davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1938-03-20

medium, his work has style, and, il
one looks closely enough. throughout
it all may be discerned a note def
nitely Of Russian derivation. Mr..
Gordon has received commissions for
several portraits while in Washington.
Portrait of Justice Brundeis..
EBEN COMINS has painted, in all,
three portraits Of Justice Bran
deis. all of which were done without
sittings. but as the result Of close
scrutiny and study. The first. which
was a. full length, and many thought
admirable, he destroyed as to his mind
inadequate. The second was a half
length and was used in part as first
hand data and guide for the third.
In short, an enormous amount of
work has gone into the painting of
the canvas to be exhibited for the
first time this afternoon, work extend
ing over considerable number OF
years and carried on with the utmost
interest and elements of scholarship
on the part of the painter as we'll as
with profound admiration for the
great jurist portrayed.
This present canvas, which Is most
imposing both in size and character,
has been acquired by the Law School
of Harvard University and will oc-
cupy one of four great bays. the three
others being filled, respectively, by
portraits of John Marshall, Daniel
Webster and Oliver Wendell Holmes,
outstanding as lawyers and In the
history of our country.
Mr.. Comins has pictured Justice
Brandeis in his black robe Of ONCE
seated in straight-backed chair be-
fore curtained background, very quiet
Evening star., 1938-03-20

ity. and he proposes TO- 60 to South
America in the early part Of the COM
ing summer, and, in Peru and Bolivia,
continue the series While on his re-
cent travels, he came across tn Qua
temalan villages some very interesting
and beautiful costumes richly embroid-
cred in bright colored worsteds and
fine designs-a number OF which he
acquired and will show with his draw
ings. These he exhibits with the ut
most enthusiasm. speaking in highest
praise of the character and instructive
artistic feeling Of the people whom he
has portrayed. This series of portrait
studies of the Indians Of America by
Mr.. Comins constitutes. through the
field Of art, a valuable contribution to
history and memorial Of a great van
ishing race.
Ultra-Modern Paintings on
Vie1O in Washington.
TWO ultra modern exhibitions are
in progress here at this time
one in the Phillips Memorial Gallery,
the other in the Art Gallery OF How
ard University, the latter sponsored
by the w. P. A. Federal Art Project.
The exhibition in the Phillips Me-
mortal Gallery is to be found in the
print. rooms in the basement, and
consists Of water colors and oils by
Paul Klee. = Swiss-born painter. for
merly one of the leaders Of the Bau-
haus group in Dessau, Germany.
This collection has been lent by the
Nierendorf Galleries in New York.
The Bauhaus was an art institution
OF unique character. set up in Ger
many to teach and propagate mod
Evening star., 1938-03-20
TWO LEADERS IN PORTRAITS
Artists Picture the Outstanding Qualities of Justice Brandeis and
Secretary Hull-Ultra. Modern Paintings Are Shown.
Machine Age-Other Subjects.

less the ability to achieve that end,
but seems to have stopped Just short
of realization. Obviously. his difncul-
ties were great. To make 4 study of
hands as indicative of character ~
the face would have entailed time
and many sittings. which the Secre-
tary of State could not give. There
fore, perhaps, the best that could
be done was the choice that the
painter has made Of presenting only
an impression. but one essentially
vital. In judging \ portrait one is
always between the neurological rock
and whirlpool. either of which may
be fatal-that Of the Photographic
good likeness" which is lifeless and
the spirited painting which Is vital,
but not always mature. Obviously,
the ideal is midway between, and the
only accurate measure of merit Is
comparison with those great portraits,
diverse in character, which have stood
the test of time. These, however,
We must recall, were produced in days
less strenuous, more calm, than those
in which We live.
Leon Gordon. the painter of this
portrait of Secretary Hull, is Rus
sian by birth. but American by adop-
ton. He was born In Borisov. Minsk,
in May, 1899, and did not come to
this country until 1904. Here he
studied first in the Art Institute of
Chicago and then in the American
Academy Of Design, New York. Later
he went to Europe and studied under
masters in the Kunst Academic,
Vienna. He is member Of the So
ciety of Illustrators and the Salma-
gundi Club. New York, and maintains
studios in both New York and Paris
He has had many distinguished sit
ters, among them some of the lead
ing women as we'll as men of America.
His line is fluent, he commands his
Evening star., 1938-03-20

the pyramids with copper saws, and
because Of this later peoples assumed
that the saws were Of hardened cop
per. As matter Of fact, . soft cop
per saw fed with emery dust may be
used In such a cutting" -.
MUCH Of the mystery which seems
to surround the high develop
ment in the art Of making stained
glass in medieval days likewise van
ishes when closer scrutiny Is indulged.
In certain cathedrals. notably those
Of Charities and York. the brilliance Of
the stained glass windows and the
beauty of their designs ars 20 great -
Evening star., 1938-03-20
Many Examples Cited of Vaunted Genius
of Ancients Held Vastly Inferior
to That of Present Age.

