Evening star., 1936-12-26
Art of Renaissance Shows Examples Of Inspiring Work
Of Masters Who Have Won Immortal Place.
Washington's Notable Products.


not strong body, but studious in
clinations, endless enthusiasm and
patience as we'll as creative ability.
1t was contact with the Pre-Raphael-
lite Brotherhood in England and
visit to Chartre with Henry Adams
that turned him to glass-making and
the use OF glass as medium, as 1t
was the commission from Richardson
to decorate Trinity Church, Boston. 1
that turned him to mural painting.
He was the inventor of iridescent
glass, manufactured for many years
by skilled artisans for the Tiffany
Studios, but the glass he himself
used was always made under his su-
pervision, and to the making of his
windows he brought all of his orig
inality and creative art. For his
achievement in this field the French
government conferred upon him the
Legion Of Honor
The pair Of windows now owned by,
and on view in, the National Gallery
Of Art. represent peacocks and peonies,
and are thoroughly representative.
both Of his manner of working and
his art. There is no resemblance in
them to the windows of the Gothic
makers, save in the brilliancy of their
coloring and their jewel-like effect.
The structure, or leading, is complete.
ly subservient, and is used merely as
"a web in which to imprison light
color in solution
The following beautiful description
of one of these windows-or one pre-
cisely similar-is given by Mr.. Cortis-
soz in his authorized Life of John
La Fargo:
The window-since for convenience
We must use the TERMS an upright
panel. Filling a good part of the
space Is peacock of glorious plum
age. The head and body are well up
in the higher zone of the composition,
50 that the colors Of the back and
tail feathers seem to flow, as in an
iridescent waterfall down toward the
wstery green background at the bot
tom. This background, which has Q
fairly light tone at the base Of the
design. deepens gradually as it ascends
through gradations OF dark blues and
dark purples. Here and there, on
either side of the bird, there is mass
of rosy but quiet color These epi.
Sodes are provided by the big peonies
which the artist chose for his floral
motive. Their lovely hues are made
the lovelier through contrast with dark
LEAKAGE. Set within these broader ele-
ments of color is the proud blaze of
the peacock's feathers. They make
actually kind OF confiagration, and
yet this work Is in nothing more ar
tistic than in its fusion OF unnumbered
glowing tints into positively repose-
full harmony. 1t Is as II La Fargo
had taken a thousand precious stones
and then filtered the sunlight through
them, but had always remembered so
to arrange his jewels, 20 to blend and
contrast them, that in the ensemble
they should preserve something of the
subtle, sober unity you find in divers
nominally gorgeous things, such as
Oriental rugs, the arabesques Of the
Alhambra or ordinary fireworks. In
other words, this is the very poetry of
stained glass, vision of sensuous
lovelineSs realized in q medium no
toriously obstinate, but made to serve |
the designers purpose as readily as
pigment serves 1t. Its great |
virtue lies In the fact that 1t has the |
character only to be extorted from
glass; it expresses the very genius Of |
the medium"
1t is far cry from these magnin-
cent creations of La Fargo to some Of
the church windows done by limp and
uncreative followers in the medium
he inyented-iridescent glass. For
this very reason 1t Is especially for
tunate and desirable to have these
most excellent works in the permanent
collection of our National Gallery of
Art. Again we recall the fact it Is
not what an artist does. but the way
he does 1t that signifles-not the me-
dium he uses, but the Use to which |
he puts it. Among the artists of his
day John La Fargo was giant.
He is represented in the national |
collection not only by these superb |
and fascinating windows, but by his
painting Of The Visit Of Nicodemus
to Christ" in the William T. Evans
collection, and by still-life painting
in the Gellatly collection.
Bronze Relief Portrait of
Daniel Chester French.
A T THE annual meeting Of the Ma
tional Gallery Commission. held
in this city December 8, not only these
windows by La Fargo were accepted |
but other gifts generously profiered.
Most notable among these was . por- |
trait in relief in bronze of the late
Daniel Chester French, modelled by
his devoted friend and pupil, Evelyn
Beatrice Longman-Mrs. Batchelder |
OF Windsor, Conn. This panel, done
during Mr.. French's lifetime, shows
him seated in his studio, across the
wall OF which, in orderly procession, as
a panoramic frieze, are seen the dis
tinguished works which he created.
1t is an excellent likeness and a fine
piece Of modelling, sensitive and yet
sufficiently strong
This panel was for q time on view
in the Corcoran Gallery OF Art, SO that |
to many it Is already familiar. But its |
acquisition by the National Gallery of !
Art assures it permanent placement |
here at our National Capital, which |
may boast possession of one Of Mr.. |
French's statues of Lincoln, his Du-
pont Fountain and his Gallaudet Me. !
mortal at Kendall Green.
Ti1o Other Notable Gifts to
National Institutions.