Evening star., 1938-04-17

mSlstent IN the works OF PicaSSo?
Strength, force. brutality. arrest
through shock, rising to consumma-
ton in sheer confusion Of thought
and unintelligibility His distractions
are praised because OF their design
and pattern-but design presupposes
orderliness in conception. rhythm,
balance. harmony in expression His
figures have solidity, brute strength.
monumental quality. but no spirit.
none of that quality which lifts man
above the beasts and allies him with
the divine-the immortal.
Art is not an end in itself; it can
not be learned. it cannot be taught,
it is gift of God bestowed upon the
few for the delectation of the many.
For centuries it has been associated
in the minds of men with beauty, it
has been a fount of refreshment,
consolation, delight The measure
Of nations in the matter of civilization
has been attainment in art Art has
m the past been a universal language
through which the aspiration of man
for the things of the spirit has been
tangibly expressed. When We sur
render this ideal we give up a most
precious heritage and are miserablv
impoverished The bull pen" of Eu-
rope-and for that matter of Asia
does not need extension. We are all
TOO conscious OF its existence and its
danger. What We should seek is an
antidote to the poison which exudes
from it-and this seems not to be IN
Picasso's gift. He may be clever, in
ventive, powerful, and his works for
TINS reason may command high prices
from those who seek novelty, but as
compared to the great masters of the
past, or our own masters of yesterday,
he has no great message to impar.-
unless 1t is that OF warning.
John Mdrin's Water Colors.
JOHN MARIN's water colors, to
which two rooms in the Phillips
Memorial Gallery are now given, are
quite a different matter. Mr.. Marin
was trained in this country and
France and his paintings and etchings
originally were, in character, quite
academic. Then, rather suddenly,
about 25 years ago. he developed, or
invented, method of his own for
presenting in water color tn hrgs SEEN
which, while adhering in a measure to
reality. was at long last pure HERO
glyphic These won the admiration
OF Alfred Steiglitz, the pictorial pho
tographer who was one of the fist
apostles of modernism in this country,
and by whom they were brought TO
public attention, exploited. marketed,
to the painters great advantage. Mr..
Phillips was one of Marins earliest
patrons, and during the passing years
has been consistently understanding
OF his viewpoint and appreciative OF
his achlevement. The majority. if
not all. of the works now on exhibl-
ton are either from the Phillips COL
lection or lent by Mr.. Stieglitz.
Martins painting is a thing apart.
In the presence of Nature he dashes
down an impression, or a half-dozen
Impressions, in the twinkling of an
eve, and lets it 60 at that. Those who
can follow him sympathetically take
pleasure in constructing from these
the whole scene. or find satisfaction
in testing its flavor To many, how
ever, these rapid sketches, made with
out regard to actuality in line or
color. have no meaning at all, and
SUCH as these the painter cheerfully
eliminates from his audience. AS Mr.
Phillips has wisely said, Mr.. Marin's
script is unlike the caligraphy of
the Oriental painters, in that it in
herits no prescribed subject matter
and no rule for technic" It is the last,
particularly. that Marin has discarded
thereby freeing himself from restric-
ton, but exiling himself from the
company Of the immortals. No great
art has developed, even though it be
God-given, save through discipline
Marin's paintings are completely un-
disciplined. He has. guided by the
impressionists, tried to give the mere
essence of things seen, but carrying
the doctrine too far has reduced it to
absurdity. II we are to take art into
this upper ether and not have it lost
in mist, we must give the impression
Of still having our feet on firm ground
Mr.. Marin has won his chief success
in water color painting, but of late
he has turned to oils-three of which
are included in the present exhibition.
These are all Of the sea, strong in
color and effective, but for Marin's