Evening star., 1927-05-22

"a Horton, an American aFtlSt
~ residing in Paris representing
4 4 Gen. pershing and the Ameri.
can forces crossing the Place
de Ia Concorde on the occasion of the
Victory parade. July Ii, 1919. has
been purchased by Mrs. Marius de
Brabant. daughter of the late Senator
w. A. Clark. and presented to the
Smithsonian Institution for its histor-
iCal collection. The original sketch
for the canvas is owned by the Musee
Carnavalet. Paris.
This picture is painted on L canvas
Of considerable size and includes in
it's composition hundreds of figures on
small scale. 1t shows the open
square with the troops marching
through, Gen. Fershing in the lead.
In the immediate foreground are
banners flying from gay red flag
STATS. The streets are lined With a
colorful aSsemhlaEe and beyond. in
closing the scene, are the houses Of
Paris. Overhead the sky is blue. that
peculiar blue of the French Ky. in
tenSifled by passing clouds. Ii
is a typically French scene. yet one
empha sizing for all time America
participation ira the World War. and
a resulting kinship with our allies.
Historically, this picture is of great
significance; artistically, il has much
to commend it. At present it is hung
in the main hall on the first floor
of the NationaS Museum Building de.
voted to exhibits of the World War.
Here on the walls are hung other
works by we'll known artists repre-
senting those who took part in the
war, and also war scenes. 1t is not
a good place for the display of works
~ ~ intended
and it is hoped that some day these
exhibits will he given better place
ment.
William S. Horton was born in
Grand Rapids. Mich. of New
England stock. He began his career
at an early age as a student in the
school of the Art Institute of Chicago
and the New York schools. In Paris
he studied under Benjamin Constant
and at the Ecole Julien. His first
picture that was accepted for the
Salon, "Sheep Market" won him an
honor. He was later made a mem
ber of the Societe Rationale. He ex-
hibits regularly in the Salon
d'Automne and the Societe Rationale.
He has had a series of one-man shows
in Paris and in. London. The French
government has purchased seven of
his works. He is sometimes classed
as an impressionist, and undoubtedly
he has been influenced by this particu-
lar school, but his results, one biog-
rapher states, "are the fruit of long
labor. the careful consideration of
rhythmical line and mass, and lastly
of minute study of the problems of
color orchestrafion." He is essen
TALLY joyous painter.
# i X X
A ENCOURAGEMENT has recently
= been made that Cecilia Beaux's
portrait of DR.. Lrinker, formerly presi-
dent of Lehigh: University. has been
purchased by the Ranger Fund. This
painting, which represents DR.. Drinker
in white Summer suit, seated at ease
in an armchair holding a yellow cat
on his lap, is considered one of Miss
Beaux's most representative works.
1t has been lent for the present to
the Brooklyn Museum. but all pur
chases made from this fund may cCale
to the National Gallery of Art even
tually, as the late Henry W. Ranger
in his will, when crsating this fund,
specified that the National Gallery of
Art should have the option on all pur.
chases for 10 years after the death of
the artist whose work was purchased.
Mr.. Rangers purpose in creating
this fund was not only to encourage
the younger artists Of America, but
also to insure a permanent place for
their works in public museums, and
first and foremost, to build up the
American collection in the National
Gallery of Art, of which the Evans
collection Of American paintings was
the nucleus. Mr.. Ranger was very in
strumental in securing the gift of the
Evans collection for the National Gal
lery. He was a great friend of the
late William T. Evans and acted con.
stantly as his adviser in this and other
artistic matters.
The National Academy of Design is
the trustee of the Ranger Fund and
purchases are made through it's in
strumentality. 1t is interesting to find
that hardly a museum Of the country
now is not a beneficiary under the
Ranger will, and it is difficult to esti-
mate the real value Of the gift.
Miss Beaux is represented in the
National Gallery collection by her
portraits of Cardinal Mercier and Ad-
miral Beatty in the war portrait col
lection, which was presented by a self
constituted committee shortly after the