was made in small quantities. The
artist Of those days would pick out just
the bits of glass he needed to create
an exact effect. making his selections
from wide variety of thicknesses,
mottles, waves and streaks in the glass;
The task of assembling them often re-
quired lifetime. Nowadays lifetimes
seem worth too much money to be de-
voted to such painstaking effort.
It IS this state of affairs that comes
bobbing up constantly to emphasize
the real reason why we are not pro-
ducing as did our fathers Of long ago.
Working almost endlessly at small
tasks to win the favor of their gods
or their rulers. medieval and ancient
men invited finenesses Of technique
that could not be matched in these
days Of hustle, even if the desire or
need to approach them existed.
In almost every case whele an
amazing product has come out of the
past 1t is easy enough to make chem
ical analysis reveal the actual ma
terials that were used. And, for the
AAO0S pAAVS tA1C0C NuatCA lALo VAA DC OA-
plicated.
WITNESS the tints applied to old
~ Chinese potteries and porcelains.
Chemists can fairly well determine
the ingredients used in making the
breath-taking yellows, compelling reds
and elusive blue-gray-green colorings
classed as celedons. But there Is little
chance to reproduce the technique
born Of centuries of Oriental effort.
It is held by many authorities that
the. hand of man may not ever again
produce those vapory hues.
Another art among those reputedly
lost Is that of making the blue glazes
produced In ancient Japan. Working
without standardized processes, the
japanese Of early years turned out
innumerable oven patches. Through
the sheerest Of accidents, some of the
individual pieces possessed rare beauty.
Out Of the mass those Of exceptional
quality were selected. dedicated to
the gods and handed down in temples.
And these sets, TAR from being rep
reseotative Of the work of even the
Evening star., 1938-03-20
By Mary Jane Moore.

~ HE "lost arts have not strayed,
nearly SO far into the dimness-
es Of the past as most folks
L think. Furthermore, many Of
them are nothing but prowling myths,
while others are 50 old that they
would be useless even If they were
right in the middle Of the hustling
present.
As q matter of fact, they might
much better be called forgotten arts"
Scientists simply are too busy nova
days discovering new arts, and the
rest of us are too thoroughly con-
cerned with the immediate present
to think further back than last
months bank statement. And so the
old arts are left behind.
Five or six hundred years ago, be-
fore the spirit of invention really laid
its unshakeable hold on man, great
importance was attached to the pos
sibility of salvaging methods and ma
terials out Of the days that had gone
before. .~
It was in the closing years Of the
16tn century that . learned Italian,
Guido Pancirollus, professor Of civil
law at the University of Padua, set
for himself the task Of compiling in
formation Concerning those things
which were in use among the an
clients but are now discontinued and
In disuse." Impelled by the interest
Of the Duke Of Savoy in the subject,
he sought to provide that intellectual
noble with means of comparing the
accomplishments Of the past with
those of his day.
Prof. Pancirollus must have sub
mitted his findings to Savoy in GIN
gerly fashion, for they rather reflect
ed against the minds of his time.
He had dug up 50 many ARTS" and
rumors Of "arts" that their number
greatly exceeded the inventions Of
his era. p.
Two hundred years later an anonyA
nous commentator on the profes-
sor's work took pains to point out
that Nature recently had confessed
strange secrets when tortured On the
Evening star., 1938-03-20

