Evening star., 1935-05-19


the art Of display, but, Of course, there
Is some overlapping.
At the federation's convention In
the Mayhower Monday afternoon
"The Art Museum and Its Community
Service" will be discussed by the di-
rectors Of five or six art museums 10
Gated in various parts Of the country,
with w. M. Milliken, director Of the
Art Museum, presiding. At
q luncheon that day, under the aus
pices of the federation, Edward Bruce
will speak on 1.-THE Government and
the Arts" and on Thursday evening
he will speak again at the Willard,
sponsored by the College Art Associa-
ton, when an entire session will be
devoted to the subject, What Will Be
the Role OF the Government in Art?"
Other speakers at this session will be
Edward A. Jewell of the New York
Times, r. H. Taylor, director of the
Worcester Art Museum, and Philip N.
YoutZ, director Of the Brooklyn Mu-
scum. In some instances the College
Art Association and the Museums As
socistion will hold Joint meetings,
one Of which will be on The Training
of Art Museum Directors and Work
ers." One Of the sessions Of the Col
lege Art Association will be devoted
exclusively to scholarly papers by ex-
perts on historical research in art.
Modern Art" will be the topic on
Saturday morning. At this session
C. Law Watkins Of the Phillips
Memorial Gallery and Studio House
Of this city will preside, and the
speakers will be Paul H. Grummann
formerly OF the University Of Ne
braska, now director of the Joslyn
Memorial. Omaha, and Artemas
Packard Of Dartmouth. Whether the
latter will have anything to say con-
cerning the much-discussed murals by
Orozco in the Dartmouth Library is
matter for interesting surmise These
meetings will bring to Washington
the directors Of our leading art mu-
seums and associations, the heads OF
the art departments of our foremost
colleges. distinguished administrators
and scholars, but comparatively few
artists who are, as a rule. more in
terested in producing art than in or
ganized effort to promote art educa-
ton. The sessions are. it Is under
stood, open to the public.
ON ACCOUNT Of the meetings OF
these organizations which will
be held here this week the paint
ings which the American Federation
Of Art has invited from the Corcoran
Gallery Of Arts biennial exhibition,
for circuiting, have been tempo
rarily placed on display in two gal
leries to the west of the Clark wing.
These 4s paintings selected by Mr..
Phillips and Mr.. Whiting will be sent
out as two travelling collections, one
larger than the other, and will be
found very fairly representative of
the great display as a whole. Among
the works chosen are some very con-
servative and some very extreme. but
the majority maintain the middle
ground held for the most part by
contemporary painting. To some ex-
tent the character and trends OF mod
ern art can be better studied in this
small collection than in the one which
was nearly 10 times larger. One notes
here as conspicuous the present tend
ency toward realism and an illustra-
tive trend-the increased and in
creasing interest in subject matter
possibly occasioned by the late in
sistence upon the American scene
One also notes with concern the evi-
dent inability or disinclination on the
part Of the artists to bring their works
to definite conclusion-to command
their media. Paint is everywhere Of
fensively in evidence and there is a
strange absence Of fresh, clear color.
Also there Is a great deal Of very poor
drawing.
One Of the outstanding paintings
in this collection, which Is to be sent
out on circuit, is still life. THE
Studio Table" by Dorothy Ochtman.
the daughter Of the late Leonard
Ochtman, landscape painter. Another
is Of little white frame country
house in Winter by Robert Strong
Woodward entitled "Contentment,"
which is rendered with great skill and
understanding-very realistic and at
the same time interpretative.
The Broken Pitcher" by Olive
Rush, stands in this collection for
the acme of abstractism. but is
curiously and Interestingly indicative
of the possibilities of expressing more
than the visual by these graphic
means. But Ia 1t worth while except
as a stunt? At the opposite end of
the pole are Doris Lees Portrait of
Sally" which may well be described
as an American primitive, and Lauren
Ford's "Chemin de Fer du Midi"
painted with the closeness and minu-
tia Of an old miniature. There is ex-
cellent painting in half nude by
Florence Cramer and in figure piece,
The Morning Newspaper" by Isabel
Bishop. A head of a woman by
Irving Wiles has that rare quality
nowadays of texture and also rich
ness of tone. A Winter scene by Carl
LawleSs. White Weather" is accord
ing to tradition, but almost too pretty.
whereas Folinsbee's Road to Jericho"
Is strong but not brought to salts
factory conclusion, stopping just at
the point where realism ends and in
depreciation begins. Elephants, Be
tween Shows" by Paul Sample, and
Ogden Pleissner's wyoming Hay
stacker" have the advantage of I'M
usual themes but no great significance
as personal expressions-in short. no
individuality. Regarded as a report
on the present state of art among us,
these paintings In the aggregate give
little or no occasion for rejoicing, and
by way of inspiration they would seem
to have little to give. Perhaps the
best that can be hoped Is that they
will set people to thinking.
THE Corcoran Gallery Of Arts
l. biennial exhibition not only
brings to Washington contemporary
paintings of novel interest. but at its
conclusion brings back the pictures
constituting the gallery's permanent
collection with renewed interest and
Within Ave days after
the close of the recent biennial all of
the borrowed paintings had been
taken from the walls. hacked and dis