The Washington times., 1922-02-05

he had explored New Yorks
Greenwich Village" had lived
there, knew its affectations. its
tawdry limitations. its warm nos
pitality, its pathos, its intellectual
afflatus. But in the National
Capital, too. was there perhaps
some center Of the arts. some hid
den haunt where one might find
In comradeship those divine. con-
genial devils, art inspired and
mad, no doubt. who have renounced
the commercial world with its
seductive wealth, to gain IN soil
ude or blithe companionship
another kind Of wealth and fame
in self-expression.
He knew, Of course, the aes-
thetic Arts Club Of Washington,
that lair Of the elite. And there,
ut the very moment. by great
good chance he found hanging
on the walls the first exhibition
Of a new young artist, one Cleon
Throckmorton, the first ,onelman
show Of his own work. Good pic
lures they are, too-scenes from
old Provincetown chat first land.
ing-place of the solemn Pilgrims,
who would have been 80 sadly
shocked by the graceless group
now flocking there in summer that
they would doubtless have turned
the Mayflower straight back to
merrie Old England again. instead
of going on to Plymouth), beach
shacks, boats on the sand, drowsy
wharves; from Gloucester there
were fishing smacks. with spars,
sails, and mystical reflections,
but most beautiful Of all were the
views Of Washington. the ancient
waterfront along the Potomac,
flying clouds, scenes up the tow
path, and in Rock Creek. The
names, even. more often pictures
que: Abstract Impression Of a
Forest Fire." "Casco's, Province
town, the Haunt or Felix Ma
hony;" From Eugene O'Neil's
Peaked Hill Bar" "Off Highland
Light" Experiments in Water
Color" Designs in Spray" my
First Provincetown Sketch"
ONE MOTHER TEACHING.
His first sketch! He had once
had Just one months teaching In
Charles Hawthorne's summer class
Mt Proyincetown. and that is about
all the formal instruction in art
that Cleon Throckmorton has re-
ceived. Yet he has already figured
IN two biennials at the Corcoran
Gallery, one in 1919 and the other
of the present season. But for the
first time now his work covered
the walls Of the Arts Club. and was
to be inspected. criticized, perhaps
appreciated, by an appraising pub
lie. There are some twenty pic
lures there in different styles, tenn
peramental work. full Of moods,
mistakes. too. perhaps, but always
interesting, always Cleon Throck-
morton of another day!
The young artist himself was en-
saged Just then in hanging his
exhibit when Victor. Flambeau
dropped in.
'The trouble is" he said, in
puzzled kind of way II haven't
frames enough" as he tried them
first on one and then another, and
couldn't stretch the number to
cover his work. So part of the
pictures, the less important ones.
he hung without frames. and there
they are in the Arts Club, frame
less but beautiful. For young
Throckmorton's painting has al.
ways indefinable charm.
Like some lost pre-Raphaelite.
fallen by mistake into the Capital
of the richest and most CONNER
ciai nat on that ever existed, ID this
Clecn Tarockmorton. who paints SO
well that he could get by those
shark critics and have his work
hung at the great biennial in the
Corcoran. two, pictures last time.
and ons again this year. when al
most every other Washington ar,
tist was refused. Or. perhaps.
rather, he belongs to the modern
French impressionist school. in
spfred by Claude Monet and Ed
GUARD hanet, followed by Degas.
Cesanne, and the crowd who
thrilled New York exhibits last sea.
son.
How "a n h. tnis sxtraordt