie
said:
You don't want what think of 1t.
You couldn't print IT,
in his defense Of the picture Mr.. Bel
lows referred TO the dictum that IAN
artist strives for order and hopes for
beauty" Hc then described, in the tech
nical terms Of art how he had painted
the picture and how the ovals and
shadows and contrasts had developed.
THAT doesn't sound very immoral.
does it?'' he asked. However, art has
nothing TO do with morality, though
morality has much to do with the artist.
Tho model l used in painting that
particular nude was the best model I
ever had. She was the perfect model.
First. she was interested In me and the
work. Naturally that was gratifying.
And when she was posing she did not
bother me by talking or by asking me
questions about social problems. as so
many models do.
"She had good face and body. ] had
model once who had wonderful body
but terrible face--terrible because II
showed plain record of the terrible line
of thinking that had been going on be-
hind It. But the model used in the
painting objected TO had a generous.
frank. healthy quality that Is not lost In
tha nfcturcr %