Evening star., 1932-03-25

ri UMPH," said Juan Tomadelli.
examining painting by his
friend. Baroness Hertha Do
l. i belhoff $50 you get $500
for that one? 1 could do
better myself"
Inasmuch as he had never held a
paint brush in his hand, this remark did
not seem to require an answer.
Tomadelli returned to his hotel and
went to the studio apartment of Baron
Dohelhoff He borrowed some paint
and canvas. That was six weeks ago.
Next Thursday, Friday and Saturday
IS paintings by Artist Tomadelli will be
exhibited at the Shoreham Hotel. Pro-
ceeds from the sale of the pictures will
go to the Junior League Thrift Shop,
which contributes to children's welfare
organizations and hospitals.
The explanation of this incredible
feat lies in the personality OF dynamic
Tomadelli. Any one with the same
amount of energy could cover IS given
canvasses with paint in the same period
of time. The mystery remains, what is
the source of the genuine merit evident
in some of his work?
Did you study drawing or painting
in college?" he was asked.
Thinks Only Of Engineering.
"Ah, no." said Tomadelh rather
scornfully. II am an electrical eng1-
neer. I think about that all the time" ;"
Was any one In your family an
artist?"
"Ah, no. no. My father was a dip
lomat. He served at Vienna"
The questioner gave up this line,
when he discovered the man knew little
about the science of coloring and cared
less, was familiar with perspective only
through engineering charts and draw
ings. Yet the brilliant, pleasing col
ors of Tomadelli's creations are their
chief charm, and his perspective would
make some sweating art students turn
deep chrome with envy.
The variety of his subjects Is amaZ-
ing. Cascade" Manhattan a Billion
Years Ago" japanese Pine" "A Win
ter Sunset" Chaos" and Colorado"
"'Lago di Como" and waikiki Beach y
Where on earth did you get all the
subject matter in so short time?"
II have travelled 1t all comes from
the imagination. That Is where every
thing is, in the imagination. Sometimes
I talk with crazy people. In their
imaginations, they have clever ideas"
The reporter thought it might be
wise to give to the waiting world the
formula for becoming an artist over
night.
"All you have to do is will 1t. Use
your will power. You could go through
that wall If you willed it strong enough" !"
Only don't go now. Wait until l
finish" Tomadelli continued. You need
only to try things. People say an artist
should have balance, he should have
this and he should have that. Bah.
That is what we say in New York,
'baloney.' Just paint.
"I come home around midnight and
begin to work. can't paint in the day
time. I think about something I like,
something I remember, and I paint 1t.
Sometimes do three, four, five, maybe
six, in a night. Some 1t takes only Is
minutes-like that" and he pointed TO
a sketch, "Battleships at Night" done
in gray tones. And the biggest, the
hardest, only an hour. Never more
than an hour.
MY friend, Mrs. Blank, comes to see
my work. She is an artist. She looks
at that one over there. She says, How
long do you work on that? I say,
'Forty-five minutes, maybe an hour.
forget She says. Impossible, for one
like 1t take three months
like it?'"
Never Ret0uches.
Tomadelli doesn't seem quite sure
himself Just how he completes his work
so rapidly. One fact is, he paints
absolutely clean, never smears out and
retouches, as some painters do for
months on end before they are satisfied.
He smokes 100 cigarettes day, works
until 2 or O'Clock in the morning, and
goes to New York every week end.
His residence here began with the
visit when he saw Baroness Dobelhoff' S
exhibition at Corrado Galleries. His
real home is in New York, where he
has lived ever since he came to this
country IL years ago. He Is 40 years
old. served as an officer in the Italian
army and o naturalized citizen.
GAseera1 uonZn Sn0n Yl1U10deIn IeGN1Inn6