New Britain herald., 1928-11-02
ARTIST DENOUNCES
 SCULPTURED HILLS
DaVll9 BditI6 Projects Alt
 DesoCr1ion Of Nature

Projects such as those for carving gigantic figures on the sides of Stone mountain and in the Black hills arc desecrations of nature. de- clares Frederick K. Detwiller of New York city. who opened an exhibition of his oil paintings at the New Brit l ain institute yesterday. He con- demned the Stone mountain memo riai in Georgia and the similar one planned in the South Dakota hills. saying that they destroyed the natural beauties of the rugged hills. | He praised movements which are un- der way in many parts of the country to preserve such natural beauties by turning the sites on which they arc found into state or national parks.
 MT. Detwiller was led into these expressions of belief by the subse- quent ruin of the spot upon which he painted ''Ths Summit" which ts one of the pictures in the exhibition and which shows Lantern hill. near Mystic. This canvas shows. in the foreground. the great cliffs rising sharply on both ades. while between them, far down in the distance. lies the Mystic valley rolling away to the sea. Tho cliffs. Mr. Detwiller said. have now bssn destroyed. . mineral deposit having been discovered In them and . railroad run through the zap to tap it. Mir. Detwiller ve- hemently protested against this ae- ton when it was done. but he WAS unable to secure any retarding ac- ton.
 The subjects of his canvases pre- sent . great variety of city and country scenes at all seasons of the year. Many of them have their locales in Connecticut. Mysterious Lake" was also painted from the top of Lantern hill. tho depths of the lake holding . haunting and fore boAing charm which can only be realised upon seeing the picture it. self. Lantern hill is an historic spot, having been used in Revolutionary times as . place from which the eolocists Agnalled to their ships at ssa. Even today 1t is . mariners landmark.
 '"The Port of Noank" shows the Wharves of this old Connecticut town during | period of inactivity. This picture. which is illustrated herewith. emphasizes peace and sunshine by its mere coloring effects. A view of Noank from the fields is entitled 'Nsw England Village" while Lob st4r Traps" shows an old fisherman making his traps and floats in the spring. John Mason's house on Mason's island. near Mystic. is seen in tho background of ''Old Pent Way" Mason was an early settler who distinguished himself in fighting the Pequot Indians and this historic atmosphere has been we'll caught by the artist in his picture.
 Another historical subject Is Treason HILL" which depicts the house in which Benedict Arnold plotted treachery against the Amer lean colonies. The forbidding gray house. barren land and dead wall nut and locust trees with their 0hAilC Auu ouAttC1cu UI UIduCuCo, uce picted in cold, weird colors under . bleak sky, all have been painted ln fashion which has trapped the very atmosphere of intrigue and treachery. In fact. in such surround tngs as are shown. it seems a if a man would be driven to such trai- torous actions.
 'Aoonlit Towers'' is . view, from the black sea, of Provincetown 4ass.. and the Pilgrims monument there. the buildings and monument sanding out in ghostly whiteness Asainst the dark sky. Several Of Nr. Detwiller's pictures show scenes in Maine, around Bar Harbor and Mount Desert. A number of these were painted in winter and show ice fishing. the rarely seen "anchor ice." and other interesting features Of the cold months. At the other extrems b williamsburg" in which the onlooker gazes up from the wharves up the East river at the towering structure of the bridge q 1t passes overhead.
 Tho present exhibition is the sec end portion of MT. Detwiller's show. The first half, consisting of water colorA etchings and Autographs, Was presented at the institute dur Ing February and March. The ex- hih{0Nv &a. Av>u <o -,,t>I;>