Evening star., 1937-09-11


to the present day The Department
of Anthropology regards this collec-
ton as priceless representation of
the American Indian, accurately exc
cuted with numerous regalia cere-
monial objects and backgrounds which
correct some of the early inaccurate
impressions and conceptions of dress
appearance and living conditions of
the American Indian from the first
English settlement on Roanoke Island.
so lately celebrated, and on James,
town Island, up to modern times.
HE arrangement of the exhibits is
, both chronological and tribal. so
that the visitor is able to compare the
work OF the artist with that of an
other, and at the same time observe
the variations in mode of dress and
physical types. The earliest of these
pictorial portraits are of Virginia In
dians painted by John White in the
late sixteenth century. These are
copies of originals in the British
Museum, but the reproductions are in
color and very faithful. The various
types representing the Indians of the
great plains have been selected from
the large and famous Catlin collec-
ton. Southwestern tribes are repre-
sented by Burbank. Cory and others.
There are also portraits of Apaches
and Pueblos
The grouping is by alcoveS, each Of
which is devoted to one or more of
tie famous artists. The coloring diff
fers considerably according to the
artist and his subject. For example.
most of the portraits by Catlin are
dark in tone, whereas the painters
who followed him in the Southwest
have made use of more vivid hues.
Among the artists represented. in
addition TO White. Catlin, Kate T. |
Cory and (. A. Burbank already men, |
toned, are J. M Stanley, C. B. King. |
b. Mollhauser. H. Elliott, T. j. Rich |
srdson and, of our own day. Henry
Ulke, William H. Holmes. E. w. Dem
ing, Gerald o. Cassidy and John II. |
Sharp.
Ulke, 1t will be remembered. was a
well-known local portrait painter. one |
who did not specialize in Indian por-
traits, and in all probability his
portrait, half length, of Chief Touch |
the Cloud" was painted here when |
the chieftain was on a visit to Wash |
ington
Mr. Holmes. in his capacity as SCI |
enlist, made many trips to the West. |
and his studies of Indians were done |
primarily for scientific use. but Mr.. |
Holmes was always a sensitive and /
accomplished artist Deming and |
Cassidy and Sharp have attained |
distinction as painters of the Amer
lean Indian, illustrators of Indian
life, men who made their home for
many years in the Southwest. This
brings us to section of the current
exhibition of especial interest to the
public. 1t consists of a number of
paintings of Indians made primarily
Tor artistic reasons and included be-
cause of their merit as works of art
in the William T. Evans national art
collection.
MOST notable in this group is a
painting of a Moose Chase"
which shows one of the most mag
nif1cent of our wild forest creatures
swimming for his life in mountain
lake or stream pursued by Indians
in canoe. This painting from the
Evans collection is the work of none
other than George de Forest Brush,
whom the majority regards primarily
as painter of the timeless subject,
mother and child.
Brush studied in Paris under Ger
ONE, but on his return TO America
evidenced a desire to set forth essen
italy American themes. and with this
purpose in mind turned to the Amer
ican Indian. His first painting which
brought him to note was entitled
King and Sculptor" an Indian max
ing carving in the presence of his
tribal ruler. This painting was ex-
hibited in Washington many years
ago in a loan collection set forth for
charity in the residence of the late
Levi P. Morton. But George de For
est Brush has in all probability not
painted an Indian picture for over 40
years
Meanwhile, a great school of Indian
painting at Taos, New Mexico, has
come into existence, fiowered, and. by
death, been almost. in the last couple
Of years, wiped out. Leaders in this
school were Ufer, Couse, who is rep
resented in this exhibition by the por-
trait OF Elkfoot of the Pueblos H.
Hubert Dunton. Blumenschein, Bir-
ninghaus and others. Couse, strangely
enough, was also a product of the
French schools, being a pupil of the
Ecole de BeauX krts and of Bouguer-
eau, but practically for all his pro-
fessional life lived in Taos and de-
voted himself to paintings illustrative
OF Indian life as it was lived in that
pueblo. Some felt that his paintings
paralleled in measure artistically
the writings Of Cooper In short.
that they presented the lyrical and
IS NOW RET