Evening star., 1937-01-30
By Leila Mechlin.
NHE Society Of Washington A

By Leila Mechlin.
TINE Society Of Washington Art
j, lists forty-sixth annual ex-
hibit, which opens to the public
u In the Corcoran Gallery Of Art
tomorrow afternoon (the vanishing
day" private view was this afternoon)
shows none OF the frailties Of ad-
vancing age, but, to the contrary
youthful vigor and enthusiasm. The
works exhibited will be found to be
exceedingly varied, sufficiently expert
mental and distinctly up. to date. Ap-
parently the jury Of selection was sc
open-minded as to find merit in many
different forms of expression, with
the result that a really stimulating
and enlightening survey Of contempo-
sary painting is given.
The place of honor, midway of the
long west wall of the gallery OF
temporary exhibitions in which this
collection is hung, has been given, by
common consent, to q painting by
Alexis Many. for many years a teacher
in one of the local high schools, an
artist of great originality and fine taste
who could almost always be counted
upon for distinguished achievement
The title OF his work is Church in
the Rocks" and, upon examination, a
little church, Spanish in design, is
seen to the left center, perched upon
q narrow ledge on a mountainside;
but primarily this Is an imaginative
composition, abstract, but very dec
orative. The rugged, towering noun
tains which are depicted might be
anywhere-hgurative rather than
-sculptured by the hand Of God
refined and finished by stern time
through the foreordained processes
Of nature. 1t Is big and splendid
conception which, while of today, is
} rooted in the depths of ancient ira
dition. At no time has Mr.. Many
produced q more impressive and nota-
bic work.
To the right and left Of the Many
canvas, at about equal distances, and
in a measure as pendants, are to be
seen two large figure compositions
one by Margaret Moffat Yard of this
city, the other by Catherine Morris
Wright of Philadelphia.
Miss Yards is a double portrait Of
two young girls, singularly alike in
appearance, both dressed in white and
seated on the steps Of house or
studio, with trees and foliage for
BACKGROUND. The title is "The
Artists" The color scheme is rather
high-keyed, tl.- treatment fiat and
the emphasis principally on line and
repetition.
Mrs. Wright's composition, on the
other hand, is distinctly three-dimen-
sional She pictures two small chill
dren at a lunch table, waited upon
by competent-looking maid. Again
the composition is good, and the quail
tty Of indoor atmosphere well inter-
preted. One may feel that the faces
of the children might have been car
ried a little farther to advantage, but
undoubtedly the artist was concerned
not with actualities, but effect-which,
by the way, she renders admirably.
THERE is an unusual number of
L interesting and well-painted fig
ure subjects in this exhibition. Cath
crime c. Critcher shows strong, col
orful painting of Mexican woman
and child, done, doubtless, last Sum-
mer while at Taxco; Hattie Burdette
Is represented at her best by her
portrait of Miss Helen Lippitt in white
satin evening gown (reproduced and
commented upon in these columns a
few weeks ago.; Mrs. Mathilde M.
Leisenring shows head OF Dolores"
a middle-aged woman, very sympa-
thetically rendered, and Hans Schle-
reth contributes a portrait study OF
an ecclesiastic,. gravely and knowingly
painted. Nor are these all. Edward
Shorter of Macon, Ga, a former stu
dent of the Corcoran School of Art,
shows here a portrait study OF a
"Mr. c." SO strong in structure and
so direct in handling that 1t Is dis
tinctly outstanding and full Of promise;
"The Banana Man." by Catherine P.
Melton, Is an ambitious work worthy
Of commendation, as is also pete OF
Taos" a sunny, outdoor portrait by
Aileen Shannon. Other works in this
particular field have been contributed
by Gladys Milligan, Alice Elizabeth
Stinson, Frances Carroll Todd, Julia
Eckes and Mildred Hardy Taggart.
To this exhibition C. Law Watkins,
associate director Of the Phillips Me-
mortal Gallery in charge of educa-
tional activities, and also head of
Studio House and its school, has sent
o small painting of MARY Drobak."
o three-quarter-length standing pose
and about one-fourth life size, rem
dered with great gravity, reticence and
get considerable spirit-a painting
which seems to miss by very narrow
margin being a very exceptional work.
Certainly In this little figure one finds
distinct individuality, vitality and re-
serve. In style and feeling this paint
ing Is distinctly conservative-in fact.
academic" using the word in the
true sense of technically sound"
Mr.. Watkins did not begin to paint
until q few years ago, long after at
tanning maturity. and he has acquired
the art by living with and studying
the works Of accomplished artists Of
this and other days.
Turning to other subjects: Two
essays by local painters are unique
and engaging. These are Europa
and the Maidens," by Omar r. Car
rington-a most amusing still hfe-a
white porcelain and somewhat dilapi,
Aated bull on . studio table sur@