Evening star., 1939-11-12
NotionoIistic Spirit in ScuIp-
ture for Federal Buildings
Now on Exhibition

The sculpture designed Tor Federal
buildings shown in the exhibition
set forth in the Corcoran Gallery
of Art by the section Of fire arts OF
the Public Buildings Administration,
Federal Works Agency. is attracting
much favorable attention-more, In
fact, than the designs for mural
paintings, which are much more
numerous. There Is something in
herently real about a piece of scu)p-
ture which engages interest. Ore
can walk around it, and, If no one
Is looking, put out ones hand and
touch 1t, whereas lainting to 81 eat
extent is illusion. the semblance of
things real, and two dimensional.
OF course, in painting the pictorial
element and color both enter N, for
which reason 1t is generally con-
sidered the more popular art, but
sculpture holds its own even so.
The first prerequisite of a work
in sculpture is that 1t shall have
relation to the lump mass; that 1t
shall bulk we'll and give the sagges-
tion of having been hewed from
rock or stone, rather than melted
into form; in short, intuitively
primitive and elemental. This in
herent suggestion is to be found in
almost all the sculpture in the cur
rent exhibition. Also, greatly to its
credit, or to that of the sculptors
represented, is the fact that in the
majority of instances it Is imagina-
tive, decorative and in some cases
positively gay. And why not? For
its purpose was establishment and
the range of subject matter un-
restricted. Obviously some is better
than others, talent being Cnevenly
distributed, and the fads and 1ancies
of the present day invading this as
well as other fields of art, but, it
would seem, not so disastrously. In
this department there seems to have
been less straining for nationalistic
concept, with the result that the
work as whole is distinctly Amer
ican in character and feeling-a fact
all the more remarkable when one
takes into consideration the lack of
Anglo-Saxon names among the ex-
hibiting sculptors.
A majority of the sculpture models
on view were made for the a6orn-
ment of the United Ststes Govern
ment building and foreign buildings
in the Court of Nations at the New
York Worlds Fair. These were on
the scale Of three inches to a foot
and were enlarged mechanically, and
very cleverly, to the size required for
effective outdoor showing. In most
instances they are single figures
representing abstract subjects, and
well. Charles Rudy's Indian With
Bears" is an exception-inasmuch
as it is frankly realistic. It Is an
excellent composition and, well
built up.
In somewhat the same category
are Erwin Springweiler's Mountain
Goats" and Albert Stewards ''Moun-
tain Lions" both of which are at
one and the same time naturalistic
and decorative. In their simplicity
they are Of this day, not that Of
Barye's or his followers-beneath the
skins of these animals there is no
play of muscles and while alertness
and stealth are suggested there is no
real evidence Of latent power. Bruno
Mankowski's shepherd" pairs well
with Rudy's Indian and has per-
haps little more dignity. Very
jolly is Roy Kings Sailor" whose
beard is being pulled by baby dol
phin on his arm, and there are like
wise swing and force and real gayety
in Theodore Barbarossa's statue en-
titled Maternity" a mother tossing
her offspring. Nat Werner's statue,
Harvest" is also delightful, espe-
cially from side view.
Less pleasing are Mr.. Werner's
Engineer" who in face seems un-
intelligent, and his Music" which
is an awkward composition. Berta
Margoulies' Girl With Deer" is
6at-headed creature, and Carl
Schmitz's sculptor" gives no in
dication Of being inspired. But none
Of these sculptors deal In subtleties,
and for work of this sort perhaps it
should not be asked.
Special mention should be made Of
the group OF detached figures Ia