Evening star., 1939-06-11

ilS lllOuSll llldLe. NU dlIciIlpG
has been made to heighten effect
through decoration; the works shown
are essentially ION parade" but the
light is good and benches to relieve
fatigue are provided.
Some sculpture is scattered through
the galleries, but for the most part
it is set forth in the large terminal
halls. Prints have section all their
own, opening, however, into the gall
leries wherein the paintings are
hung. These, which constitute the
majority of the show. are in various
media-oils, water colors, gouache-
and include works in the great ira
dition, works by modernists, follow
ers of the impressionists and post
lmpressionists, distractions, sur
realistic conceptions, non-objective
creations and all the other novelties
of the day. Far from being grouped
or segregated they are hung side by
slde-no favorites are played, no dis
tinctions offered. Every work is
numbered and listed in a handbook
OF convenient size, but the hanging
Is not consecutive, therefore much
turning back and forth of pages is
necessary for identification of ex-
hibits.
Technically Poor.
1t is undoubtedly the painters who
in this exhibition are the worst Of
tenders. OF the more than 500 paint
1ngs catalogued not tWoscore pos
sess adequate excuse for being. Not
only are they subjectively offensive
but technically poor-ill drawn. slop-
PLY painted, illiterate. Obviously the
artist must choose his subject and
then bring to bear upon it's tram
scrlptlon or Interpretation all the
knowledge and power at his COM
mand. The subject does not have to
be lntrinsically beautiful, but when
1t is set forth it must be ennobled
by the artists conception and skill
About 80 per cent of the painters
represented in this exhibition of
American Art To-day" have de-
llberatelv chosen ugly. offensive sub
lects and have not had the power.
or the will, to lift them out of the
gutter.
II this is the much Haunted
democracy in art it shows a COM
plete misunderstanding of the mean
ing OF the word. The democracy of
Jefferson and the builders of our Re-
public was to assure every man op-
portunity to rise to such heights as
his ability might take him. and not
a levellng down to mediocritv that
the burden of effort be eased and
so-called equality assured. Fine art
has always been democratic, mas
much as 1t was for all people and
understood by them: but also it has
always been aristocratic inasmuch as
1t mounts to the heights and gives
those who behold it eagerness to
reach up. Painting. sculpture. print
making are primarily technical proc
esses and until touched by the magic
OF art nave no power to stir the
emotions or convey deep meaning
The art which has endured through
out the ages is intrinsically fine and
universally significant.
Good Names.
one looks almost in vain for works
possessing those qualities in the ex-
hloltlon OF paintings at the Worlds
Fair, despite the fact that there are
some good names in the catalogues.
We are told, officially, that some
painters of today of high reputation
are not represented because in the
judgment of the jury the works
which they submitted were not up to
their standard. Certainly there are
some conspicuous omissions, such as
Johansen, Cecilia BeauX, Waugh
Schofleld and numerous others.
Also some of those represented are
distinctly not at their best. Crate
FULLY one notes among outstanding
works Jonas Lies "Polperro Har-
bor," Kroll's Road to the Cove"
Speicher's Red Moore-Hunter,"
Watrous Madonna and Child"
Ellen Emmet Rands Portrait Of
Hon. Donald Tichnor Warner" Hib-
bard and Refleld are fairly well rep
resented, but where are Ryder and
Nichols? Have we come to a time
When the beauty of nature no longer
moves our painters or gives inspira-
ton? No wonder we ornament our
highways with billboards and turn
our park benches toward traffic
ways.
There are in this exhibition paint
lngs which have attracted attention
by certain originality or individual
lty, such as The Tragic Muse" by
Alexander Brook Undoubtedly in
spired by Picasso); The Tumblers,"
by John Carroll, clown and his
dog; The People" by Arnold
Blanch, a thrust for the under
privileged against capitalism-all of
which seem to have been painted
with a purpose. if nothing more
than the following of new trail.
Even this, however, cannot be said
in extenuation of the many canvases
on view which make the visitor
think incalculably worse of his fell
lowman and the world in which we
live.
The Negro has become, appar-
emily popular subject in painting
today-the Negro at his worst, not
his best-nude women, with painted
faces; bestial men, with an evil leer;
degenerate representatives of a fine
race to which we, as a people, owe
much. Intensely dramatic is the
painting by Marion Junkin, Incl
dentally of Virginia, of The Cruel
fixion," a Negro man hung, as Christ
upon the cross Difficult to under
stand, but evidently with sinister
motive, is the painting by Joe Hirsch
entitled Two Men," one white, the
other black, which, by the way, has
been purchased by the Museum of
Modern Art for it's permanent COL
lection, together with eight other
paintings set forth in this exhibi-
ton. Among them is a water color