Evening star., 1937-05-01
Bv Leila MechIu.
4 MONG the exhibitions opening
IL. fl,af af

~ and prints of animals by a
4 A Spanish sculptor, Mateo Her.
nandez. set forth in Studio House, is
perhaps most novel.
Hernandez is an interesting char
scter and has attained to very con-
siderable distinction in France as we'll
as his native country. His father was
a master builder of Bejar, where the
young Mateo passed his boyhood, and
it was there, at the age Of IL, that he
began his professional career by max
ing carving on a granite wall In
his early 2Os he went to Paris, estab-
lished himself in bare attic near the
"Jardin des Plantes,' and began carv-
ing animals from living models. His
work soon found It's way into the
salon and won honors. An example
was purchased for the Luxembourg,
and gradually his fame was spread
About 10 years ago, an exhibition OF
his SCULPTURE was held in Madrid
under the auspices of the Society of
Fine Arts of that city, opened by the
Duke of Alba, president of the society,
with members of the royal family in
attendance. His first exhibition In
this country was held in New York. in
the Drummer Galleries, in 1885. The
following year the Metropolitan Mu-
scum of Art acquired his BLACK
Panther" carved in diorite, highly pol
ished.
Entirely self-taught, Hernandez is
said to combine in his sculptural work
the characteristics of the ancient
Egyptian and the modern French
plastic art 1t is very simple, some
what stylized, but at the same time
vital. He has subjected himself to
rigorous training and spares no pains
10 attain perfection. It IS his habit
10 cut his sculpture directly in stone,
and the harder the better, without
preliminary sketch or model. He does
not work in clay and his SCULPTURE is
never cast. He is reported to have
said that he likes to feel his work Is
ndestructible and will last into etern-
.ty Not only is he a very skillful
craftsman, but is noted for physical
strength and can lift and carry with
case the blocks Of heavy stone he
carves.
So much for Hernandez the sculp-
tor. OF Hernandez the printmaker
and craftsman there is also much to
say But the two do not seem iden-
teal As sculptor he concerns himself
primarily with form, and gives express
ell y1dth e4yVerN1jcitv oys1 HiYoNt-
ness: as printmaker and craftsman,
he presents his theme with utmost
flatness and apparently feels his way
through measurable confusion. II
these drawings were made as studies
they would be understandable, but to
the contrary, they are an end in them
selves. To an extent, his manner Of
handling is very similar, whatever
printmaker's medium he employs, and
the fact Is that 1t Is difficult at a
glance to differentiate between his
dry points and his linoleum blocks,
neither of which exhibit the customary
distinguishing characteristics of the
media. But his line is extremely in
teresting. 1t Is broad and not too
smooth; only occasionally does it
seem to flow; sometimes it is white in
stead of black, and conveys the i'm
preston of rough incisions. In fact
there is more than suggestion In
kome Of his prints and drawings OF
line pictures cut on stone by Chinese
artists of the earliest eras. And what
love he has for animals Not 1t
would seem because Of something
within themselves, but because OF their
shapes their engaging oddities. Take
for example a group OF giraffes de-
picted in outline against smuged
background. or group of zebra with
camel, and other African animals,
oryx or impalla; dark against light,
very knowingly portrayed, but with a
certain naive simplicity commonly as
sociated with the beginnings Of art in
q people or an individual. Perhaps In
this simplicity is discovered the rela-
ton between Hernandez's drawings and
his sculpture, both of which hark
back to the primitive but without
crudity or deliberate intent. Sculp-
turally he undoubtedly attains the
finer expression, eliminating all evil
dence of struggle and attaining his
result with the appearance OF COM
plete mastery. But perhaps, after all,
the prints are unconsciously means
to this end, the study that has gone
into them enabling him to attain COM
plete plastic freedom. In any event.
fhn ripte lrov no c11pn1ay,o ont
and enlarge our knowledge and ap-
probation Of the sculpture, at the
same time that they permit insight
into this artists way of working.
Mateo Hernandez is painter as vel
as sculptor and craftsman, and in.
cluded in this exhibition are some ex-
perlments he has made in encaustic
painting on cement panels. From the
experimental standpoint these are in.
teresting, but the results so obtained
are artistically not significant or par.
ticularly pleasing. Some years ago he
painted his own portrait in broad.
brimmed hat and high-collared' coat
showing himself to be Of typica
Spanish cast Of features, dark eyed
with large nose and firm mouth ane
chin. BY we'll known English critic
he has been declared "the greatest
sculptor Spain has produced"
Studio House Shows
Paintings by Artists OF
Washington and Baltimore.
IN STUDIO HOUSE there aks
opened, on April 20, to continu,
through May 10, an exhibition o,
paintings by a group Of artists In som.
way associated with the Studio Hous,
activities. The majority OF these pic.
lures are recent productions. but some
have been shown during the Winter
IN other exhibitions. For instance
there is humorous painting OF Sun.
day at the Zoo" by Alice Acheson
Which was included in the Society O,