best craftsmen and coming from op-
erations directed in large degree by
luck, are those now resting in mu-
seums and the collections of indi-
viduals.
To the number of arts falsely or
rightly construed as being lost must
be added some which probably had
existence only in myth and whimsy.
One of the strangest and most i'm
probable reports relates to supposed
development of ductile glass-which
would bend like soft metal when
dropped-during the reign Of IT.
berius.
The story has it that Tiberius was
told about smith who made vessels
Of glass "as strong and durable as
those made of gold and silver" Being
summoned, the smith showed a sample
Of his art to the Emperor. The better
to recommend himself to imperial
favor, he dashed the vial to the pave
ment and then hammered it back
into shape "as though it had been
some metal in the form Of glass.
The Emperor was jealous Of the
mans achievement and, finding that
no other man in the world could pro-
duce the strange glass, he is said to
have gained some satisfaction by hav-
ing the clever fellow beheaded. To
cover the purpose that moved him
to the act, Petronius declares, the EN-
peror told folks that he sent the
secret process to the grave with the
inventor, so that the prices Of gold and
silver would not be reduced by wide
use Of the glass.
Perhaps the making Of that vial
may be ranked as q lost art; most
likely it is to be ranked as something
else. At any rate. it Is considered
by scientists as "just something that
makes good reading"
Just about the time that all this is
alleged to have happened in Rome,
cements were being widely used to
bind rocks together In structures. In
some cases these cements have lasted
to modern times, remaining long after
the crumbling Of rocks which they
united.
Evening star., 1938-03-20

to make modern products seem second
rate. Part Of the seemingly superior
brilliance undoubtedly is due to the fact
that the window openings in the old
cathedraH were small and high, while
the rooms were dark. Under these
circumstances the stain shows to much
greater advantage than in the modern
structures, which have larger and
lower window openings and spacious
interiors. "-':.
Something definite has been lost in
the art Of making stained glass, how
ever, and that Is the patiencs and time
required to work out the medieval de.
signs and 70 assemble the giass, which
Evening star., 1938-03-20
Current Exhibitions

CORCORAN GALLERY OF
ART-Special exhibition of
sculpture by Anna Hyatt Hunt
lngton. Exhibition of drawings
by Leon Kroll. Exhibition of
water colors by Elisabeth E.
Poe. Illustrative drawings by
William j. Glackens. Opens
March %.
SMIT SONIAN INSTITu-
T1ON-Etchings-chiefy of
Industrial and marine themes
by James E. Allen.
UNITED STATES NATIONAL
MUSEUM-Arts and Industries
Building-Exhibition of pic
torial photographs by the late
Nicholas Boris of Cincinnati.
PHILLIPS MEMORIAL GAL
LERY-Exhibition of drawings
and paintings by Paul Klee.
PHILLIPS GALLERY STUDIO
HOUSE-Exhibition Of work by
John Gernand and Aida Con-
over. Washington Room
Works by artists Of Washing
ton and vicinity.
ARTS CLUB OF WASHING
TON-Paintings by artists of
Washington and Baltimore.
Prints and drawings by Thomas
Handforth.
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART.
WASHINGTON GALLERY
Closed this week.
GALLERY OF MODERN MAS
TERS-Exhibition of mountain
landscapes in pastel by EVELYN
Carter Giles.
PUBLIC LIBRARY, main build
ing-Exhibition of drawings by
Carl Nyquist. GEORGETOWN
Branch-Oil paintings by local
artists. Mount Pleasant Branch
Paintings by John Darling
and Eleanor Reed.
CH1LDREN'S MUSEUM, s. P.
A., independence avenue-Ex-
hibition of work by children in
local public schools.
WOMEN'S CITY CLUB-Joint
exhibition Of paintings in oil,
water color and pastel by
Adrienne Low and M. M. Hud-
gins.
LITTLE GALLERY, Georgetown
Paintings and etchings by
Ralph James Totten. Closes
tomorrow.
SHOREHAM HOTEL Exhibi-
ton of flower paintings by
Elizabeth Muhlhofer.
HOWARD UNIVERSITY ART
GALL E r Y-Exhibition of
paintings by I. Rice Pereira.
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, 6l4
3 street N.W.-Exhibition Of
groups Of paintings by A. H. o.
Role and Margaret ZimmeIe.
Evening star., 1938-03-20

Science Today Declares Most of Them to Be
Myths and Says the Remainder Can
Be Proftably Forgotten.

