Evening star., 1924-05-08
The North Window
By LEILA MECHLIN

tr.. IN his essay on ~The Art Of
Arthur b. Davies" one of several
essays in. a superb volume on this
painter Just issued by the Phillips
Memorial Gallery. Duncan Phillips.
in his foreword to tho volume, char
acterizes Mr.. Davies as "the most in
divfdRal Of living artists" 1t is per-
haps because of his extraordinary in
dividustity that he is SO little under
stood. Prof. Mather himself confesses
that on first contact with A B.
|, Davies work he failed in apprecia-
ton, and there are other critics of
distin ctfon who have had similar ex-
perfence- In fact, there is possibly
no painter of our time who is so liable
at the ~samo time would seem to in
y1te and reward exposition.
Among painters-indeed, among all
artistS-there Is a tendency toward
scorn of the written word concern
ing art, for they, better than others.
recognize the fact that a work of art
must eventually speak foH itself
Undoubtedly there is much written
about art which Is of little worth, but
such analytical writing as is found
in this recently issued Phillips pub
lication No. is of the utmost value,
Offering real enlightenment to the
layman who follows the by-paths of
art and sympatheucally interpreting
for such the intent of the artist.
Perhaps no living painter ever re-
oeived at the hands of his cotem-
poraries a finer tribute than this
monumental volume. The book is a
symposium; six well known authors
have collaborated in it's production.
each furnishing a chapter. Among
the authors are three of our leading
American art critics and essayists-
Royal Cortissoz Frank Jewett
Mather, jr., and Duncan Phillips. Two
liams, who was Mr.. Davies first
teacher of artistic principles and
practice, and Gustayus A. Eisen, who
was his fellow student of ancient art.
Root, son Of Elihu Root, and pro-
fessor of fine. arts at Hamilton Col
fege, Clinton, N. Y. 1t was the pur-
pose of these authors ito lay a foun-
dation for future critics to build
upon; to offer a starting point for the
evolution of world opinion about
Arthur B. Davies 's'--
There are two paintings by Arthur
B. Davies now to be seen in the Cor
coran Gallery of Art in a special
exhibition lately set forth Others
are to be found at the Phillips Memo
rial Gallery; forty are reproduced in
connection with these essays in the
Phillips publication. From these and
from passing acquaintance with
other works shown from time to time
IN the Corcoran Gallery'S biennial ex-
hlbitions, in which Mr.. Davies has
Invariably been represented, one may
follow inteIligently the critics lines
of argument and pleasurably COM
prehend the varying modes by which
each in turn develops his theme.
Those who have found Davies difficult
of comprehension may in the pages
or this book learn why, and at the
the painter and themselves. 1t is as
well TO know why one does not like
something as why one does
Mr.. Phillips tells US that "the type
to which Davies belongs is that of
the alchemist, whose Imagination is
always speculative and whose re-
search is always romantic The
ysearning to do something never done
before is the besetting passion. This
searcher, whether he be poet, musi-
clan. sculptor or painter cannot rest
until he has achieved beauty of some
new and vaguely apprehended kind
What matters it to him If in his
'gfeping, tentative experiments he is
incomprehensible to the rest of us?
he. takes a positive pleasure in be-
ing difficult of access, and he even
builds himself a wall around the en-
chanted garden of his. dreams and
makes 1t steep and insurmountable
with personal eccentricities in some
or his incarnations. but with techni-
cal mannerismS in most cases, some
times suggesting madness, but only
to the matter-of-fact"
That there is a kinship between
Davies and the early italian masters
all of the critics who have joined at
this time in paying tribute seem
to recognize. Royal Cortissoz said
when 1 first encountered the work
Of this painter it Immediately awoke
In me memories OF Piero di Cosimo,"
and adds, II saw in him a. beIated
child Of the renaissance, a lover of
beauty, man of Imagination" And
Edward Root remarks that "a COM
parison between the work of Davies
Almost every one finds, and most
particularly in Mr.. Davies earlier
paintings, great beauty in interpreta-
tion of landscape, beauty of a classi-
cal type. recalling not only the back
grounds Of the early Italian primi-
of Menard, the great French painter
Of our own time, who doubtless de-
rives from this same source rIt is
the introduction OF figures in these
l., nd or
lated-which seem frequently the
stumbling block to understanding. yet
MIR. Root claims that Davies is seen
at his best in his rhythmical combi-
full complexity Of some of which be
Bodies spin like tops on diverging
axes, legs rise and fall in barbaric
unison, lifted arms toss hither. and
thither in stimulating .oppositions.
limbs fiow into torsos and torsos into
limbs, slender waists bend outward,
heads are gathered into clusters and
feet touch feet
Arthur B. Davies was born in Utica,
N. Y, in 1862, of Welsh descent and
to his Celtic strain of ancestry some
Of his biographers seem to feel is
attributable his indomitable energy
leading to snccess- Me. Root likens
his painting to the poetry OF Yeata
According to Dwight Williams he
was apparently a perfectly normal
boy, who early developed a fondness
for sketching and an interest in art
According to this biographer, he
was ever bright, sunny and attractive,
with a keen sense Of humor, a de-
ughtful companion and such, ac-
oording to his comrades-of today, he
still remains. ...,
The lyric quality of the landscape
IN the Mohawk Valley wherein. he
grew up is thought to have strongly
Influenced his art From the earliest
time the way seemed cleared for him
toward accomplishment in his chosen
Ro1d Tha Cvhic9po Arf IpSfifptA NAV