Evening star., 1934-03-25


colors at the Arts Club, the exhibition
of, which opened March IT to continue
to April g. are colorful and pleasing.
OF the IT paintings which comfortably
and effectively fill the space afforded
by this small gallery, the majority are Oh
flowers or still-life, but six heads almost hfe-
size, painted this Winter, primarily as studies'
lend variety and interest
In no medium has such change been made
in use as in water color. The first water colors
were really nothing more than tinted drawings
in fact, for many years paintings IN tnis
medium were spoken OF as water Color ora"-
ings" the emphasis being placed on the draw
ing, while color was applied merely to heighten
effect. Perhaps it was for this reason that
water colors for long time were regarded as
pretty weak delicate, charming-not by any
means in the category of paintings In OIL. on-
doubtedly the modern Dutch painters old mucn
to alter this situation. Instead OF using trans
parent wash they frequently mixed their paints
with Chinese white, thus obtaining more BODY
Furthermore. they developed scrub method
which practically obliterated outline and brought
work in water color into direct competition
with work in oils. AS compromise between
the Dutch and the English methods came tne
paintings of F. Hopkinson Smith-Venetlan
subjects mainly and very picturesque-done IN
gouche quite directly on gray paper, large
part of which was not covered having some
what the appearance of pastels. But new
school was at that very time in the process OF
formation with such leaderS-unconscious lead
ers-as Winslow Homer and John s. Sargent
The Boston Museum OF Fine Arts ana the
Brooklyn Museum, recognizing the great gilt
of these painters, promptly procured numerous
examples of their works and are abundanty
repaid today for their wisdom. These water
colors are on white paper painted with 1uiI
brush, the color flowing freely, but with direct
ness and simplicity William H. Holmes, for
merly Of this city and director of the National
Gallery of Art, developed in this medium a
technique quite his own and well In ADVANCE
of his time, technique which owed something
to his scientific training and a great deal to
the accuracy of his craftsmanship. James
Henry Moser Of this city, for many years
leading water colorist and teacher OF water
color at the Corcoran School Of Art. did much
build up here school of water color paint
ing of sound sterling quality. Borrowing from
both the English and Dutch methods, ne en-
ployed q method quite his own and peculiarly
suited to the character of his Interpretation
of both landscape and flowers. Most recently
the advance in water color painting has been
along the line of increased freedom and
strength, and great proficiency is evidenced by
an increasingly large number of painters.
Frances Hungerford Combs is one Of these,
and her paintings now on view at the Arts
Club are essentially up-to-date in treatment
and construction. Obviously, she commands her
medium. Her colorS are frank and harmonious;
her treatment crisp and frank. Especially does
she manifest her competence in two paintings,
in each Of which bowl of fruit is the center
of interest-elaborate themes extremely well
rendered. Very charming is her Painting OF a
bowl of marigods placed on the seat OF an old
fashioned ladder-back chair against blue
drapery Her treatment of flowers, furthermore,
is very skilful, suggesting their ephemeral char
acter and at the same time their lovelinesS OF
texture and colorful quality. Her portrait
studies are interesting because Of their force
and directness. 1.-THE Patriarch study from
life of old man whose head is seen against
a dark red background, is particularly signif-
can't Portraits of this size in water color are
unusual and difficult to achieve; hence, from the
professional standpoint of exceptional interest.
THE drawing room of the Arts Club is occupied
! at present by 20 drawings by Ernest Thurn,
who is instructor in drawing and lecturer on
modern art at the School of Fine Arts, Boston,
and has Summer school Of his own at Glou-
cester Mass. These drawings must represent to
the public the workshop or the atelier of an artist
They are studies, not finished products, the
means by which an artist builds up and
strengthens his ability, and they parallel to
an extent the exercises which great violinist
plays day after day to acquire mastery OF his
Observation-Disclosures. The drawings Of
great master are rule enlghtening, fasci-
mating, giving insight into his more intimate
emotions Mr.. Thurn's drawings the work,
apparently, Of one who is still on the road,
experimenting and studying. They are neither
subtle nor beautiful. They do not show light
ness of touch nor Imagination. Good drafts
manship glints through them here and there,
but they are without emotion or apparent in
spiration They are merely heavy and strong.
To the student they have interest. Some were
made at Antioch, Italy, where Maurice Sterne
lived for some years. Others were done in