Evening star., 1928-11-04
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

TH HE Eleventh Exhibition of Con-
a' temporary American Painting,
which opened to the public in
Il the CorcOran Gallery of Art last
y Sunday. has by its interest and
Importance overShadowed all other local
art events this past week. Rarely has
an exhibition created as much interest
or stirred as much discussion. The ad-
vent of the moderniSts and the award
of prizes to works of the new or So
called advanced school has created live
~ comment. as we'll as caused some
bewilderment. But this is we'll. Prob
ably the best service the modernistS
have rendered to art is to jolt us out
of old ruts and to make us think.
On the opening night OF the exhibit
oaon announcement was made of the
purchase by the Corcoran Gallery of Art
for its permanent collection of the pic
ture which received the first prize,
painting by Bernard Karflol, entitled
Summer; still life by Henry Lee
McFee, to whose landscape the fourth
prize and honorable mention was award
ed, and two paintings by Arthur B.
Davies, nude entitled stars and Dew
and Dreams of Night" and a mountain
landscape entitled "The Umbrian Noun
tainS." All of these works are In the
new mode, and the reason for their ac-
QUESTION was, in all probability, the de-
sire on the part of the Corcoran Gal
lery of Art to demonstrate catholicity
and to give representation to all phases
of the art of today Also, it is possible
that the trustees wished to indorse the
findings of the invited artist jury.
Whether the public concurs in the
Judgment of the jury or gives its in
1erSement to the recent acquisitions, all
will agree that it is better for art to
nave purchases made, even if later they
are repented, and IL ssc2l1ld be remem-
bered that works purchased e. public
institution do not have to be perpctually
displayed: the best of our art museums
have commodious cellars. But it is true
awards and the purchases of public
institution as Endorsement of merit, and
Il this merit Is not obvious are inclined
to either diStruSt their own Judgment
or all art.
A good many of the pictures in the
Corcoran Gallery'S exhibition were hors
concours, for one reason or another not
eligible for prize award. A little aster-
isk In the catalogue designates these
works, but the visitor does not always
take in its significance For instance,
among the paintings in this exhibition
not competing were James Chapin's
"Aline McMahan Making Up," Frank
w. Benson's River in Flood,'' Irving r.
WileS' THE Family" Jonas Lies Sap
phire and Amethyst" Emil Carlsen's
Fog Bank" all of Redfie1ds, all of
Hibbard's, all of Hawthornes, Daniel
CARRIERS three landscapes, to name only
q few. But there is no apparent reason
why the majority of these pictures might
not be open to purchase, and certainly
some of them will sooner or later find
NAV inf rNrrtAlia aO1laOfinVNG rst1n
they eminently merit place.
There is still opportunity for the
public to demonstrate its preference by
voting for the popular prize, prize to
be given by the Corcoran Gallery to the
painting which receives the most votes
from visitors during the exhibition.
Also there is no reason why public
spirited art lovers should not purchase
some of these pictures and give them
to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. To
the attention of such we respectfully
commend w. Herbert Dunton's Pastor
de CabraS, Neo Mexicano"; Robert
Spencer's "The Seed of q Revolution"
his latest and most distinguished work;
Frank W. Benson's River in Flood"
John G. Johansens Land of the Hunt
ers," Clifford Beal's Net Wagon" Eu-
gene Higgins THE Storm" James
Chapins "Aline McMahan Making Up"
Frederick Waugh's "Northerly," Gar
ber's 1.-THE Sycamore" Henri's The
Pink Pinafore' and Albert L. Grolls
Christie del Monte"--all of which
would reflect honor on the purchaser as
well aS on any collection in which they
might be placed. Such an, aggregation
Of works OF supreme importance-genu-
inely epoch-making works--wculd de-
clare any current exhibition, more than
noteworthy r-
THE trustees of the Corcoran Gallery
= Of Art at a recent meeting formally
accepted two paintings and a work in
sculpture offered by generous, donors.
These are painting by Charles Sprague
Pearce, entitled "Bergere," the gift of
Mrs. Walter MacEwen, and a painting
by Edward H. Barnard, entitled Fields
and Pastures" the gift of Mrs. Mary
B. Horne of Melrose, Mass, sister of
the artist. The work in sculpture is
bust of Comdr Richard Evelyn Byrd by
Margaret French Cresson, the gift Of
Mrs. John H. Gibbons of this city. The
last having been invited to several eX-
hibitions in other cities, will not be
placed on exhibition here for some
months. The two paintings; however,
will be added to the Corcoran Gallery's
COlICClIOLl dllQ OIl
view at the conclusion of the present
transient exhibition.
X +
A T the Arts Club, 2O17. / street, three
portrait busts by Mrs. Cresson are
now temporarily on view, together with
an extremely interesting group of small
paintings, chiefly landscapes. by group
Of artists of Woodstock, N Y.
One of the busts by Mrs Cresson Is
Of Joseph P. Day of New York; a second
is Of her distinguished husband William
Penn Cresson, architect, diplomatist and
writer; the third Is of a woman, and
without title. All three show strong
modelling and distinct personality. Mrs.
Cresson, it will be remembered, is the
daughter of Daniel Chester French, and
much OF her work has been done in her
fathers studio. While undoubtedly she
has been Influenced by Mr.. Frencn's
teaching and example, Mrs. Cresson
shows in her work distinct ir1dividu-
ality, and is to be reckoned among the
most gifted and capable of the younger
generation of woman sculptors.
The Woodstock artists represented by
paintings in the Arts Club exhibition
are John F. Carlson, Frank S. Chase,
GsAcN Chicester Allan Cochran: Harry