Evening star., 1935-12-22
Bv Leila Mechlin.


very considerable note. It was a gl-
Rantic piece of work. and it has been
carried out by the artist with excep-
tional success.
Two years ago, when the P. W. A. P.
was first organized, the designs made
by Mr. Bell for murals on the walls
of the library in the Mckinley High
School we're approved and commits
stoned; so elaborate, however, was his
scheme and so extensive the area that
by the time his preliminary studies
were made. the project came to con-
clusion. After three months of disap-
pointment and waiting, funds were
found to provide costs, and with one
or two short intervals and shifts,
meanwhile, the work has gone steadily
on until now it is completed.
The main wall Of this school library
Is 125 feet in length and the space
between the tops of the open shelves
and the ceiling is 10 feet. The line
is broken midway by a heating or
ventilating screen, and twice on either
side by tops of doorways, but the paint
ing is continuous. and approximately
rs figures, life size, are included in
the composition. Oftentimes mural
paintings are done in the artists studio
and affixed to the wall when finished,
but in this instance the painting was
done in place. the artist climbing up
and down ladders and working without
assistants. 1t is in tempera on canvas,
rich in tone, brown and gold predomi-
mating, the composition is we'll bal
anced and unified. the effect decora-
tive and rather splendid.
Against a continuous background
of sky, land and water, the artist has
set panorama of life. His two main
themes are the cultural development
associated with and inseparable from
civilization, and man-power through
which comes material Development
Signifying these forces he has placed
over one door a figure representing
wisdom-the intellect-and over the
other figure of working man rep
resenting energy. Other figures gather
about these. There are numerous
groups; all of life seems to pass in
view; there are old men and women,
young men and maids, children. There
are the bad and. the good. lawmakers
and law breakers, statesmen, polltl-
clans, demagogues, teachers and lead
ers. The fruits of the earth are seen
harvesting and the factory in opera
ton. There are reminders of pioneer
days; there are Indians and glimpse
of a canoe; a covered wagon is seen
approaching over a hill. And yet the
composition is not confused, and from
first to last there is a sense of onward
motion. In some instances portraiture
has been attempted but only as sug
gestion. The scheme as a. whole is
extraordinarily ambitious, and if the
painter has erred, it is in attempting
too much rather than too little. The
subject that he has undertaken to
illuminate is so deeply significant, so
enormous, that few can encompass 1t,
and if truth must be told, it is beyond
the depths Of all but the very few.
After all, artists are not of necessity
philosophers, students of life. The
first function of a mural painting is
to decorate, the first thought of the
artist is artistic effect. Does his
in goes another figure. Should this
space be filled?" If so, why not add
halo, whether it be deserved or not?
It is not the subject matter but the
art content which concerns the painter.
And this is what puzzles the public.
Mr.. Bell took a great theme, but he
, used it for his own great purpose-the
production or creation of a dramat-
ically decorative design. The story
and the symbolism are merely Incl
dental, and in this purpose he has
succeeded admirably. His use of
aluminium leaf glazed with yellow to
simulate gold is unique and very
effective. His handling Of mass
throughout is excellent. His color
scheme goes well with the room and
its dark wood trim. That the paint
ing is restless goes without saying,
for that is one of the dominant char
acteristic of the present age, but that
it presents no goal and gives express
sion to no aspiration is regrettable.
Art should not only reflect life out
add something to it; in fact there IS
an old saying that art is some ones
dream come true. When our young
men cease dreaming dreams and our
old men seeing visions we shall indeed
be in a bad way. Mural painting
today is very much to the fore, and
= yet, unfortunately, no very distin-
guished work has been produced in
g this field of late. No Puvis de
Z Chavanne, no John La Fargo has
arisen in these later days to cheer and
inspire us and demonstrate the po-
tentialities of art. But can it be ex-
pected at a time when millions are on
relief and war turks around the
corner?
Philip Bell, the painter of this
mural in the Mckinley High School, is
not yet 30 years of age. He studied in
the Yale Art School and was at the
= very beginning of his career when he
won this commission. 1t is his first
work, and as such really astounding.
From such beginning, given the op-
portun1ty, he must go far. He is well
grounded and he has originality, cour-
age and conviction-in short, excellent
equipment for high achievement.
EIFTEEN water colors and twelve
- Autographs constitute the special
exhibition of works by Prentiss Taylor
which opened last Monday in the
Corcoran Gallery Of Art. That Mr..
Taylor has individuality and that he
produces works of distinctly original
= character all will agree, but certainly
his choice of subjects and his manner
eof treatment can have little allure for
those VINO yearn for beauty. With
apparent deliberation, he seems to
choose the ugly, the sordid, even at
times the hideous, for transcription,
when that which is beautiful Is across
the way or around the corner, and
occasionally when the object which
p he presents has, in a measure, in