Evening star., 1940-03-31

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drawing Is the basis of all art and
no sculptor who could not draw has
ever attained to fame. Rodin, it will
be remembered, made knowledge
OF drawing prerequisite with his
pupils. A lack of understanding of
this matter has been the weakness
and fallibility of much of our con-
temporary art. Such exhibitions as
this, opening next Sunday in the
Phillips Memoria! Gallery, should
help to remedy the shortcoming at
the same time that. intrinsically, 1t
charms the layman.
Pon-Americon Paintings
Exhibition OF Works From,
Neighbortng Republics Is An
nounced.
Of signal Importance also will
be the exhibition Of paintings from
Latin American countries, which
will open on the 9th with q preview
in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. This
exhibition which. unfortunately,
will continue only until the 18th,
has been arranged in celebration of
the 50th anniversary Of the found
ing of the Pan-American Union.
1nasmuch as one Of the many activi-
ties of the Pan-American Union is
the cultural exchange between the
United States and the Latin Amer
ican republics, it is peculiarly ap-
propriate that the work Of Latin
American artists should be shown
here during Pan-American week.
In the collection shown there will
be one work from each of the coun-
tries making up the Union, and
although this will give only a
glimpse of the progress that is being
made in the art Of painting by our
neighbors to the South 1t will put
us in closer touch with them and
broaden our understanding
These paintings were selected,
more than year ago, by the In
ternational Business Machines
Corp, to show at the Golden Gate
Exposition, San Francisco, as part
of its exhibit, stressing the rela-
ton Of art to industry and COM
merce. and, incidentally the far
flung interest Of this particular firm.
There were 70 paintings in the orig
inal collection, which included all
the countries of the world with
which this corporation had business
dealings. Since the close of the
exposition on the West Coast the
collection has been touring cities
in the East, the last place on the
circuit being Charlotte, N. c., where,
earlier this month, it was set forth
in the Mint Museum. There the
paintings from Latin American
countries were withdrawn to be sent
here, one or two substitutions being
made at that time.
The president of the International
Business Machines Corp. is Thomas
j. Watson, an art lover and COL
lector, member of the Board of Di.
rectors of the Metropolitan Museum
Of New York and also of the Grand
Central Art Galleries. In order that
our country should be properly rep
resented at the great biennial ex-
hibition in Venice, Mr.. Watson, some
years ago, offered to finance an
American exhibition to be shown in
our American pavilion there. Dif-
flculties arose through the antagon-
ism of an anti-Fascist art organi-
zation, and at the last minute the
project was abandoned, but appar-
emily MIR. Watson was not turned
from his advocacy Of contemporary
art. In the present instance every
painting shown in this exhibition
was bought by the corporation
which Mr.. Watson heads, rather
than borrowed from the painters.
This is a rather refreshing attitude
on the part of so-called big busi-
ness toward art and the artist
which has not perhaps been suf1-
GENTLY made known.
Through the courtesy of the In
ternational Business Machines
Corp, the Washington Society of
the Fine Arts, in February, was en-
abled to show at meeting devoted
to Latin American Art" lantern
slides of a majority of the paintings
which are soon now to be exhibited
in the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
These slides were, after this meet
ing. turned over to the Hispanic
division Of the Library of Congress,
as a nucleus for archives on Latin
American painting. One of the ef-
fects Of the European war is to turn
our attention to our neighboring re-
publcs. and whatever can strength
en- with them our cultural relations
is Of extraordinary Importance at
this time.