Evening star., 1926-03-21
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

"HE exhibition of paintings oy
Charles Bittinger, associate
member of the National Acad.
emy Of Design, which opened
a week ago in the Arrs Club
and was briefly mentioned In theSe
columns last Sunday. Is attracting
well deserved attention. Contrary TO
present day custom. these palhtihss
emphasize subjective father 'nal'
technical interest. The art OF Tue
painter is subordinated. deliperatety
subordinated, to the theme presehteu'
If should be remembered. however,
that much skill Is required to accom-
plsh this end. To paint IN such a
way that process can be forgotten is
In Itself an achievement.
number of these pictures by Mr..
Pittinger are interiors of well known
halls or rooms For instance, the
blue room at the White House, the
staircase in the Library of Congress.
both of which are we'll known TO
Washingtonian and make strong local
rs well as national appeal; the library
of the sumptuous University Clup.
New York with its elaborately dec
GRATED alcoves and rich colorlng; ana
last but not least, the Church OF faui
Revere. a beautiful colonial structure.
~
of places; yes, even more than That,
of things, for every detail Is eXqul-
sitely rendered with that pafnstaking
accuracy and care so few are willing
10 give TODAY. Some may say pho
togra phic.' but no photograph couid
so render color and atmosphere; no
photograph could so comprehend the
whole and set forth each part in such
perfect relationship.
The writer's favorite-and after all,
no matter how much care one may
take to exercise impartial judgment,
the personal element is bound to enter
in--is the interior of the Church OF
Paul Revere, with its light flooded
window. its shadowy pews, its sense
of peace and repose. Mr.. Bittinger
has so painted the interior of this old
church that one can readily in imagl-
nation realize the spirit of the pre-
Revolutionary time and of the simple
worship which made so large part
of the life of our hardy American
ancestors This is. indeed, beautiful
and a notable painting.
Not infreuuently Mr.. Bittinger has
peopled his paintings with figures in
vited from the past and thus most
vividly recalls the periods which they
represent For example, "On Leave
)
own home in Duxhury as it might
have aDpeared during the Civil War,
the setting for touching scene. Then
there is "The Inaugural Ball. of
Grants administration. lady in the
costume of the time-draped skirt and
large hustle, so well remembered by
those whose memory goes back hall
a century, but so impossible. of be-
lief today In "On Leave in '63" the
ladies appear in hoops and be-ruftied
skirts, and approaching along the
snow covered road is a horse-drawn,
high-topped vehicle, buggy or sleigh.
Illustratively these paintings are both
Interesting, but artistically the one
entitled "On Leave in '63' makes per-
haps the stronger appeal. In the first
place it is beautiful old house. stand
ing four square to the winds OF
heaven. which is portrayed, and sec
ondly the composition Of trees. ROAD
end sky is Of an unusually happy
sort. SO lovely, indeed. is this old
house in it's surroundings that one al
most resents the intrusion of the peO+
pie, the people who no longer seem to
belong, who in reality never did be-
long.
More perfectly in harmony with the
surroundings is the charming young
woman in flowing silken gown with
long train gracefully disposed. seated
before a dressing table in the picture
entitled, VANITY" obviously she Is
painted here as a piece of stiil-hfe.
but beautifully painted, the chief ana
most lovely factor in a colorful, in
teresting composition.
Occasionally Mr.. Bittinger lays
aside the role of historian and becomes
a landscape painter. and when ne
does his style changes. No longer
does he concern himself with minutiae,
but paints broadly and with full
brush. In this exhibition he shows
two large landscape canvases-New
England hillsides in Autumn, to
great extent covered with a rich man.
tie of red leafed blueberry bushes,
reminding one of the purple heather
clad hills of Scotland. but different
and our own. He shows also several
smaller landscapes, pictures OF the
hav at Plymouth. not far distant from
his home; sunset on Brook and
other subjects. He also presents
second view of his beautiful DuXoury
home. charming in itself, needing no
ornament.
Mr.. Bittinger was born in Wash.
ington and is a nephew Of Miss Annie
Wilson. for many years director OF
art in the public schools of this city,
beloved by thousands Of former pu-
pills who have profited by her instruc-
ton, and happily come in personal con-
tact with her. He is pupil OF the
Art Students League in New York,
and of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in
Paris. He studied under Deleclushe
and Colarossi. Because of his achieve
ment in art he has been made life
member of the National Arts Club,
New York His painting of the BIB
liotheque du Dauphin" is owned by
the City Art Museum of ST. Louis. and
his painting Of the Boston Athen-
aeum'' is owned by the Metropolitan
Museum, New York. while his EN-
trance to the Sale des Glaces" has
been acquired by the Allegheny Col
lege, Meadville, Pa. His diploma
painting of the National Arts Club is
entitled, THE Boudoir." During the
war Mr.. Bittinger devoted himself to
the work of camouf1age, making val