Evening star., 1936-09-05
Bv Leila MechHn.

hH George de Forest Brush,
v in the Corcoran Gallery
" = Of Art, is not only this
distinguished painters masterpiece
but one Of the finest paintings pro-
duced in America. It was acquired
by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in
1902, shortly after 1t was painted
This date Is verified by a memo
randum in the writer's files. which
reads: IF you will 60 to the Corcoran
Gallery on receipt Of this, I think you
can find the subject for an art note
in fine painting by De Forest Brush,
Just acquired. 8. H. K" The initials
were those of Mr.. 8. H. Kaufman
at that time president of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art and also of The Eve
ming Star. The purchase was, in
deed, q notable one. The painting
today. as adjudged at the time OF
purchase, more than "a years ago. is
outstanding.
The subjects Of this now famous
canvas are the wife and child of the
artist. Mrs. Brush before her mar
riage was an art student, but laic
aside her painting for the all-absorb-
ing profession" of wife and mother
Mr.. Brush painted her with theil
children again, but never quite sc
personally and realistically as in this
| instance.
There Is a great deal Of quiet dignity
in the presentation of the mother in
this painting: thought and character
have moulded the features, and are
seen in the expression. The way she
holds the child indicates its weight
and her tenderness. Never was 9
hand painted more significantly. Anc
what a splendid specimen of baby.
hood 1t is that she holds on her arm
The chubby cheeks are almost as rosy
as the apple, clutched in the little
No attempt has been made to ere.
ate in this painting a modern Ma
donna; 1t is a straightforward piece
Of portrait painting. and one reads
into it merely that significance which
life, fully lived, possesses. This is
true Of the great works of portraiture
the world over, and it is this which
gives them enduring worth. Merely
to preserve a likeness of features, to
tell how q person looked upon given
occasion, is not enough; the person
must appear to live, to be sensient
entity, caps BILE of thought as well as
of action, If the great end of portrai-
ture is to be achieved. 1t is because
the portraits of Rembrandt and Rae
burn satisfy these requirements that
we stand before them today in pro-
found conviction concerning their
truth and in amazed admiration.
THESE painted people" live for us
today as truly as for those among
whom they moved and had Their
earthly existence. But, of course, thi;
result is not obtained by mere skill ir
representation. Good craftsmanship
and brushwork go a long way towarc
competence, but not the full distance
This painting is magnificently drawr
and painted. but its supremacy as q
work of art lies in its conception anc
the manner of transcription. The
color scheme is delightful; light anc
dark are we'll distributed as well as
balanced: the colors sing, the figures
stand out, the surfaces are well rem
dered, but not meticulously: through
out the entire performance there is
evidence of sustained strength. The
present writer knows Of no other pic
ture by George de Forest Brush SO
directly and forcefully painted. Brush
was pupil of Gerome's and devotee
of the Italian school of the fifteenth
century. He has painted exquisite
pictures of mothers and children
but none such as this.
George de Forest Brush was born
in Shelbyville, Tenn, September %
1855, and is still living at the home
he established for himself and his
family many years ago at Dublin, N
H. That he should have chosen
| Gerome as his master when he went
to Paris to study Is rather remark
able, for Brush has never been one tc
follow the crowd or to accept rule.
laid down by others. But perhaps a.
Caffin in an essay on Brush has sug'
gested, this choice was a happy one
for Gerome, with all his objectivity
insisted upon good drawing and sound
technical performance from his stu
dents, by which their feet were kept
firmly on the ground, no matter how
much their heads were in the clouds
And after all, it is only the me.
chanics of art that can be taught
The rest one must learn for oneself
by personal effort and inspiration.
CERTAINLY Brush was not one to
be lured by fashion, and when he
| returned to this country after his
student days abroad he went directly
West in search of the typically Amer
ican and set himself to painting pic
lures of Indian life. 1t may seem a
wide step from the studio of Gerofhe
from which issued such paintings by
| the masters as Caesar Dead
(Corcoran collection) and Christian
Martyrs" (Walters collection) to our
Western plains and Indian pictures
but it was not really great nor L.
logical. Br,lsh's paintings are moi
actually objective but imaginative, q
reincarnation of what might have
occurred even before Rome reached
her splendor. and they are in the
manner prescribed and taught by thil
really great French teacher. But this
Is not to say that Brush did not put
something of himself into these paint
ings, that they were not well done
that they did not have worth and
dignity, for they did, and they still
do, but the master who produced
Ia -. fa..