rack of inquisitive experiments, thus
indicating that current inventions and
discoveries 1t last had q chance to
Offset the volume Of those that had
been lost.
THE passing Of more than q dozen
decades since that observation was
made finds radio, x-rays, airplanes
and all the rest Of the modern troop
proudly disporting themselves, with
Damascus blades, cathedral windows
and the rest Of that ilk looking on
from distant shadows.
Authorities of the National Bureau
Of Standards are Of the opinion that If
1t were possible to make a complete
survey Of. the worlds literature-allow-
ing for the books destroyed when the
library of Alexandria, Egypt, was sack
ed-very little mystery about the crafts
of the ancients would remain. The
bureau has omcially spiked the idea
that the art of hardening copper died
with our far-removed ancestors. A
rather widespread impression that the
SOVCA AAuCut WW0 WAAAAB w 10y y AS-
ward for rediscovery of the process
had existed before this action was
taken. -.
The following Is quoted from the bu-
reau's statement: 49,.
There Is nothing new or 'mysteri-
Gus in hardened copper; immense
quantities are In commercial use and
more Is being added daily. Any metal
lurgist knows today how to produce
an edged tool OF hardened copper Is
good Is any made In prehistoric times,
but the knowledge does him no good
because Of the vast superiority Of the
steel tools now available"
The bureau also refers inquiring
minds to the conclusions reached by
William Edwards Henderson. ut Ohio
State University, who says
The hardening of copper is often
spoken OF a . lost accomplishment.
Homer's 'Illiad' tells us that copper
was hardened by heating and plunging
it into water. We know that copper
actually il softened by such . process,
hence Homer apparently meant iron.
Ths ancients cut sranits blocks. TO.
Evening star., 1938-03-20

ernistic ideas Of design, and was, some
months ago, interdicted by the Hitler
government. Some OF the leaders in
the movement have come to this
country and a second "Bauhaus" is
being, or has been, set up in Chicago;
all Of which adds interest and sig
nificance to the display Of Paul Klee's
work
AS to the work itself. Being almost
from first to last utterly inarticulate
1t Is most difficult to describe We
associate design with positive express
sion. with coordination, with orderly
repetition, rhythm, balance. unity Of
effect, decorative quality-all of which
the paintings, or so-called designs"
Of Paul Klee's do not have. Color
they have, and sometimes in pleasing
combinat tion but never in orderly ar
rangement, or as though deliberately
thought out There is a certain child
ish naivete about some OF the exhibits
which suggests the accidental achieve
ment of one Of very tender years, but
as the work of one mature both in
years and understanding they are in
comprehensive.
In color they are for the most part
delicate and refined, but they neither,
as a rule. suggest or initiate anything
"in heaven above or the earth be-
meath or the waters under the earth"
they are abstract. and, so far as
meaning goes. completely void To
be sure, in one, under the veil of tint,
one may, upon close scrutiny, discover
some outlines OF houses, but whether
they were put in deliberately or hap
pened to be there in advance. it is
hard to decide. In the whole exhi-
bition there is one portrait-that of
very grotesque, red-faced lady whose
nose is joined to ner mouth and whose
left eye is blotted out-by accident or
intention-but not to the advantage
Of her beauty. What. does it all
mean? Why should work of this sort
be taken seriously? To those perti-
.nent questions the present reviewer
can give no answer. Because they
AAo 'S ceSA AoiAolCO py ulSpldy III 'l1e
Phillips Memorial Gallery, some will
undoubtedly incline to the belief that
they must have subtle merit which
only the most sensitive and discerning
can apprehend. This may be 50. Time
will tell
Man and Machine Age,
As Represented By
A w. p: A. Artist.
THERE is nothing subtle or uncer-
tain about the paintings by I. Rice
Pereira which are now on view in the
Art Gallery of Howard University.
To the contrary. they proclaim them
selves with vigor and positiveness by
their size, color and use of form. Miss
Pereira is distinctly an abstraction
ist-she takes her lead from Picasso
and Braque-but it is doubtful if
she knows her Louvre" as they do
or has been, as they were, stepped in
tradition. Her chief concern" we
are told. lis as an artist. with instru-
ments that have created the present
Machine Age" These" continues the
chronicler, she uses symbolically, and
although she does not attempt to re-
produce definite machines in her
paintings her concept of form and her
invention OF motifs are derived from
Evening star., 1938-03-20

