Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-29

THE walls of the drawing room and dining
! room at the Arts Club are given over at
the present time to the display of a group of
sensitive and significant portrait drawings by
Mathilde M. Leisenring works which cannot
fail to find appreciation.
Mrs Leisenring has always had a knack
for getting likeness, prompted, doubtless, by
sympathetic insight, and has drawn we'll Her
little portraits have an intimacy which larger
portraits must lack, and even in their repro
duction through the medium of photography
this intimacy is retained Though utterly diff
ferent these portrait drawings cannot fail to
bring to mind the drawings of some of the
French masters and of that master of por-
traiturc. st. Memin, VINO visited this country
in the early days of the Republic and handed
down to us hkenesses Of the great and near
great of that notable period in our history.
Why the portrait drawing is not more univer-
sally popular today it is hard to say for
certainly it deserves popularity.
Both Mr.. Jex,S and Mrs. Lesenring's exhi-
billions continue for another week.
h NUMEROUS exhibitions are opening this
week At the Corcoran Gallery of Art
on December l the newly formed Miniature
Painters Sculptors and Gravers' Society will
open its inaugural showing, occupying the
cases in the atrium on the second floor
- On Thursday December 8, the WASHINGTON
Water Color Club will open its thirty sixth
annual exhibition in the Corcoran Gallery of
Art, occupying one or more rooms on the
second floor. That the opening day should
be Thursday instead of Saturday is an inno-
walton, but there will be private view, and
the exhibition will continue through Deem
Der 81
FRANK GARDNER HALE of Boston, who is
holding an exhibition of handwrought
jewelry and enamels at Jane Bartletts at the
present time, has added a novel note to his
showing this year by combining enamel with
metal and jewels in his designs most effec-
lively. Fifty or more years ago it was quite
customary to find a touch on brooch, or
even the case of watch. but for some reason
the custom went out of style, possibly be-
cause of the lack of sufficiently Skillful enam-
elers. But Mr.. Hale is both metal worker
and an enameler, and he uses his accents with
conSummate skill. He is showing this year
several very elaborate peces-necklaces and
pendants so intrinsically beautiful that they
would seem to require beauty on TIE part of
the wearer, demanding appropriate setting
while af1ording adornment Craft of this sort
transcends mere craftsmanship and becomes
an art comparable with those called fine.
4 AUCH interest has been shown in the ex-
wi hibition of portraits and other paintings
by Margaret Fitzhugh Browne of Boston,
which opened at Gordon Dunthorne's in the
MayfoWer week ago and will continue
through December 5.
1t has been said that the most interesting
exhibit to man is man, and it is undoubtedly
this element of personality which creates spe-
cial interest in portraits. 1t has always been
SO. Some Of the greatest works of art that
have come down to us from past centuries are
portraits, preserving for all time the person.
atty of the sitters. Miss Brownies portraits
are quite universally liked and reasonably so,
for they are genuinely artistic simple sincere
and good licensees.
DCDGSON SMART, formerly of England,
l.. now of Los Angeles, Calf is in Wash
ingt2n painting number of portraits, among
them of William H Holmes. director of
the National Gallery of Art. Mr.. Smart Wis
tied washington some years ago. painting at
that time a portrait of President Harding,
which is owned by the National Gallery of
Art. He has also painted portraits of Marshal
Foch, Gen. Pershing and Admiral Sims.
IN November 80 an exhibition of block
~ prints by Ernest w. Watson CT Brooklyn
will open in the Smithsonian Institution
under the auspices of the Department of
Graphic Arts, United States National Museum.
MI. Watson is an instructor at Pratt Institute,
a pupil of the Massachusetts Art School and
one of the founders and directors of the Berk-
Continued Fifteenth Pcge