Evening star., 1926-11-07

prints In color by Bertha Luin
in the Smithsonian Building
viii be found of great interest
artistically and subtectively
by young and old. artists and iaymen,
alike. Mrs. Lum, whose home Is
California. has not only delicate
touch. but a rare sense of beauty. Her
work is extremely accurate, but often
gives indication of delightful flights or
imagination. For instance. Ihe
Romance of the Milky Way" which
illustrates most charmingly an ORR
entail folk tale, OIL her Fox Woman,
or "The Dragon King and His Bride
or, indeed, many more.
Possibly on account OF the fact that
California is just across the sea from
China. and Japan. an Oriental lnnu-
ence is traceable more often IN tne
works of California artists than IN
those of our Eastern Coast. Certain
it is that the two who have succeeded
best In the making of woodblock
prints in color after the style OF the
great Oriental nt-makers have both
been Californians-the late Helen
Hyde and Mrs. Bertha Lum. Though
both of these talented artists have ap-
proximated closely in spirit the style
Of the Japanese print-makerS. thelr
works are completely dissimilar, MISS
HYDE having worked in a sturdy way
and Mrs. Lum's prints being exceed
ingly delicate. almost elusive.
Bertha Lum was born in Iowa and
studied first at the Art Institute or
Chicago, then at Frank Holme $
School OF Illustration and Design and
later still with Mrs. Anna Weston,
maker of stained glass There is a
certain similarity, strange as it may
seem, between a design wrought In
glass and one cut on u block. Both
rely much on line and require simple
treatment. Possibly to this ap-
premiership may be attributed in
/ part the beautiful line and color found
| in Mrs. Inns prints.
Mrs. Lum has spent the greater
part of the last Is years In the Orient,
and it is her intention to return there
again next July.
In an interesting article by Miss
Helen Wright Of the print division
of the Library Of Congress on Mrs
Lums work. published in the Ameri-
| can Magazine of Art some years ago.
it is told how Mrs. Lum made her
first experiments. 1t was customary
among the Japanese for three artists
to collaborate in the making of Il
print. The first created the design,
the second cut it on the block, the
third printed il in color When Mrs.
Lum first went to Japan. she expect
ed to find print makers AS plentiful
az paper lanterns and kImonos. but
she soon discovered her error. 1t
was only after prolonged search that
she found a man who could accurately
cut her blocks or teach her the method
Of cutting After careful study and
| observation" says Miss Wright, she
brought her tools and brushes and
| blocks back to America to further
work out the process for herself In
| 1908 she went again to Japan and
worked every day for three months in
| one of the shops cutting blocks. and
| then spent six weeks working with a
printer. the latter process presenting
| the greatest difficulties. Again in
| 1911 Mrs. Lum went to Japan. took Il
house at Toxic and established a
| workshop, with several native work
| men lending her assistance.
| In recent letter TO the chief of
| the division of graphic arts of the
| Smithsonian she said: When | so
! to Japan to make prints | usually
| have six printers for about two
| months. ! work with them all the
| time and on every series of prints. |
use some Japanese paint which is
; bought i'll powdered form and ground,
! but 1 also use any gOod European
| water colors which can be bought in
| Japan. l am able to cut my own
blocks. but as with the printing,
| cannot do 1t all.
| Mrs. l4um is IL member of all of the
! leading print societies and has re-
i ceived numerous awards and hOnors.
! Among the former is a silver medal
! given TO her at the Panama Pacific
| Exposition in 1918.
1T is interesting to note that these
! charming prints. SO full of the spirit
| OF the Orient. yet produced so essen
| TALLY with the feeling of the Occi-
dent. genuine individual expressions
of art of a rare quality can be pur
| chased at prices ranging from SO ia
| $50. the higher-priced prints being
those Of which the edition is almost
| exhausted. In the modesty of the
| price these American Woodblock
| prints are like those of the Japanese
! print makerS-art for the masses
! and very good art at that.
/ A II the Dunthorne Gallery, 1905
| Connecticut avenue, from now
| until November 20 may be seen a
| collection Of 62 etchings of Paris by