an understanding of the functions and
social influence Of the machine in
modern life"
This results in series Of large, can
vases, painted in oils, showing a con-
glomeration Of parts OF machines 1um-
bled together. the earliest dated 1888.
the latest 1897. not one Of which
possesses the slightest remnant OF
beauty. The titles given are illuminate
ing; for instance, Machine Impro.
visation," Man and Machine" "Ven-
tilators." Pendulum" Curves and
Angles" Ascending Scale" Also cer-
tain objects employed as units in her
designs are recognizable. But what
reason or excuse have such paintings
for existence? They do not charm o,ir
eye. they tell us nothing. The mere
delight, to which Gertrude Stein has
referred, Of paint on canvas. is lack
ing here, for that only comes through
sensitiveness and passion on the part
of the painter. and these paintings
are not SO enriched. They seem to
have been produced solely to shock
and to have been painted with a di-
rectness that gave no odds to cum
ming.
Again. in this collection is one fig
ure painting. naturalistic portrait,
in which. however. the most is made
of ugliness and the least OF spirit-a
grievous thing to look upon despite its
vigorous rendering. II this is the art
that the machine age has brought us
We are to be pitied, indeed. But this
We deny. Machinery in its order'i-
ness, power and rhythm has beauty
of its own which this painter has
failed to understand or interpret. Her
paintings force the visitor to stop and
LOOKOUT apparently to no purpose.
Excellent work has been done and
is being done in the Art Department
of Howard University under Prof.
Herring and his associates, and the
exhibitions shown in the Art Gallery
are for the benefit OF the students
as well as the public. The desire Is to
show the best and to reflect so far
as possible the trends Of the day.
But an institution in putting forth
exhibits in a measure gives them in
dorsement, which If not fully consid-
cred misleads and misdirects popular
understanding The present exhibi-
ton would seem to be 4 case in point.
We want to 60 forward. not back
ward. . .- .,
Competitions for Sculpture
And Mural Paintings
Announced by Treasury
Art Section.
A S EVERY one knows, a great
worlds fair. commemorating the
sesquicentennial Of Washington's in
auguration as President OF the United
States, will be held in New York in
1899. The United States Government
will have a building therein, and
during the past week announcement
was made by the Treasury Depart
ment, Procurement Division, section
Of painting and sculpture, of the
first competition Of proposed $4,000
program for the decoration Of this
building.
The subject of the competition will
be the sculptural decorations Of the
two great towers on the main facade
Of the building. Twenty thousand
Evening star., 1938-03-20

and with great dignity. The figure is
admirably placed on the canvas and
well posed. the hands folded and rest
ing lightly in his lap: his knees crossed
with the toe of his black shoe appear
ing from under the edge Of his gown.
He faces the observer with attentive
expression. Some Of the ruggedness
that Is associated with Lincoln Is in
his face-and rightly-for again it Is
the ruggedness Of character. Standing
before this portrait one feels ones self
in the presence of 4 man who has not
underestimated the responsibility of 4
public servant, nor surrendered deter
mination to uphold high ideals: 4
leader among men, and ut the same
time q humanitarian. Mr.. Comins has
never done . finer piece Of work or
produced more satisfying portrait.
From tomorrow for 4 week or more 1t
will be on view In the Corcoran Gallery
OF Art before going for permanent
placement to Harvard.
An Interesting Series OF
Portraits OF Mexican and
Gudten1nla11r NdtiDes.
ON THE walls Of Mr.. Comins' Con-
necticut avenue studio at present
are two engaging groups Of drawings,
made by him. during two past sum-
mers, In Mexico and in Guatemala. Of
natives Of these countries. The first
are in crayon; the second in crayon
and pastel; both consist Of character
studies of Exceptional types. The Qua
temalan group has not been exhibited
here as yet, but will be seen this after
noon, privately. at the studio tea, and
publicly early in June. by invitation,
in the Corcoran Gallery Of Art.
Mr.. Comins has become greatly in
terested in these neighbors of ours to
the south, not merely on account Of
their picturesqueness, but individual
The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1938-08-05
Cement Plant
Loan Is Rejected

Three of the banks represented on
the advisory board of the RFC loan
agency of San Francisco are tied up
closely with three cement companies;
they have "interlocking directories, +"
that IS, one or more directors in each
case sitting Oh the board Of the bank
and Of the cement company. There
is no particular reason for surprise
that the application for loan to build
a cement plant was turned down. If
you want to know what that means,
ask Secretary Ickes about the abso-
lutely fixed price which the govern
ment has to pay.
And there is very little doubt that
many other big industries have just
as good a pull with the bankers on
advisory councils" in other districts
as cement has in San Francisco.