Evening star., 1930-05-04

AZ Gallery Of Art last Thursday, to con-
tinue until May IS, is Of extraordinary
interest. In number Of exhibits 1t far
exceeds the exhibition held earlier in the sea-
son In New York; in comprehensiveness 1t win
undoubtedly never be equaled again Included
I'm the catalogue Of this elaborate showing are
Sc oil paintings, about 20 etchings, aquatints
and Autographs, about 20 drawings and pas
and tapestries woven after designs by Davies;
besides 81 small works in sculpture.
Arthur b. Davies is the one artist who both
traditionalists and mOdeFnists agree to admire
The vogue for his work and the reverence
in which he is held are so universal and un-
usual as to set him apart. regardless Of what
any may think.
Arthur b. Davies was born In Utica, n. Y,
September 26 1862, and died In Northern Italy
october "a, 1928 He was pupil Of Dwight
Williams In Utica and later studied in Chicago
and in New York, but he was chiefly self
taught During his lifetime he received at the
hands of his colleagues many honors and
awards, and his works were purchased for the
permanent collections Of majority Of our lead
ing art museums. He was essentially painters
painter, and his works are Of type which
appeal especially to collectors.
The Phillips Memorial Gallery in this city
owns no less than IA oil paintings by Arthur
q. Davies and two water colors, and has paid
tribute to his genius by the publication of q
book on "The Man and His Art" containing
appreciations by Mr.. Phillips, by Dwight VIII
1iams. Mr. Davies former teacher; by Royal
Cortissoz, Frank Jewett Mather, jr.; Edward
w. Root and Gustavus A. Essen, together with
numerous very beautiful half-tone reproduc-
tions.
In "a Collection in the Making" a pre-
1iminary catalogue Of the Phillips Memorial
collection, Mr.. Phillips has the following to
say of Arthur B. Davies: This capricious and
adventurous artist the antithesis of the cautious
academician, follows ever the inspiring gleam
wheresoever it may lead An early trip to
italy confirmed the romanticism of his taste
and for while he painted Italianate pic
lures Of glowing color like the Venetians and
of fantastic imagery like Piero di Cosimo Of all
artists the one he most nearly resembles Later
he worshiped at the shrine Of ancient Greece
and sought in his paintings for impersonal
rhythms. In spite Of his wide culture and re-
sponsiveness to many foreign influences Davies
is thoroughly American and absolutely original
He has captured the charm of American land
scape and in his early period his poetic pic
lures OF children at play are made doubly de-
hghtfui by the Hudson River or Sierra Nevada
backgrounds. He saw In California's redwood
groves and in silhouettes of Western mountain
submits decorative analogies to his incandeScent
figures, his Grecian nymphs of the brake, his
Godlike youths and maidens from the Cory
bantic motifs Of Greek vases. When he
painted Theocritan shepherds and their goats
or the White Horses Of Attica,' he evoked
ABOUT
art In later years Davies became an obscure
alchemist, his mind overburdened with ancient
lore and modern theory. Improvising extrava-
CANT variations on the themes Of cubism and
the human figure, he eheerfully defied our con-
fusion and invented patterns made with cubes
of prtsmatic color, projections of light as from
magic lantern over the surfaces Of his nudes
Although his later esthetic experiments lack
the humanity and winsome charm of his early
work, yet there is distinction in his touch.
whether in oil, pastel, water color, nthotint,
modelling or wood carving. Technically he was
marvellous draughtsman and sound and
brilliant craftsman who cared enough about
material to make his effects permanent But
his chief interest for us is the intensity of his
imaginative and inventive mind Conscious
perhaps Of his restlessness and his too ready
response to modern movements unrelated to his
genius, he cherished more rational desire to
achieve a sort Of esthetic poise like that which
Raphael and P0ussin sought from Greek
sources In Tissue Parnassian' Gin the Phil
lips Memorial Gallery he realized this aim in
dream Of a balanced physical and mental
freshness. But The Unieorns' remains the
most mystical and inevitable symbol of this
great Celtic poet-painter and his persistent
ideal of beauty touched with strangeness.'
To understand or to enter into the spirit of
the Davies memorial exhibition at the Cor
coran Gallery Of Art should keep these
statements of MIR. Phillips in mind for
Davies work is unlike the work of any other,
and to understand 1T one must endeavor to
secure the artists viewpoint
The oil paintings included In this exhibition
are hung in two galleries to the right Of the
main staircase and include works lent by the
Art Institute of Chicago, Martin Ryerson of
Chicago, DR.. Herbert Friedenwald and other
private collectors, some Of whom are lending
anonymously. Among the most charming of
these works are "Leda and the Dioscuri," lent
by the Art Institute Of Chicago; Maya, Mir
ror of Illusions" lent by the same institution;
do Reverence" and AFTER RAIN" lent anony-