The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-04
SOCI E 7TY
Brewer Collection to
 Be Shown at Little Gallery


 lection of paintings by modern American painters, given under the auspices of the Alabama Art league, opens this afternoon at the Little Galleries, 27 Watts building, and will continue for two weeks. This collection has recently been shown in Atlanta and New Orleans. where 1t created intense interest among art lovers and was pronounced the largest and most interesting yet seen in the south.
 The works by contemporary art ists are owned by Mir. Brewer. who is one of America's well-known art ists, and are loaned by him for edu- cational purposes. Among the con vases is "The Coming of the Lime Storm" by Frederick Waugh, which was awarded the silver medal at the Panama Pacific exposition. Thi. is one of MT. Waughs best works and was shown here to several of his friends when MT. Waugh visited Birmingham several years ago. There are also samples by E. Irving Couse, William M Chase, Daniel Garber. O. D. Grover Helen M. Turner, BrEce Crane, Birge Harrison, Eliot Clark, Edward Gay and many others
 Perhaps one of the most appealing pictures in the collection, one which has aroused the universal admiration of all who have seen it, is the paint ing, "Belgia," by MT. Brewer. Utter despair and desolation pervade3 the composition. The ruined walls of once sacred homes, standing out be- fore a darkened sky, form a sugges tive back ground for the dropping lonely figure of Belgian girl, seat ed forlonly on the roekstrewn ground. One feels that for her the height of emotion has been reached: her ideals have been trampeled in the dust. Those who loved her have gone. The small, rude cross rising from the debris near her, tells it's own story. Behind the ruined walls smolders the last of the destroying fire of the invaders. An unearthly f stiffness seems to pervade. The cold. green moonlight beams down upon the pathetic scene.
 An interesting story is told by MT. Brewer concerning the picture. The living model was an Armenian girl on the auction block for sale by the wild "Kurds." Her lover Ibid her in.,' They escaped to this ooun- try. The story aroused Mir. Brewer to the painting of Armenia" with the girl IS his model.
 D. E. Randall, art editor of the Atlanta Georgian, says in the issue of December S.
 Atlanta scores again, and should congratulate those who have made it possible for local art lovers to see N. R. Brewers notable collection of paintings, which include not only some of his choice works, both por- traiture and landscape, but also a representative group of canvases by i contemporary American artists" Like the great Rembrandt, Mir Brewer also buys examples of other artists works, of which he has q fine collection.
 On entering the exhibition one is { most impressed, I think, with Brew CTS portrait of Paderewski. If one had never heard the distinguished pianist or seen him, he would know tat a glance what manner of man sPaderewski is.
 sGenius in Every Stroke.
 ! Genius is depicted in every brush stroke, from the keen. alert fingers to the straight thumbs of the master musician. Like Joseph Jefferson, the actor, whose portrait MT. Brewer also painted, Paderewski admitted that Brewers portrait of himself pleased him most, although many other art ists had painted him.
 The head of Father Dusey is an- other fine example of MT. Brewers portraiture. This portrait would do credit to a Northcote or a Reynolds. Portraits so true to life are rare. Local color finds a place in MT. Brewers style rather than the ghast- sly pallor of death seen so often in .the works of other well-known spainters
 : MT. Brewer, indeed. does not be- -lieve in distortion or other forced effects. Nature to him has beauty unattainable, and to him God Is an artist whose reputation Is estab- lshed. With him landscape must ring true before it merits fame.
 MT. Brewers success has been at tained by his honest, faithful effort 10 be true to his own ideals. His talent and energy have enriched the world with works of art that will live.
 It is to be regretted that we of Atlanta have no public art gallery. .Dul IL IS to DG Hupcu that SoHic Ol .the fine Brewer paintings may find ia home in some building where the spublic. occasionally at least, may Shave a, chance to view them. MT. Brewer will arrive in Bir- smingham in a few days and will sprobably deliver several lectures or sgallery talks before the close of .the exhibition on March IT.
 
 : The Sigma Fraternity f Howard scollege will observe Sunday as their .annual Home-Coming Day. This day is looked forward to with much en- thusiasm by former college men who were members of the Sigma Nu. Preparations are Icing made by the local chapter to entertain quite a number of visitors. Among the guests will be Q national officer of the fraternity
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