Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
BY LEILA MECHLIN.
T HE exhibition of children's work
drawings and paintings re-

rs is OF exceptional INTEREST," I1SAC We
see art which is sincerely naive. child
like, and effects such as the sophistl-
Gated modernistS endeavor to secure but
rarely with success.
NJ. Negulesco, who, il will be remem-
bered, u a Roumanian painter, follows
in his teaching the methods Of Prof.
Click of Vienna, who has attained III
his work with children results so
phenomenal that it has become world
renowned and epoch-making. And yet
these methods are by no means revolt
tionaxy. They follow, though perhaps
at some distance, the principles enuncl-
ated by Froebel and later stressed by
Mime. MontesSori-freedom of express
sion, guidance rather than dictatlon.
The child is led. through encourage
ment, to express him or herself freely
with pencil or brush and is found
extraordinarily graphic.
The work of children in our public
schools here and elsewhere has demon
Strated the fact that up TO the time that
self consciousness develops artistic ex-
preston with children is almost uni
yersally spontaneous and significant.
The interesting fact concerning. the
works of the pupils of Mr. NeguleSco is
that this period has apparently. under
his inspiration, been extended. Some OF
the best works in this exhibition have
been done by boys and girls from to
IL and IL years of age.
These works take varied form and are
of many kinds of subjects. For the most
part they have in common an obvious
illustrative purpose, and the underlying
object Is subjective. The child has had
something to say and has said 1t with
naive directness, thus demonstrating
kinship between eternal childhood and
race infancy. Primitive art or the art
of q primitive people and the untutored
expressions of children in this field are
not diSSimilar.
And yet one cannot say that none of
these children has been untouched by
esthetic emotion. There are certain
flower paintings here which undoubtedly
were inspired by the childS desire to
give expression to admiration and in
tIitive love of beauty, and there are two
or three water colorS Of mountains and
sky by children Of IL years of age done
from memory which are extraordinarily
sympathetic and beautiful.
In the little introduction to the cata-
iogue of this exhibition Mr.. Negulesco
saws: MY role before the pupils is to
open their eyes" He does not permit
them merely to see the material, but
points out to them, makes visible to
them, latent beauty, the play of lights
and shadows, of harmonious lines. of
arabesque If pupil asks him, What
color shall I put here?" his reply in
variably is, ANY color you like" He
does not say to his students, 1T is good"
or "It is not good" You need little
red here" or "a little more green there. "
Rather does he encourage the children
under his direction to adventure and to
experiment, to discover their own faults
and to correct them.
To be sure, some of the results are
crude in the extreme. The drawing in
many instances is faulty, the color in
harmonious, but it is frank blunder-
ing, and, what is more, knowing no
fear, the child often leaps to con-
clusion which Is extraordinarily skill
full. But there is a great gap between
the childish work of children and the
pretended childishness of those of ma
tiire years. When I was q child
thought as q child" It is all right when
one is o child to think as a child, but
sad would st be, indeed, If we were con-
tent TO remain perpetually children
And here is the weakness of forced
simplicity in modern art. The child
gives promise, but that promise must be
fulfilled.
Neither the modernistS nor the ira
ditionalists have all right on their side;
and in the same way the best teaching
methods, If carried to extreme, may
prove detrimental. For supreme sue
cess we must have freedom with re-
straint. The child's eyes must not only
be opened to beauty, but the childs
hand trained in order to give adequate
expression. Half truths do not get us
far.
Every one will admit that the SIM
plicity and the sincerity Of childrens
drawings and paintings such as these
Is infinitely preferable to the over.
elaboration and weak affectation of
some of the art of the past; and 1t Is
worth remembering that the great art
Of the past has almost invariably been
both simple and sincere, even when pro-
duced in the midst of q civilization al
most as complex as is that Of our own
day.
1.-TWO of the exhibition rooms on the
l. main floor and one on the second
moor at the Yorke Gallery are giver
over at present to q collection of figure
paintings by Pasqual Monturiol, Span.
ish painter who exhibited here, 1t viii
be remembered, a year ago.
There is strong nationalistic note
in this artists work, but it seems al
times a studied pose rather than heredi-
tary influence. The art of Spain fol
centuries has been vigorous, virile anc
full Of color, characteristics reflected ir
Pasqual Monturiol's work. But some Of
the Spanish artists have not escaped
the deadening influence of the academy
an influence which has tended to lesser
I..l s.,sL 49, - fANv sln Do
quail Monturiol would seem to be ont
Of these. His drawing is vigorous anc
fine, his color elemental, but he carrie:
his subjects beyond his own power o.
expression, and therefore in many in
stances the spirit is lost and they leave
the observer cold.
THERE will also open at the Art.
Club this afternoon, to continu'
for two weeks. an exhibition OF Oh
paintings by Ruth Osgood and Ton
Brown, both Washington artists. Thu
hosts at the opening tea will be Charles
A. r. Dunn and Miss Eleanor Park
Gusts.
GENERAL new exhibitions are openin
~ today and tomorrow. among then
an exhibition Of paintings by arts
members of the Pen and Brush Gu
of New York City, which is to be seel
from today for two weeks at the Art
Club, 2017 I street. Arrangements TO
this exhibition have been made by Mis-
Anne Abbott, Mrs. Susan B. Chase an
Miss Eleanor Parke Gusts, and
brought here under the direction Of Mr.
Gladys Brannigan. a member OF tn
Arts Club, Of the Penn and Brush Gu
and Of both the Society Of washington
Artists and the Washington Water Colo
Club.
The exhibition will include works b
Rose Hawthorne. the wife OF Charlie
w. Hawthorne, who was, 1t will be re
rnembered, delightfully."- represented
the Corcoran Gallery's biennial exhibi
ton by a painting of pond lilies. An
other exhibitor of note will be Rach'
Hartley, daughter of the sculptor,
Scott Hartley, and granddaughter