Evening star., 1936-09-27
VISITING ARTISTS
LAUD US. WORKS
Lawrence of England and
Roy OF Paris, With Saint
Gaudens Here.

0ouuCIIS 0clcs
American artists, as typified by the
muralists now decorating the Justice
Department, really have something
to say and are saying it."
That Is the opinion of Alfred Kings
ley Lawrence, eminent English por-
trait and mural painter, in WASH
, ington for brief visit. Lawrence
came to the United States to serve
as . member Of the jury Of award
for the 1896 Carnegie International
Exhibition, which will open in Pitts
burgh. Pa, October Is, but which has
already been judged.
II wouldn't attempt to criticize the
work Of the artists there from q
standpoint of design. color or tech
ni1ue," he said. ANY such criticism
would require study. But SO far as
their theme and their ideas are con-
eerned. they are on the right line.
In q word. they have CUTS"
In his praise Lawrence was joined
BY Pierre Roy of Paris, also a men,
Der Of the Carnegie jury of award,
who said that contemporary Amer
ican painting is on a par with the
best in Europe. He believes his French
contemporaries are careless in enter
ing American exhibitions. He has
shown his own work in this country
since 1890.
Too often" he said Of his COM
patriots, they feel they are well
nd hat -
cient. Instead. they should pick their
best works to compete with the paint
ers Of the world; the name alone is
far from enough. After all, their
artistry is judged by the results, not
by the name of the artist"
Here from Pittsburgh.
Lawrence and Roy came to WASH
ington Friday night from Pittsburgh,
accompanied by Homer Saint -Gaud-
ems, director of the Department of Fine
Arts Of the Carnegie Institute. They
completed their work as jurors before
leaving Pennsylvania. and will remain
here today. Tomorrow they will 60
on to Philadelphia and then to New
York before returning to Europe.
Yesterday. accompanied by Olin
Dows, they visited Gunston Hall. Va.
and Mount Vernon. Later they called
at the Corcoran Gallery and then
went to the Justice Department
THE work being done by this Gov
ernment in promoting art Lawrence
said, lis a significant thing. I wish
the governments of Europe would fol-
ct,o1
1t would be a great thing"
Lawrence, who for the last two
years has been engaged in decorating
the governors suite in the new Bank
Of England Building, London, was
most Impressed by the realism of the
American muralists whose work he has
seen, but he was critical of the artists
who we're commissioned by the public
works of art project.
They should be allowed to study the
Italian masters" he said. They need
further training. not so much in design
or the mechanical phases of painting,
but in thought
The painters decorating the Justice
Department, however, won his en-
thusiasm.
Something Real In Murals.
You know" he said. people no
!ccger are so interested in gospel
s1T.es, or n poetry for the sake of
poetry. They want something real,
ard the nUas in the Department of
J'lsEce-they are really frescoes-are
S-vlrg them something real"
Roy. an early surrealist. Is dissp-
polrJed II the turn taken by his own
school Of ART.
'SurreaIisr- he said, is losing its
place in art because it is becoming
csr1nerciaIIzed. Because it is startling
lt is easy to Use for selling I fear
it has little future in America or in
France"
Both the visiting artists are veterans
It the World War. In the French
Army Roy saw much of GuiIlaume
Apoilinaire, who encouraged him to
develop his artistic talents. Lawrence
served as a member Of the 18th Bat
talon Of Northumberland Fusileers.
In 1880 Lawrence was made an as
sociate in the Royal Academy Of Art.
In 1928 he won the Prix de Rome. He
has done portraits Of Princess Eliza
beth, Montagu Norman, president of
the Bank of England; Sir Philip Sas-
soon, Lord Esher and of other distin-
guished English men and women. He
painted the Elizabethan panels in st.
Stephens Hall in the Houses Of Par
lament, and his works have been ex-
hibited throughout the world.