Evening star., 1935-04-21

Gallery. BY this means the public is
given opportunity to confirm or over
rule the decision of the jury in the
awarding of the Clark prizes and Cor
coran medals. However. it should be
remembered that all the paintings
are eligible for the Popular Prize
whereas many, for one reason or an
other. did not compete for those voted
by the jury. In almost every instance
the Popular Prize" in such exhibitions
as this. is voted to a painting which
possesses subjective interest and in
trinsic beauty. The layman judges the
result: the artist. aware of technical
difficulties, is most often impressed by
technical achievement. But it is in
teresting to know that when it comes
to supreme accomplishment, truly
great work, both are almost always in
agreement. A good test to apply is
which picture, or pictures, one would
like to live with. William M. Chase
used to tell how he cultivated his own
taste by buying what he liked and
could afford, lived with his purchases
until they we're outgrown and retired.
and then made replacement. Not q
bad rule to follow.
THE 10 portrait heads in sculpture
by Reuben Nakian, of officials of
the present administration. which,
through the cooperation of the Down.
town Gallery, New York. and on re-
quest, were placed on exhibition in
the upper atrium of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art week ago. have at
tracted much attention and are evok-
ing an unusual amount of critical COM
ment. The place of honor in the CEN
ter Of the hall has appropriately been
given to head, larger than the others,
of the President, while on somewhat
lower pedestals, placed to form a
hollow square. are heads of Secre-
taries Hull, Wallace and Ickes: Assist
ant Secretary of Labor McGrady: Fed
eral Emergency Relief Administrator
Hopkins, Executive Director of National
Emergency Council Richberg, Under
secretary Of Agriculture Tugwell and
Gen. Hugh S. Johnson. The last is
twice represented. as possessed pos
sibly of a dual personality, the one
quite unrelated to the other.
In a foreword to the catalogue OF
this exhibition, Henry Mcbride, art
critic, of New York, expresses delight
that at last "the right statesman
has met the right artist" to record
through direct observation correct in
terpretations of likeness and character
as Historical data for future genera
tions." Mr.. Nakian, he declares, Is
quite the man for this job-a shrewd
and sympathetic observer-a free and
untrammeled artist, and like the Presi-
dent and the other men he portrays,
of the new school"
All this may be true, but the works
do not make it obvious: in fact, one
wonders II before so expressing him.
self. Mr.. Mcbride actually saw the
finished product. It Is true that
Reuben Nakian belongs to a new school
that school, If 1t may be SO digni-
fed, which seems to rejoice in ugliness
and to strive to bring art down to
the level of vulgarization. His chief
achievement up to the time that he
undertook these portraits was a huge
statue of Babe" Ruth, the base ball
idol, at full length, in action, rough
hewn, which was shown in two free
for-all exhibitions in New York last
Winter and much noticed because Of
its size, the popularity of its sub
ject and its unique character. But
why, one may ask oneself, should this
qualify him to make portraits for pos
terity of the "New Dealers" leaders
and statesmen? Strangely enough,
Mr.. Nakian has interpreted these men
In high oficial positions In much the
same way that he interpreted the