Evening star., 1939-01-22
American Pen Women Give
Exhibition at Studio
Show at Howard University Has Been
On Museum and College Circuit
For One Year

Gladys Nelson Smith, which Is one
Of the largest paintings in the exhibi.
ton; it depicts a cloudy autumn day
in the mountains.
American Group at
HoUard University.
An American Group, organized
about eight years ago by New York
artists, for the sole purpose Of
jointly exhibiting their work, has a
collection of paintings at Howard
University's Art Gallery until next
Wednesday. This show has been on
a museum and college circuit for one
year, under the auspices of the
American Federation of Arts. 1t has
visited Dartmouth and Williams Col
lege. State College and other places
in Pennsylvania, the Chautauqua In
stitute. and the museums in Mich
igan, Kentucky and Maryland. 1t
will go from Howard University to
Rochester, N. Y. and Hamilton,
Canada. A great deal of interest has
been aroused by this exhibition. to
judge from reports and press clip
pings.
The paintings are predominantly
experimental in technique, and a
large minority of them deal with in.
dustrlal and political themes. which
is not surprising, in view of the fact
/ that three-ffths of the artists rep
resented belong to one or more left.
wing organizations, such as the Art.
| lists Union, American Artists Con-
gress and John Reed Club. Such.
paintings as William Choppers
Strike Paul Burlin's "Cortem~
plation,' Walter CURTIS Consider
the Lilies and Mervin Jules Lib
erals" not to mention all, are def
nitely propagandists, politically or
socially.
Not few of these painters prove
that subjects commonplace in them
selves can be transformed by the
manner of presentation. Saul Ber-
mans waterfront" for instance. is
a typical industrial section of ware
| houses, etc. on the river, but so
fresh, sunny and cheerful, with its
gay red, blue and brown color scheme,
that it is thoroughly livable. Louis
Lozowicks Grain Elevator is as
classic in appearance as a Greek
temple. Austin Mecklems "6 AM"
and Algot Stenbery's "On the East
River are other ordinary subjects
beautifully conceived and executed.
Outstanding among portraits and
figure paintings is Isabel Bishops
Laughing Head" which in char
acter at least is reminiscent of Halls.
A vigorously painted Nude" by
Frederic Knight, the only example
OF this type of work, is adequately
representative.
Doris Lees September" Is per.
haps the loveliest thing in the show,
with its jade blue sky. misty sunlight
and trees beginning to acquire au-
tumnal gold.
Guatemala in Photographs.
Few places in Latin America seem
more alluring to the Imagination
than Guatemala, with its varied
landscape, tropical vegetation, pic
turesque inhabitants and magnifi.
cent ruins of prehistoric civiliza-
ton. Some of its fascination has
been captured in the pictorial pho
tographs by Estelle Campbell and
Dorothy Connable of New York City,
| uy1N ich iy, no Art
and Industries Building of the
United States National Museum TO
the end of the month.
The artists objective was appar-
emily to obtain good. straightfor.
ward photographs faithfully record
ing the appearance of the coun-
try, its people. architecture, ancient
monuments, etc. There is no sign
of striving after abstract or deco
rative effects, other than those in
herent in the subjects. The grain Of
the wood in some old architectural
detail, the drops of water clinging
to the jar on an Indian woman's
as the monumental subjects. A note
on a photograph Of an Indian
woman at Solola says that her pro-
file almost duplicates one seen in a
collection of early Mayan sculpture.
AS matter of fact, the same might
be said of nearly all of these ma
tives. Persons acquainted with
Mayan sculpture are bound to be
impressed with the resemblance of
many Guatemalan Indians to their
ancestors of several centuries ago,
judging from the sculptures.
These photographs were taken in
or near Quiriga, Antigua and So