Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-14


tional Academy Of Design and one OF
our foremost mural painters. nave
lately been completed. The scanold-
ing used by the mosaic workers,
which has prevented sight or the
works, was taken down less than ~
DAYS ago and on the evening OF
February a private view was given
10 members of the congregation and
a few invited guests. Both Mr..
BJashfield and Mr.. LasCari. who has
had charge of the making OF these
moSaiCS, were present. AS were also
DIR. and Miss Lee, representing the
family of the donors.
few years ago Mr.. Blashfield was
commissioned to design mosaic deco
rations TO go over the high altar
in this church These take the form
of a large upright panel representing
St Matthew seated with an open book,
his gospel. in his lap. with above a
large lunette representing the sympolS
of the passion and a choir OF angels
ThSee paintings were rendered III
mosaic by Miss Barnes. who was John
La Farge's assistant. and the mosaic
used was some which had been made
In this country for him. There was
just enough TO do these two panels.
When the commission was later
given Mr.. Blashfield to do the four
great spandrelS under the dome, when
nave
decided that the work should be exc
Cuted in Rome and the execution was
placed in the hands of Salvatore Las
carl, who held fellowship in our
American Academy in Rome and had
made a special study of the supJecl
of mosaic. The mosaic USED Is glass,
made especially for the purpose on
the Island of Murano. near Venice an
island famous the world over Tor us
manufacture of glass not only in the
present time but since and before the
days of the Renaissance.
The four spandrels represent the
four Observation-Disclosures with his
angel. Mark with the lion. Luke with
The bull and John with the eagle
Each figure was not only Sketched by
Mr.. Blashf1eld. hut carefully drawn,
full size. and painted in the exact
color in which 1t was to be repro
cuced Then from these paintings the
cartoons were made and the whole
design was laid off in little squares,
each of which was TO be eventually
reproduced, or replaced. by uny
mosaic.
The glass was ordered. executed
and delivered in Rome. Then the pic
ture was put together SO as TO exactly
reproduce the painting. This was
done face downward, each piece being
pasted to papcr. When completed me
paper was cut into moderate slZed
SQUARES and each square carefully
numbered. Then they were packed
nm and transported TO this country.
brought here to Washington, and with
the utmost care permanently placed.
The placement process consists or nS-
ing the squares of paper on surface
of wet cement, pressing them IN SUI
fcientlv to fill the little cracks and yet
maintain a perfectly even surface;
When this is done the paper Is soaked
off. the work finished. Some idea of
the size of these spandrels can be had
BY the knowledge that the mosaic
alone for a single spandrel WelSheu
approximately two tons.
The color of these moSaics Is Su-
perb Dark reds and blues. with
creamy whites and just enough gold
to lend richness, fascinate the eye OF
the beholder. The figures are essen
TALLY sculpturesque, strongly drawn,
boldly modelled and the effect, even
xeen at such a great height, is impos
ing. They are mastery works. rem
dered with supreme skill. In Mr.. Las
carl Mr. Blashfield has had an able
assistant: in Mr.. Blashfield st. Mat
thew's church has found most
sympathetic and gifted decorator
The work of designing, painting and
executing these four spandrels has
field himself has travelled to Rome at
least twice during the process of ex-
ecution to personally supervise the
work. Mr.. LasCari has given almost
his entire time 10 it during that pc
Rod The making of these moSalcS
has served, moreover, a double pur-
pose 1t has been watched with the
utmost interest by other fellows in the
academy in Rome, who have profted
GHf q IL
ard in mosaic making and they also
set an example in ecclesiastical decora
ton. Hereafter these mosaics will be
one of the sights which those who
visit Washington will eagerly seek
out.
Mr.. BIashfield, 1t will be remem-
hered, is the painter of the ceiling OF
the dome surrounding the reading
room of the Library Of Congress. For
the Baltimore Courthouse he painted
that impressive panel, familiar through
reproduction, "Washington Laying His
Commission as Commanderin at
the Feet Of Columbia" For the State
House In St Paul, Mimi, he did
panel representing Minnesota as The
Granary Of the World" He has done
other mural paintings for the Essex
County Courthouse in Newark. the
Appellate Court in New York, the
4
the State Capitol Of South Dakota; the
Bank of Pittsburgh; the Luzerne
County Courthouse in Wilkes Barre,
Pa; the Mahoning County Courthouse
in Youngstown. Ohio. He Is at pres
ent doing a series of mural decora-
tons for great building in Chicago
and an over1altar decoration for
church in Salisbury, Md.
Writing Of Mr.. Blashfield In the
80 Art if1ln
ago. Elisabeth Luther Cary, art critic
Of the New York Times, spoke of his
life being saturated with culture, the
fruitful culture gained by contact with
art in a thousand places, with art that
has thus become a part or personal
experience, emotional and intellectual,
so that you think of 1t in its setting of
day and weather and light and mood
To which she added: When he
began to do mural decoration in pub
lie buildings he was keen to show the
public from generation to generation
The strong beauty of its past.
His knowledge of the age or Europe
gave salience to his appreciation or
the youthfulnesS of his own country.
With regard to his painting she said:
Beautiful stuffs abound in his COM
positions Glorious Venetian patterns
hide away and reveal themselves In
the stately folds of velvetS and dam
asks or spread their amplitude of de-
-Ign frankly across the deep bosoms
ef emblematic ladies in regal cos,
tune
The same sculpturesque beauty
which was noted in his painting of
Academia" shown in the National
Academy of Designs centennial eX-
hibition. is found in these lately exc
cuted spandrels in mosaic, and equally
that beauty of color, that splendor of
the Renaissance of the painters be-
loved Italy.