Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

hibition, which opened to the
Il public IN the Corcoran Gallery
of Art last Sunday, has been
the event of chief interest this week.
1t is a bright, colorful, pleasing display
and not only gives occasion for local
pride, but affords opportunity for real
enjoyment--that is, for those who find
pleasure in paintings and works in
sculpture.
The exhibition is not confined to
the works Of local artists, though these
predominant, and as the prize awards
witness, there has been no discrinina-
ton in favor of members of the eX-
hibiting society. For instance, the So
ciety's bronze medal for portrait and
figure composition was awarded to Ca
melia Whitehurst of Baltimore for a
painting entitled "Child in White" a
painting which undoubtedly evidences
and ability to eliminate detail, to set
forth with great simplicity essential
characteristics. The prize for landscape
and marine likewise went to Francis
Speight of Philadelphia for a well rem
dered, but extremely dreary picture en-
titled, THE Vacant Lot" The prize for
still life vent to Joseph M. Plavcan for
q comp Sition entitled THE Blue Pitch
er," and the prize for sculpture went
to Hans Kownatyki for a self-portrait,
admittedly wen rendered and spirited.
Both Mr.. Plavcan and MIR. Kownatyki
are exhibiting here for the first time.
Honorable mention for portrait and
figure composition went to Gladys Mel
son Smith for a portrait Of young
woman. Honorable mention for land
Scape was awarded to Garnet w. Jex
for painting of THE Gorge Below
Great Falls and honorable mention
for sculpture to Margaret French CreS-
son for her admirable portrait head of
George Grenville Merrill, jr.
A good deal OF the gayety and charm
Of this exhibition is derived from the
still life paintings paintings of flow
erS and gay colored objects, now IA
miliar part of almost every current ex-
hibition and welcome. Still life has al.
ways attracted the painters from the
earliest day to our own time, because
such objects possess so much latent
beauty, beauty OF color, form and po-
tential beauty Of arrangement. The
truth of this is fully demonstrated by
q painting in the present exhibition by
Ellen Day Hale. 1t is q picture of an
old-faShioned white porcelain basket
bowl of fruit, beside which have been
dropped grape leaves and behind which
is an interesting woven fabric Of red
and white in decorative pattern-a
beautiful arrangement, brilliantly rem
dered. with that assurance which comes
from years Of experience and that in
sight which only the sensitive and the
trained possess. /
Another very fine painting Of still
life has been contributed by Mathilde
M. Leisenring, a study OF zinnias In a
jar on red-top table, realistic enough,
but not too realistic, the brush work
sensitive and significant, the whole
elusive and yet virile.
There Is little painting of white
roses by M. M. Baker, which takes its
place with the best, and on the same
wall with this and with Miss Hale's
charming painting. are to be seen stud
les Of dogwood by Mrs. Abbot; o pink
lotus lily in a blue-lined bowl. with
other accessories, by Dorothy Gatchel;
xinnias by Iona Miller Keplinger, and
quite an elaborate study of zinnias and
other subjects by Matte 2. ssBurdette-
AS ones eysl surveys the long west wall
Of this gallery. it cannot fan to rest
pleasuraRiy u passing on wen painted
head by Bertha Noyes, suggestive in its
simplicity and strength of Carl Mel
cher's mastery productions; on Mar
guerite Mun1's strong and fine rendition
OF Western landscape fountains and
desert; on Minor JameSon's colorful,
rich and altogether admirable Autumnal
landscape: on Clara Saunders charming
picture of two little girls seated on q
sunny vine-coverel piazza, In which the
play of light Is most successfully inter-
preted. a.
Centering this wall is a large, elabo-
rflte and unusual composition by Ste
Ia L. 1sNk&w ,SUI-A nwzfk IL
painter who has recently made WASH
ington his headquarters This is pic
ture Of Sunday at Mhonde, Tangan-
yika, East Africa" and is painted with
realistic clearness, but decorative effect.
Mr.. HaweiS has made 81 specially 81
deep-sea subjectS-fish, sea plants and
the like-painting them with scientific
accuracy yet with decorators sense
OF beauty. He has lately returned from
trip to the South Sea Islands, and has
lived and painted much in the East IN
dies and has travelled widely. The So
ciety of Washington Artists is honored
by his contribution.
Eugen Weisz, member of the faculty
OF the Corcoran School of Art, is repre-
sented by three works in this exhibit
tion-one large canvas, q three-quar-
ter length of young fair-haired man,
Biorne Egeli, who Is at present student
in the Corcoran School; another a
small canvas Of young girl. Louise;
the third of a young man, Johnny"
broadly sketched OF the three the
portrait Of the young girl is perhaps
the most finished, the most skillful, but
the portrait of Biorne Egeli is undoubt-
eddy the most commanding In this the
head Is especially well rendered, but the
hands are unnaturally large and promi-
nent as they might be in a photograph
somewhat out of focus. All of Mr..
Weiszs work, however, has rich, paint
'er-like quality.
Eleanor Parke Gusts Is exceedingly
well represented IN this exhibition by
two fairly large canvases painted in