Evening star., 1933-04-09

Barnbaum says, and very Uuly tnat mis- best
pencil drawings delicate. deft and gem-like
in their sharpness-were mastery. Every ran
dom stroke disclosed the artist" In Mr.. Birn-
baum's estimation, Blums japanese pastels were
never excelled from the technical point of view.
And he adds: TT Is wen to restore such works
to the public consciousness at . time when we
are in danger Of forgetting that beauty and
art existed before the modernists became
known"
From every standpoint these two recent ac-
uuisitions which come to the Corcoran Gallery
as . bequest, are Of exceptional interest and
value.
IT Is interesting and coincidence that Eulabee
! Dix should be exhibiting her miniatures at
the Corcoran Gallery at the very time that
these two paintings by Blum are first placed
on view; because there is undoubtedly certain
kinship between her work and that Of the men
Of his school. In some Of her exquisite portrait
paintings on ivory there Is more than little
suggestion Of Chase and Whistler and most OF
ALL Of Alfred Stevens. How beautifully she fills
her space, how exquisite In every instance Is
her rendition! Here we have little works in
miniature which have the force and the ex-
preston Of great paintings
Take for example, the portrait Of her daugh-
ter, Joan Becker sitting on French sofa, nom
chalent, at ease but with lively eyes looking out
at the beholder from under the brim Of an old.
an old vintage and yet how extremely pic
turesqueI How the figure belongs to its sur
roundings, how well 1t Is placed! One can feel
the pull Of the buttons on the waist and the
lately arrested motion of the foot which appears
beneath the gown. Rarely has an artist achieved
greater success than this-technically, spirit
ually.
There is nothing hnnicky however, about any
If Eulabee Dix's miniatures. They are all broad
" painted and her effects. apparently. are OBJ
tanned by FIRST attempt" Furthermore they
have personality, they are real people.
She is showing not 20, but 40. in q lower gall
lery at the Corcoran Gallery Of Art, and they
I'LL the room. They are on the walls they are
on tables and pedestals and in a case. They
are mounted with the utmost care, but they do
not depend upon their mounting for charm or
merit. One is so small that it has been set in
q ring. Others are Of that intimate size which
can be most conveniently held in the hands;
still others appear to excellent advantage on the
walls. They are especially well arranged.
Three Of these miniatures are Of young boys,
the Hasbruck brothers Of Ogdensburg and AL
bany. There Is a charming portrait of an in
FAINT In white dress, feet foremost, which was
shown in the Paris Salon In 1925 and received
q silver medal. The portrait Of Joan Becker,
previously mentioned, was awarded prize at
the Philadelphia Society Of Miniature Painters
exhibition in 1880. and one of Mrs. Henry
Strater of New York was q prize winner the
iature Painters exhibition.
OF unique interest is portrait OF Mark
Twain" Samuel Clemens), the last portrait
painted of him from life. It was done in the
Clemens home in 1909. In the same case in
which this portrait Is shown are q number Of
examples of miniatures put to Interesting use.
Two appear on book covers reproductions Of
oil portraits, one from the National Gallery,
London the other from o French collection.
Here, too. are several ivory boxes and few
pieces Of jewelry with miniature insets.
On the whole the exhibition Is extremely
varied. It viii continue only through April Is.
part Of the time the painter herself Is in
attendance.
A WELL known Scotch print seller advertises
\ in the leading English art journal that fine
etchings by the foremost modern artists may
be found at his establishment, and among those
mentioned as represented is Kerr Eby Ameri-
can etcher, q collection Of whose prints is now
on view here in the Smithsonian Building The
print seller Of Glasgow was right-Kerr Eby Is
one of the foremost etchers Of today. His
etchings of the World War are finer than any
known to the writer made by an American. and
than any except those by three British etchers-
McBey, Percy Smith and Nevinson
Kerr Eby was born in Toxic Of American
parents. in 1889. He, too, began his artistic
career working for nthographic company.
Bad health induced him to join q surveying
party in the Hudson Bay country for a year,
and when he returned from this expedition he
took up etching. In 1917 he enlisted in the
Ambulance Corps, but was transferred to the
Engineers and served as a sergeant to the end
Of the war. After training in various camps he
was sent to France to camou1age batteries in
action. This gave him opportunity to see and
10 study the activities Of war, and he made good
use of it.
Frank Weitenkampf, curator Of prints at the
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