Evening star., 1938-05-22

Art, had in this regard the following
| to say:
Fortunately for the world, art is a
universal language. understood by all
| peoples. 1t is not confined either to
East or West. or North or South. 1t
recognizes no boundaries of nation or
race AS rule. from whatever coun-
| try it comes, it is free to enter all
other countries. 1t serves to knit to-
gether peoples of all countries, of all
! languages and of all races in a COM
mon love of beauty. 1t makes for
peace and good will and for a com
mon understanding Hence the USE
fulness of such exhibitions as this"
To the current exhibition of Swedish
art in the Corccran Gallery of Art this
is entirely applicable May history
along these lines long and frequently
repeat itself.
The Big Ten Make Surprisingly
Bad Shouting in Art.
IF ONE would know to what state
of confusion art teaching has been
brought today it will only be necessary
to visit the exhibition of student work
done in State universities in the Mid
die West, known as the big Ten
which opened in the college wing of
the Art Gallery in the new Interior
Department Building the first of last
week. It is unbelievable. If work Of
the order here set forth came from
the uninstructed and the lower classes.
Intellectually. it would be bad
enough, but when the source is insti-
tutions of higher education and the
supposedly trained, it is unutterably
shocking.
The first gallery into which one en-
ters is given over for the most part to
work in oils and water colors by stu
dents-one or two each-in the sew
eral Observation-Disclosures. Iowa, In
diana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Mime
sofa and others. Almost without ex-
ception the subjects chosen are dis
pleasing, if not offensive or meaning
less, and the painting is slovenly and
ill done. To find such an epidemic so
widespread is alarming in the extreme.
What can be the state of mind of the
producers-certainly not one which is
healthy or happy.
The subjects chosen for rendition are
ugly. vulgar and debased-back alleys,
gas tanks, vulgar women. Not one has,
or pretends to have, a ray of beauty;
none is lovingly and beautifully rem
dered; there is no evident respect for
the art practiced or love for ones EEL
low man. Under such circumstances
no great art can come forth.
There Is one academic canvas-a
still-life omposition-which was ap-
parently painted with care but without
spirit. There Is one water color OF
flowers and still life which shows some
lightness of touch and charm in color.
There is landscape Corn Country
Iowa." which has some merit in COM
position And. also, there Is a cover
design for rip Van Wrinkle" which
manifests certain amount OF imagi-
nation-but no one of these can be
ranked as outstanding or even prom
ising student work. A portrait by a
student of Iowa University of his
father is perhaps, from a technical
standpoint, best-but even this is lack
ing in artistic quality and feeling.
There is much poor drawing, and there
is still more poor painting, both Of
which can be taught.
There are those who will claim that
the effort of educators today, in this
as in other fields, Is to allow the stu
dent complete freedom for self-expres-
sion and the development Of individ-
uality as we'll as Imagination. But
apparently these students either had
nothing to express or lacked the power.
As to imagination-there seems to
have been none at all. Instead, one
notes here and there an echo, faint,
to be sure, but recognizable, Of some
modern, spotlighted personality.
In the collection there is an example
of abstraction and another of nom
objective art, both Of which are trivial.
It Is pitiful and bewildering array,
and additional data supplied by the
group exhibits in the adjoining gal
lery do not relieve the impression Of
misguided inadequacy. In fact. in
these group exhibits. chiefly made up
of student water colors. the drawing is
still worse, and the character Of the
exhibits inferior to that of those pro-
duced by children in the classes car
ried on under the w. P. A. art project.
Were they not so sad they would be
absurd.
Take, for example. some essays in
interior decorating One interior shows
a brick or stone mantel decorated with
6 valance of yellow and white checked
gingham: another boasts perfectly
circular fireplace opening; a third,
hour glass curtains at the windows,
for novelty. and novelty
alone. There is q set Of figure paint.
ings from one university. all Of which
are cut after the same pattern-that