Evening star., 1937-08-07
1 1NH1 VII I'm 1 01\OO1
Clark Collection Offers Examples for Study
of American Gains From Abroad.
Loans to Paris.
Rv Leila Mechliu.
SA feature of the great exposl


4 \ stalled notable retrospective
exhibition of French art to which NJ
less than 80 loans have been made b,
American art museums, private collec.
tors and dealers. These, plus the 81
canvases drawn from similar sources
for the Frans Halls Exhibition in Haar-
lem, Holland show how great has beer
the trend of masterpieces from Eu-
rope to America in recent years, as
we'll as the present wealth of Ameri-
can collections. Their loan, further
more, gives indication of international
good will through the medium of art,
but European countries have been so
generous to US in this particular in
the past that we could hardly refuse
request for similar courtesy.
In this connection attention may
will be called to the French art in
the w. A. Clark collection, now the
property of the Corcoran Gallery of
Art, and continuously therein on ex-
hipition. Beginning with works by
French artists of the Gothic period,
this collection traces the art of France
to the present day. Obviously there
are gaps, and wide ones. but on the
whole the story is we'll told, and quite
fully.
Senator Clark was first an art lover
liked, and primarily for his own pleas
ure. and the collection he assembled
Is essentially personal. Mere rarity
and the matter of price did not in
terest him, neither was he concerned
with historical sequence, what at
tracted MIN in every instance was in
trinsic worth, and as his predictions
were broad in scope his acquisitions
cover wide range. Through works of
art possessing genuine merlt-and in
most instances charm--the Clark COL
lection truly, as Royal Cortissoz has
said, "opens varied vistas into the
history of painting"
EFT us follow some of these in the
field of French art. First as
background we have the magnificent
group of Flemish French Gothic tap
estries in conjunction with fine piece
Of stained glass from a church in
Chartres still earlier in date of execu-
ton, and below stairs lovely specimens
Of lace by early French makers, to-
gether with faience by Bernard de
PaliSSy, potter, enameler and glass
maker of the sixteenth century. These
supply our keynote to the later day
paintings. They show us, if we ex-
anime them attentively, the innate
love of the French for beauty the ex-
cellence of their taste. their feeling for
design. 1t is the sum of these qualities
applied to manufacture and various
branches of commercial output which
has given France pre-eminence among
the nations Of Europe if not the world
France has always been particularly
wise as well as clever in this particular.
Wherever and whenever she has dis
covered talent she has enlisted it in
her own service. We in America have
been lavish in imports, but con-
spicuously inhospitable to skilled
labor" including artists and artisans.
In America we have cultivated a great
regard for art but have held the artist
in low esteem, whereas in France the
artist and his gift have always been
reverenced. If in France a traveller
says, Il am an artist" his way is
made easy for him and every facility
k given TO advance his work. There
Is deep rooted love of beauty-and
beauty to the Frenchman is manifest
through art-they are one and the
same. There Is something more than
this, however, in French art. No mat
ter how serious it may be, it is set
forth with lightness of touch which
IL very attractive, it ornaments life, as
. necklace of pearls fair lady.
HERE is no renaissance art in the
French section of the Clark
collection, but when we come to ths
eighteenth century, we find, in addi-
ton to handful of representative
paintings, an entire room taken from
. mansion In Paris with typical fur
nishings, which again supplies back
ground for the art Of the period
The ceiling in this room is of the
school OF Fragonard, gaily painted,
While IN an adjacent anteroom NAV
be seen painting by this master of
decoration, and canvases by Boucher
who in the spirit Of the day delighted
IN compositions of merry little clIpids:
also most charming portrait by
Prud'hon OF Lady With Bright
Eyes"--a typical representative of the
French aristocracy. And on the walls
OF communicating gallery are the
four lovely tapestries designed by
Audran, representing the elements.
hre, water, earth and air woven on
the Gobelin looms with the fairest
q rose color predominating. The
collection also comprises three Beau
vais tapestries after designs by
Boucher.
At the end of the room in which
the Gobelin tapestries have been given
placement Is hung portrait by Nine.
Vigee lie Brun of Eliza beth Of France.
sister OF Louis XVI which admirably
represents the art of portraiture in
France in the eighteenth century
Art in the time of the Louis in
France was essentially aristocratic
but also frivolous. 1t was produced
for the nobility and to order The
Salon was instituted in the follow
ing century-exhibitions of artists
works were then unknown. When
the society for which it was created
was wiped out, 1t too vanjshed--but
~ fragrance remains.
Foreshadowing this change is the
work Of Chardin, admirably repre-
sented in the Clark collection by an
interior with figure, Women With
Saucepan" and still life sub iecj.
He too. it is said could cater to
the vanity Of the aristocrats by paint
ings for them, and superbly, FASH
ionable scenes. but his delight vas
10 slip below stairs and paint what
he found for the sheer love of the
art. There is no greater name in
the history OF French art today than
his, and the Women With Sauce
DAns" Ia a sllDreme examnie