Evening star., 1939-06-18

By Hogdrth English, 1697-1761
Art Exhibition at the NeU Yor
number of artists who are today,
alas! "on relief"
The building in which the Master
pieces of Art are housed stands on
the fair grounds near the Adminis-
tration Building. Designed by Har-
riSon q Fouilhoux, architects of
Rockefeller Center and creators of
the Trylon and Perisphere, it is of
flreproof construction and affords Is
well-lighted galleries divided into
three pavilions which surround a
court, carpeted by grass and deco
rated by a pool and murals. the
latter by Lyonel Feininger. These
are free distractions of various
styles in art and architecture" and
are meant to serve as coherent
link between the old masters and
the modern school.
The first gallery one enters is in
group of seven which collectively
make up the first pavilion. Here
one makes or renews acquaintance
with the painters of the Gothic
period. those who lived and produced
in Italy and France in the 18th and
14th centuries, the naivete of whose
art has never been equaled. From
these one passes to works of the
Early Renaissance in Italy and
Northern Europe, then on to the
High Renaissance and so to Spain,
Holland, Germany, and at last back
to France and across the Channel
to England. In making this prog
ress the visitor passes out of the
first pavilion and traverses the two
others until the circuit of galleries is
complete. If one would fully profit
by the opportunity afforded, one
should 60 again and again and study
the several exhibits not only rela-
lively, but individually. Two cata-
logues have been published and are
available, one small volume listing
exhibits, giving biographical data on
the artist and brief notes on each
painting; the other. described as "a
guide-and-picture-bo book" has 140
large-size, full-page illustrations. of
which nine are in color-a valuable
memento.
To attempt to describe the works
of art in this exhibition would with
in the limits of single article be
quite impossible. In the first place
every one shown is in its own right
masterpiece, and, secondly, such re-
view would encompass of necessity
the history of painting during the
400 years when it attained greatest
height. But there are certain works
OF world fame about which one
naturally has especial curiosity For
instance, from the Louvre has come
the exquisite painting by Chardin
entitled La Benedicite"- painting
of woman and two children at
table, one of whom is reverentlv say
ing grace. Obviously the subject
appeals, but it is the way that it
is painted that gives it lasting signi-
| ficance.
Chardin's Work.
Chardin lived and produced dur
ing the reign of Louis XIV. but while
others were mirroring on canvas the
eXtravagances of the nobility he
gave himself to picturing incidents
in the life of the homes of the mid
die class and with wholesome man
ner as well as charm.
Another very famous painting in
| this great collection is that Of "The
Graham Children" by the English
painter Hogarth, whose dates very
nearly coincide with those of Char
din. but whose marks, were for the
most part invectives against the So
cial looseness of his day in London.
There is none of the reformer and
much of the competent painter in
the painting of the four little
Grahams, which, when offered for
sale in 1884, was purchased by the
late Lord Duveen and presented to
the National Gallery, London. It
shows two little girls in the stiff
and stilted costume of the day
standing, the elder holding the
hand of baby seated in small
perambulator of unique design, and
boy holding a box cage in his lap
from which apparently a bird has
been allowed to escape. On the
back of the boys chair is cat,
flercely attentive, and beyond is a
cage with birds still captive. The
figures are life-size and the paint
ing has been done with scrupulous
attention to detail. It is this type
of painting which photography is
supposed to have replaced-but this
canvas by Hogarth is valued at
SITS. 900 today and is said to be
held in special affection" by the
British people.
Van Eyck's madonna"
Even more highly valued artis-
tically and for insurance is the tiny
little Madonna" by Jan Van Eyck,
the 18th century Flemish painter
who, with his brother Hubert, is
credited with having invented the
technique of painting in oil. 1t is
a little over 10 inches high by about
7la inches wide and has been priced
at s250,0OO, but of course is price
less. 1t belongs and was lent by
the National Gallery of Victoria,
Melbourne, Australia. The Ma
donna is represented seated on a
canopied throne holding the Christ
child on her lap and showing him
picture book. Over her robe she
wears a voluminous cloak which
flares like fan and builds up a