Evening star., 1939-07-02
Today's Art
Links With :
Best Unfair
National Academy
Shows Results
In New York
Ru Leila MechLin.

forth instead in its galleries at 2l5
West Fifty-seventh street, from
May 8 to July Is, special exhi-
bition, commemorative in character.
which would furnish an authentic
background for the American Art
of Today" as shown in the Con-
temporary Art Building on the
fair grounds during the summer.
This is an exhibition which those
visiting the fair should not fail to
see.
The National Academy is the
Oldest organization in the United
States composed exclusively of
artists, and it occupies somewhat
the same position here as the Royal
Academy does in Great Britain. It
was founded in 1926 with Samuel
F. B. Morse, painter and inventor
of the telegraph, as its first presi-
dent, and the list of its members
and associates reads as the honor
roll of art in America For these
many years it has maintained
free school and has held exhibitions,
the latter open to non-members as
we'll as members.
Many changes have taken place
during the more than a century of
Its existence: there have been re-
volts and schisms within the aca-
demic ranks, as we'll as without;
stood for sound teaching and tech
nical mastery without which no fine
art can attain distinction or be as
sured permanence. A group of
academicians broke away one time
to form the Society of American
Artists" but later came back into
the fold. The Century Club, New
York, is an outgroWth of a sketch
club established in the early days
OF the academy by Morse and his
associates Radicals still inveigh
against what they term the restric-
tions of the academy. but in most
instances accept, with alacrity, elec-
tion therein, while the dyed-in-the
wool conservatives fearfully regard
the open-door policy which the in
stitution preserves.
Brought Up to Date.
The art of today is of necessity
the child of yesterday. and no mat
ter how widely it may diverge from
the ideals of the past of it, it is
still living part Doubtless for this
reason the president of the National
Academy and the committee in
charge of the current exhibition in
sisted that it should be contem-
porary, as we'll as retrospective-in
other words, that the record should
be brought up to date and the evo-
luton OF the Art of Today" fully
illustrated
The result is exceeding happy
In the first place it shows that good
art is always good and that bad
art df paradoXically there can be
such thing does not grow any
better through the addition of years;
secondly, that good art is the ex-
ception, not the rule, but lives while
bad art perishes, and, thirdly, that
tradition in this country as else
where has been built up by those
who, while accepting discipline and
acquiring proficiency. have primarily
been personally richly endowed
the talented few rather than the
aspiring many. Apparently the
academy is liberator rather than
jailer, offering opportunity to the
free of spirit, but unable to wing
the feet Of those who have no dis
tant vision.
The academy's Special Worlds
Fair Exhibition begins at the front
door of the familiar Fifty seventh |
street building and continues
through the complete circuit of
galleries. Portraits of IS past presi- !
dents, from Morse to the present /
incumbent, Jonas Lie, self-painted /.
or by fellow academicians on the |
walls of the foyer not only recall |
vividly outstanding personalities,
but evidence the excellence of por-
trait painting in this country from |
early days to today. Here the visitor |
makes the acquaintance of such |
men of distinction as Asher B. |
Durand, painter and engraver: |
Daniel Huntington, Henry Peters
Gray and Worthington Whittridge |
all admirably represented in the
Corcoran Gallery of Arts perma-
nent collection: Frank Dielman,
whose murals in the business Office |
of The Star are widely known and |
deservedly popular; Edwin H. Blash- |
field, who it will be remembered |
painted the ceiling of the dome of |
the Library of Congress. and Cass
Gilbert. the architect of the Su-
preme Court Building and also the
Treasury Annex in this city.
Here also are shown an early |
sketch book of Morses and other |
historical mementos. The academy |
room to the right is given over ex-
ciusively to sculpture; two center
galleries are occupied by photo
graphic representations of works by |
architect members and prints in |
various media by academicians. All |
of the other galleries contain paint
ings, many of which have been lent
by owners for the present occasion.
From first to last it is lively |
showing.
Merit in Sculpture.
First the sculpture-63 pieces in
all-running the gamut from group
by John Rogers featuring Lincoln |
holding Council of War to a
stylized Unicorn by Sydney Waugh,
who has made great reputation
through his sculpture in glass. Co.
ing back almost to the beginning of
sculpture in America, after the yoke
OF clasSicism was cast of, are |
statues of Washington and of Henry
Ward Beecher by j. @. A. Ward,
the sculptor of our statue of Gen.
Thomas in this city. Here also,
mounting to very great heights. are
such works by Augustus Saint
Gaudens as the lovely Victory"
from the Sherman Statue, N Y; his
portrait in relief of Robert Louis
Stevenson, similar to that in st. |
Giles Church in Edinburgh, but cir