Evening star., 1937-01-09

tlUIlS VI OpdIlASIl Oh 41dNC OCCA Go
sembled and held by the Metropolitan
Museum Of Art, New York, and the
Art Museum at San Diego, California,
is especially rich in Spanish paintings
Bicentenninl OF Birth of Copley
Celebrated by Notable Exhibition.
IN CELEBRATION of the two-hun-
dredth anniversary OF his birth,
the Metropolitan Museum Of Art has
assembled and is showing at this time
an exhibition of the portraits painted
by John Singleton Copley. There
seems to be some doubt as to the ex-
act date of Copley's birth, some au-
thorities giving 1886 and others 1887.
BY selecting the turn OF the year for
the memorial display. the Metropoli-
tan Museum seems to have straddled
the dilemma. Also in this exhibition
the museum has set a standard which
should be remarked and consistently
followed Instead Of striving to Illus
trate all phases of Copley's work. it
has deliberately chosen to show only
his best-that on which his reputation
actually hangs. To this exhibition
three paitings came from Great Brit
ain, radical departure on the part
of this Nation in regard to loans.
These are The Three Princesses"
from Buckingham Palace, THE Death
of Maj Pierson" from the Tate GAL
| lery, and The Death of the Earl OF
Chatham" from the Great Hall OF the
House of Lords. Otrer loans have
been made by museums and private
owners in this country. The aggre-
cation is said to establish without pos
sible doubt Copleys place among the
greatest masters of the eighteenth
| century.
T1Denty-one Years OF DrdUing
Exhibited By Eminent Etcher.
John TAYLOR ARMS, born in
Washington, educated here in the
public schools, and today one of the
foremost American etchers, is holding
from January to 80, a retrospective
Sh4IlDlllOll Va pl l4ltof Al iASO dAlu
original plates representing Twenty
one Years of Drawing" in the Grand
Central Art Galleries. Is Vanderbilt
avenue, New York. After graduating
from the Western High School, Mr..
Arms went to Princeton University
and then studied architecture at the
Massachusetts, Institute of Technol-
ogy, Boston. The Great War, during
which he served in the Navy, inter-
rupted his career. and instead of prac-
| ticing architecture, he became an
etcher. primarily Of architectural
themes.
With exceptional skill and brilliance
Mr.. Arms has interpreted in this
medium the beauty of Gothic build
ings. None surpasses him in techni-
cal skill or in scholarly perception,
and what is more, he brings to his
work unending enthusiasm. He is the
/ president of the Society Of American
Etchers, a National Academicion, and
member of some of the leading pro-
fessional organizations abroad. Be-
cause of old associations, Mr.. Arms
never fails to contribute to exhibitions
in this city. He Is now represented
by three characteristics and charming
prints in the Washington Color Clubs
annual exhibition in the Corcoran
Gallery of Art.
Clifford Beal Has Impressive
Exhibition, Phillips Gallery.
THE exhibition of drawings, etch-
ings and Autographs by Clifford
Beal, which is now in progress in
the Phillips Memorial Gallery, OPEN
ing on January 2, to continue to the
31st. is most engaging. Beal has an
exceedingly virile personality, and
whatever he does in drawing, paint
ing and the graphic arts is strongly
tinged thereby. What is more, he is
without doubt a very serious and sin
cere artist, pursuing his profession
with ardor and conscious effort, and
in this pursuit spending himself and
his talent freely. The amount Of
study that goes into his work is shown
by a series OF drawings in this exhi-
bition which were preliminary to an
etching entitled Gathering Brush"
1t is a complicated composition, in
volving horse-drawn cart filled with
brush collected in Central Park, New
York; several figures in the fore
ground and buildings beneath cloud
swept sky as background. He sketched
it first in pencil and then in pen
and ink, and not once, but again and
again, before apparently finding sat-
isfaction: then the last Of the small
size drawings was enlarged, drawn
and redrawn, until finally transferred
to the plate and etched. One Of these
drawings is covered by a network OF
lines, assuring balance in composition.
But when the work is completed 1t
gives no evidence of effort, the strug-
gle leaves no trace. 1t is significant
also to note, as regards the artists
way of working, that he sometimes
uses the same figure in more than
one composition, which may be in
terpreted as economy Of effort or
fancy for the achievement, pose seized
or character expressed.
| Perhaps no one but Winslow Homer
has more strikingly drawn and pic.