Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-08
By LEILA MECKLIN.


A n unusual number of exhibitions
u s5.T.sssE: A., r 60: opened. . or open
At the Phillips Memorial
Gallery there Is q one-man show con-
sisting OF 10 paintings in oil by Karl
Knaths, who uses a mode Of expression
- essentially his own and who commonly
!, would be claSsed with modernists.
-. Karl Knaths was born in Wisconsin
In 1892 and studied at the school Of
;, the Chicago Art Institute. Later he
associated himself with the Province
town painters, attracting attention by
>, o certain arresting whimsicality OF
viewpoint, prediction for barnyard
: boosters. and a palette Of buoyant,
: charming colors." He is certainly a
believer IN simplification and one who
does not feel 1t necessary to 60 far
he paints are the common things OF
life-the things he sees around him:
such. for instance, as a cock perched
On . box, peering inQuisitively at
workmans glove on the ground.
Among his other subjects are Cabbage
and Kettle" Banana and Grapes"
Peaches" "a whole basketful Of them
= stood ON . plain wooden chair, Cop
per Cup" wicker Basket" his own
: enough at frst glance, but upon
study nAnifeSttng beautiful nuances of
color. color in what commonly would
be called pastel shades. color invariably
mixed with white, of frosty GOODNESS
but never muddy, color as seen through
atmosphere and that is not oily nor
reeking of paint.
There is frank simplicity of mind
evidenced by Mr. Knatns' paintings, q
naive satisfaction with things as they
are, an evident delight in interpreta-
ton. His sense of color Is undoubtedly
dne; hts works are structurally strong.
Take the painting of the Cock and
Glove" for instance. With q minimum
Of lines he has told his story; with
keen sense Of color value he has given
US the cocks red comb and yellow beak,
toucn OF brilliant blue-green to off,
set Il IN the tail feathers. In his
paintings. Peaches" and "Banana
and Grapes" he has luscious color and
strongly indicated form. Occasionally
his works remind one Of Braque, but
he Is by no means an tmitator.
- o. him Mr.. Phillips, in the first
number Of his bi-yearly publication,
Art and Understanding" has the fol-
lowing to say:
Kari Knaths is neither prolific nor
consistently successful as a painter.
When, however, he is at his best there
are few II any Of the younger Americans
50 technically accomplished and with
so marked and distinguished q sensi-
hiltty. His taste is subtle and exquisite
and his quick, direct touch Of the brush,
even when it merely scrubs q pre-
destined stain into one corner of a
canvas, leaves its evidence of q sure in.
stsnct for the inevitable beauty he de-
stres. He knows when to stop. And
yet, no matter how lightly painted. his
best pictures never seem slight or
Sketchy. They are important and
powerful even from a distance in xpite
Of what might appear to have been a
delightful trtding with big brush which
Is neither wet nor dry, and q few colors
ana big hne-grained canvas which is
never completely covered. Now
Knaths Is q modernist, O radical SIM
pltner whose drastic authorizations show
the influence Of MAtiSse and whose art
ful arrangements in tone values are
worthy Of the taste Of Brauue. Yet he
Is absolutely himself and, in spite of
his German name. absolutely Ameri-
can" 4 S
Mr.. Phillips tells In the same essay
how he flrst became acquainted with
Knaths rooster COMPLEX. he purchased
one OF bis works. = painting Of . pot
OF eerAntums, and on obtaining possess
sion, discovered on the back q rooster.
I chuckled over my good fortune" he
says, in having unconSciously pur-
chased two good Knaths at the price
OF one. Adding, "A Provincebown
farmer had evidently knocked at the
KnathS door with chickens for sale.
So eloquently had he sung the praises
OF Q particular rooster that this cocks
scarlet comb had grown into q crown"
Referring to the later acquired paint
ing, Rooster and Glove" Mr.. Phillips
remarks that an expression of surprise
ana resentment pervades the whole.
But the tragi-comedy of this moment
IN the life Of q chicken Is not in the
least illustrative, and is quite defiantly
an exercise In the elimination of nom
essentials. This sort Of thing began in
the caves OF Altamire and is seen at its
pest In ancient Chinese paintings Of
BIRDS and animals. What is new Is the
extraordinary dignity given to the sub
Jeet IN spite Of, perhaps because Of.
the caprice
Paint" he declares, els Karl Knaths'
natural language, but, Of course, he
must Be inspired and in the proper
mood to do himself justice"
TN ORDER to extend both influence
and opportunity and to increase the
educational value Of its exhibits, the
Eu41upe MemOrldl Sallery mas lent nVe
important paintings by contemporary
artists 10 the public library for exhibit
ton. Among these five is the "Geranium
In Pot" by Knaths With this is shown
q typical PrendergaSt-"Autumn q
painting Of "Pont Neuf' by Halpert;
Augustus Vincent Tack's grave "Cruci-
hxion" and q little portrait of Renoir
in his studio by Andre, one of the great
painters Of France today.
These I'VE pictures are hung in the
little room devoted to the art books
and periodicals opposite the Librarians
once. well placed, quite at home and
accessible to all who use the library.
Here these paintings may be seen not
"on parade" but as belonging and may
be studied at leisure. Undoubtedly