Evening star., 1934-02-04

~ hibition of water colors and prints
n etchngs and hthographs-by Henry
Y C. Pitz Of Philadelphia. which has
proved of exceptional interest. The
water colorS, twenty-five in number hang IN
the gallery, large in size, matted but un-
framed and very colorful. At glance, their
coorful quality creates dominant and allur-
ing interest: later from their Kaleidoscope
content do figures and subjects emerge.
When Eliot OHara's excellent book on water
color painting CHOW to Make Water COlOrS
Behave) published, Mr.. Pitz wrote him in
commendation but added, whimsically You
have given away all the tricks of our trade"
That he. himself not only knows but employs
these tricks. legitimately, none who sees this
exhibition can doubt. Also it is evident that
Mr.. Pitz has been influenced by cubism, and
that more or less, consciously or unconsclously,
he has sat at the feet of Rockwell Kent
But an artist has right to gather into his
own granary fruits of the soil wherever he
may find them. It Is the use he puts them
to for which he will be held to account The
results that Mr.. PITT attains are engaging, but
they do not take us very far. Is it because he
does not wish to carry his themes to compile
ton does he not see beyond? Is it purpose
ful. lack of strength. this stopping short Of
the end? But what splendid subjects he has
choSen-what dreams he has dreamed Rus
sian Dancers "Orientala," The Jungle's
Edge"-fgures in each instance emerging from
and mingled with backgrounds like co!orful
tapestries. The Woodman' introduces note
OF the elemental. but admits subservience to
formula-convention. The wOodman here is q
type. but devitalized. The same is true Of other
figures introduced in Pastoral, "1dyl," and
Fantasia but the artists touch is light and
g-acious the thoughts or half thoughts. that
his pictures engender are Of beauty even in 6
Chaotic world.
With the water colors in the gallery are
shown four drawings, among which one Of q
Russian Dancer is especially notable. In
craving the human figure, Mr.. PITT frequently
resorts for emphasis to exaggeration the
,ngthening of arms and legs. possibly to the
more forcibly express motion. In a release
recently sent out by the Pennsylvania Museum
School of Industrial Art It was said that Mr..
Pitz who is an instructor in this institution has
utilized the motion picture a text book in
art education and has created the phrase
artistic shorthand" for certain forms charac-
'ristic of various kinds of motion, such as
Slrf the flight Of sea gulE, cloud movement,
running water. Modern art, he claims, stresses
motion. whereas the art Of earlier times was
wholly static" All of which Is very true, and
yet despite their up-to- dateness, these paint
iogs and drawings by Mr.. PitZ are very still.
Perhaps their impressiveneSs lies therein.
The Pitz prints the walls of the
caption room, leaving out the element of color,
are Impressively competent than the
paintings. Autographs are in the majority
In these again the influence OF Rockwell Kent
is observable the modern vernacular employed
and with skill. Some of the same subjects
seen in Autographs and in paintings. and in
teresting comparisons can be made. Obviously
the illustrative motive is more pronounced in
the work in black and white. When, however.
MIR Pitz etches, his manner changes and his
oIks in this medium of what might be
called the tmeless age, of all time. OF the
eighteen prints catalogued four have been
i nor winners in important national or in
ternational exhibitions and with good reason
This exhibition essentially thought provoking,
will continue until February 16