Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-30

| taste It should also be remembered
that artists understand far better than
the layman the difficulties of technique
and are therefore much more lenient
| critics than those who merely judge
result.
But it is also fair to think that some,
If not all, of these artists are themselves
/ bewildered at the present time. Old
| traditions and old ways have been so
/, cast aside, new methods and new ideals
| introduced in their place that the more
conservative have been shaken in their
convictions and are uncertain today
i which path to follow. Some of the
| painters of established reputation give
| indication of such a state of mind.
There has never been a time when
| such violent changes have taken place
| in life within so brief period, and 1t
| is the adjustment to these new con-
| ditions which is at present disturbing
art in all fields. Formerly those who
visited exhibitions of paintings did so
with pleasurable intent. Today an ex-
| hibition such as this set forth by the
! Corcoran Gallery of Art provides mat
| ter for serious reflection, indicating not
| merely a condition of art but trend
! in contemporary life, and offers not
solace but warning. If our art is to be
| given perpetually, as much of it is to-
| day, to the expression of ugliness and
| vulgarity, either civilization is over-ripe
or has temporarily halted.
Some Have Merit and Beauty.
But it should not be thought that
| there are no paintings in this exhibition
notable for merit and beauty. Such Is
not the case, and the visitor should
| guard against overlooking what is good
| because of the shock of what Is bad or
| unlovely.
The place of honor in the whole ex-
hibition has been given to painting
| of "Brabant Bride" by Carl Melchers,
an exact work rendered with keen
| sense of decorative effect and apprecia-
| ton of color harmony. This hangs in
the center of the east wall in the gal
lery directly opposite the. staircase.
place occupied in one OF the earlier
exhibitions by Sargent's magnificent
| painting of a group of distinguished
doctors on the staff Of Johns Hopkins
Hospital place always reserved for
really distinguished work of art. In
this same gallery Is to be found Mr..
Melchers' admirable portrait of John
Barton Payne, a standing portrait
showing the use of strong color, direct
treatment, but an excellent ikeness-a
spirited work
Here, too, are three representative
paintings by W. Elmer Schofield, out
door pictures of houses, foliage, blue
sky, floating clouds, and, above all,
| sparkling sunlight, fresh air. Schofeld
| is a realistic painter, one of those who
have thrown open the shutters and given
US, through the medium Of pigment,
| magnificent interpretations of light and
atmosphere, and their identifying effect
upon commonplace objects.
Tn tc 10 k.ne
| John c. Johansen's excellent portrait
| of Daniel Chester French, Ellen Emmett
Rand's no less excellent portrait Of
| Charles A. Platt and Leopold Seyffert's
vital Interpretation in the way Of por-
| traiture of Frederick p. Keppel, preSi-
| dent of the Carnegie Corporation Of
| New York; together with spirited like
nesses of L. F. Loree by Ernest L. Ipsen
and DR.. and Mrs. Joseph Mullen by
Wayman Adams. Here, also. are two
charming paintingS-one Of the "Old
Abbott House at Andover," the other
| Of the art museum at Andover, in
process of erection, by Childe Hassam,
| both In his best and most alluring man
| ner. What matters it then II side by
| side are seen such absurdities as Doris
Rosenthal's Girl and Cat?
Other Paintings Shown.
Stepping into the gallery to the right
! one finds of notable interest a painting
by Edward w. Redfield entitled Spring
| VEIL" robbed of some of its subtlety,
however, by juXtaposition with two
strongly colored abstract paintings by
| Hugh H. Breckenridge, fine In their
way. but uncongenial. Richard z. Mil
! Ter shows here very beautiful nude
"Bather," which should put to shame
| works by other artists shown elsewhere.
1 iE loYdGNona
| Brown. Bald Ridge" which takes its
| place with the strong works by Redf1eld
| and Schof1eld. Here, also, is typical
! and pleasing picture somewhat in the
| French impresSionistic manner by Fred
erick C. Frieseke entitled THE Garden
| Umbrella" in way essentially his own.
This gallery is honored by John C.
Johansen's portrait of Robert w. De
| Forest, president of the Metropolitan
Museum of art and for many years
! president of the American Federation
| of ArtS-an excellent likeness, but not
especially pleasing in color as here
| shown.
| Distinctly quaint, as perhaps one
finds an old sampler or Currier print,
is Typographical painting by lauren
| Ford, "Chemin de Fer du Midi" which
| one may view with amusement II not
especial admiration.
In Gallery E, purposely humorous, Is
William Meyerowitzs painting OF
Gloucester entitled "Humoresque, ;"
which, however, confuses the eye with
out really delighting the senses.
In a position Of honor in this gallery
is Charles w. Hawthorne's Alteration
of Mother" complicated compost
ton with undoubtedly much to COM
mend it, but less forceful and signifi-
cant than earlier works. OF extraordi-
| nary interest here Is joseph r. Pear
sons painting of horses entitled
Tempest" lent by Daniel CARRIER. q
fellow painter-a superb composition
full of originality, rendered with rich,
full brush.
Gallery F can boast two very fine ma
rine paintings by Frederick j. Waugh,
conservative. subtle landscape, Hem
lock Grove" by Emil Carlson; an ex-
cellent figure study, THE Connoisseur,"
by-1Margaret Fitzhugh Browne: extraor-
binary portraits of John Noble by
by James Chaplin, q lovely little marine
by Paul Dougherty, full of subtle but
real beauty; strong rustic scene paint
ed in an almost classical manner by Eu-
gene Higgins, a portrait of DIR. George
r. Bowerman, librarian Of the Public LII
brary, District of Columbia, by Richard
S. Meryman, an excellent likeness, and
still life, unusually large, Madonna
on the ASS" by Wayman Adams, all
worthy of study as well as admiration,
to say nothing of Mathilde M. Lessen
rings interesting figure study, THE
She'll" and O colorful work, THE Coal
Car. by John r. Folinsbee: charac-
teristic scene Of Sixth avenue, New