Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10

G0rQOn DunIIlOIn6 >. WIlcIc
may be seen for the next two weeks.
Mr.. Rathhun, who Is the son OF Tn
late Richard Rathbun, for many year
secretary of the National Museum, is al
architect by training and profession,
graduate of the Massachusetts, INSTITUTE
Of Technology, and the author Of al
excellent work on architecture. "a Back
ground of Architecture" published b.
the Yale University Press He ha
given much time in recent years t
architectural teaching. upbuilding her
in cur Central High School classes TO
the development of appreciation, ant
with the purpose of laying stron'
foundations for more comprehensive
academic study of the subject. In thi
work Mr. Rathbun has been pioneer
and the success of his efforts has beer
noted with satisfaction and applause b.
leading educators throughout thu
country.
During his Summer vacations and b!
way of recreation he has taken t.
painting, and, as the works set forth il
this exhibition witness, has in particula
mastered the technique of water color
He uses transparent color in clear wasf
and contrasts interestingly broad ans
crisp handling. His work is essential!
Individual It records not only facts bu
emotion. It is spacious in suggestion
and yet indicates real intimacy of con.
tact with nature.
The subjects that Mr. Rathbun ha.
chosen for Interpretation are to tht
majority of us acknowledgements along
the southeastern coast of Alaska. TheSs
for the most part were found in Indian
villages along the Stikine River, and
show many kinds of totem poles o!
grotesque and novel design and color
The Stikine River runs between ranges
Of snow and glacier-covered mountains
and these in almost every instance form
the background of the totem poles
Rarely does one see mountains painted
better. and yet Mr.. Rathbun's manner
of rendering is extremely simple and
direct
One of his pictures is of sunrise
painted at 2 In the morning. beauti-
full rendition of the awakening Of day
In almost all of his Alaskan water
colors gray predoninates. lightened and
vivified by the bright colored totem poles
end nearby foliage. His cloud effects
ike his mountains, are beautifully
Added to the Alaskan water colors
are few studies made along the hot
coast Of Central America and Panama
Among these study of palm trees is
notable for admirable technical hand
ling. All are engaging, not only SUBJ
ACTIVELY but as examples of great tech
Mfcal skill
WORKS by Jean Negulesco, Ru-
manian artist, formerly court
painter, occupy at present the whole of
the Yorke Gallery and run the gamut
hn 1A1
academic to the most extreme modern
cub;stic expression.
Mr.. Negulesco has said that he Is
often asked whether he IS modern or
classic, and his answer is, ct am q
PAINTER: that is ALL THE real artist, -
re claims. docs not need to take refuge
IN formulas It is his conviction that
. work of art cannot be explained: that
sene likes 1t or one does not like It,
chat Is all" 1t Is his desire to make his
work as simple. as joyous, as unpreten-
tiou5 as that of child. A real por-
trait. according to him, must be O
profound caricature." E ~
To some extent these utteranees give
the key to Mr.. Negulesco's work. which
& certainly individualistic to the fur
Jhest degree and not altogether to the
average person understandable. His
PORTRAIT Of his mother, which is life
size and done in red chalk, Is simple
end vital and has apparently been rev.
erently rendered His portraits of his
sister and Miss Russell, young girl.
painted in oils, partake much more of
ne nature Of caricatures and are far
Xas pleasing. Some of his paintings are
81 cities and give the impression Of O
alaohine age. Of a life hard, unrespon-
aVe, unsympathetic, cruel, ugly.
The little Iovelinesses OF the world
the smiling aspects Of nature, seem not
to have impressed this artist. Even
when he has painted Venice he has
painted hard pictures pictures that re-
mind one not Of the Queen of the Adri-
ATTIC in all her firery. enwrapped in ro-
nance, but OF the unhealthy city by the
sea touched by fevers and death, q city
OF trade and OF commerce, devastated
By the greed of man.
And yet at times Mr.. Negulesco has
laid aside hardness and has painted In
academic manner with utmost realism
sunset effects effects of aftergiow, which
show him at heart to be a poet, sensi-
tive to the finer harmonies of color
One such painting, included In this
exhibition, is entitled "Sky of America, ;
End shows a broad expanse of beauti-
fully luminous sky above mountain tops
His original sketch for this subject Il
likewise included in the collection, and
Is even more spiritual in quality, more
charming than the larger finished work
At other times Mr. NeguleSco lays
eside facts completely and gives him.
self to abstract compositions. These
and his paintings of a cubistic cl1arac.
ter have been given a room to them.
selves, and wisely. Here one sees com.
positions which abstractly set forth
symphony in Blue" Symphony ir
Calm Colors." Chinese Writing,
FLOWERS in Harmony" Negro Art.
THESE are color compositions, nut to.
gether like geometrical puzzles, inter.
essing as patterns and as color arrange,
nlents, but hardly ineligible withou
title
With these is to be seen a large elabo.
rate composition painted In oil, en-.
titled. Spanish Mandolin and White
Vase" but including great many Other
Objects bookcase filled with books. 3
green painted chair, a bit of primitive
sculpture, etc, all of which are rem
dered with a certain brutality o.
strength but with little regard for tn,
amenities of beauty To be sure, beaut,
is an intangible thing. This painting
may be beautiful to some, but 1t doe
not follow the tradition of beauty handet
down to us through many generations
hence to degree it outrages our tradi
tional senses.
A well known teacher has said tina
A the purpose Of modern art Is to presen
objects in space, to demonstrate tn
third dimension, and that to do thi
the artist resorts to distortion, to over
emphasis of outline, to various othe
means. classifying in order to empha
size. If one finds pleasure in these re