Evening star., 1937-03-20
By Leila Mechlin.
MOTHER mural painting


~ manent placement in the :t,s new
"A Post Office Department Build
ing. 1t is by Tom Le. and occupies q
large vertical panel on the west wall
Of the west lobby of the Benjamin
Franklin branch post Office. The sub
ject depicted is farm in that Sec
tion Of the Midwest where duststorms
have in recent years become common
and where the soil has little appear
ance Of fertility. There is not blade
Of grass or a green growing thing in
Hght. 1t Is a dreary prospect. But
IN the foreground are two interesting
tgures-a farmer running a furrow
With 4 plow and thereby raising a
cloud of dust, and his daughter, pre-
s,rnably, standing with pail in hand,
looking on, her back toward the OBJ
server. To the right, at a short dis
tante, Is an artesian well with its
winamill and still beyond, on a curv-
ing road leading toward the horizon, is
a modest cabin, the only human habi-
tatin as far as the eye can reach.
Abo'e the distant straight horizon is q
nat, cloudless sky, deep blue above,
dust colored below, which gives the
illuspn characteristic in this part Of
the country of open space between
land and sky and that the two do
not meet. About half way between
foreground and background, on the
same man-made road which leads to
the house, may be discerned, upon
careful inspection, a letter box on a
post, significant of rural free de-
livery This is the hook-up with the
Post Office Department-small but
vital
Ton Lea, the painter, was born and
grew up in Ell Paso, Tex, which is in
fact till his home; he knows the
farms of the Panhandle and Of West
ern Oklahoma and Kansas, and in
his pSt Office panel he has given a
vivid md true Interpretation.
He had no intention, he avoWS, of
pictorRlly urging measures to cure
and prevent soil erosion; he merely
paintE what he had seen and knew
and eldeavored to make it decorative.
And le has succeeded admirably In
the simplest possible manner and with
extreme economy of means he has set
forth his theme effectively and with
dramatic feeling.
The painting is done on canvas,
and tie color Is held in broad, fiat
masss. To avoid overpainting, the
artisthas employed novel technique,
his bush strokes following the con-
tours Of form as do the lines OF one
who ngraves on steel. This, Mr.. Lea
claim, eliminates the necessity Of
modehg with shadow, and it is q
notabe fact that no strong accents
occur in his painting But, despite
the iatness of his treatment, one
can Walk into his panel, which, owing
to tn long vista from which it may
be sen, Is precisely what he wants
us todo.
But to return to the figures They
are 18th Western types and rugged,
but nere Is something quite splendid
Rboutthe girl in her outstanding Juno
esque quality, fine physique and un-
concen. This girl, with her braided
yellov hair and strong, we'll set-up
body. is 8 feet tall in the painting
and dominates the composition. In
eomprison with her, the man looks
II no small, at least smaller than
perhps he should, allowing for the
deptf Of ditch in which he stands
and here is an inclination for both
fguYs to come out of the picture
But aone will suggest that they do
not slong in their environment, and
this perhaps should be sufficient.
Also perhaps the human element
shoul dominate. Certainly there Is
no lax Of unity in the treatment Of
the 'hole nor in the color scheme
which is particularly in harmony with
the architectural surroundings and
charming in itself Essentially modern
in mthod and effect, this painting has
outstanding and convincing merit.
Th' artist, Tom Lea, was one of
those who entered the first compe-
tition held by the Procurement Divi-
sion I the Treasury Department, Sec
ton IF Painting and Sculpture, for
muras for the post Office, and though
the xetch he submitted was not ac-
ceptd, on the recommendation of
the jlry he was asked to redesign and
eventually was given the present as
signnent.
His work from the first showed in
dividlality and talent. He is one of
the NV heretofore comparatively un-
know to emerge with evident promise.
The rum OF his preparation consists
OF tp or three years study at the
Art Institute of Chicago and trip to
Italy Last Summer he did special
work for the Texas Centennial Ex-
positen at Dallas. The panel in the
Post Office Department Building was
begui early in December after sew
eral months of study and is but Just
competed. Mr.. Lea came here to
see i properly set and has now re-
turnd to Ell Paso.
Stirling Water CoIors
By carolyn C. Bradley
On He1U at the Arts Club.
A r THE Arts Club, 2o17 1 street
northwest, two very delightful
exhibitions opened last Sunday to
continue to April 2. These are of
waite colors by Carolyn G. Bradley
and stchings by r. w. Woiceske. The
fornfr are in the gallery, the latter
in TIE reception room and hall. Miss
Bradley, who is an Indiana painter,
is ESSENTIALLY of the new school, be-
aieve, evidently, in the elimination of
detail, uses full brush and strong
color and is direct in her manner of
handing. But she does 60 to nature
for ffr inspiration, and her paintings
havethe ring Of veracity. Her subjects
havebeen found in Spain and France,
In Mexico and elsewhere, and ap-
parertly have been chosen for virility
rs wll as picturesque qualities. Sew
eral have as dominant theme tree
which, because of twisted trunk and
brana1 or unusual foliage and flower,
eeem,d to call for distinction and re-
mark Such is "The Rosal Tree" num-
nav NO In tho cato loo,,a ,,yp,har