Evening star., 1940-11-10

two exhibitions of like character
assembled and shown last summer
bv the International Business Ma
chimes Corp. in its galleries OF
science and art at the Worlds Fairs,
In New York and San Francisco.
Realizing the Importance OF CO.
operation between business and art,
and desiring to make some con-
tribution toward increasing the In
terest of artists in business and
businessmen jim art, the 1nterna-
tional Business Machines Corp,
through the initiative of its presi-
dent, Thomas J. Watson, began, IN
1887. the work of forming a COL
lection of paintings representing
the 79 countries in which this firm
did business. The result was the
two memorable exhibitions of inter-
national art held at the Worlds
Fairs of 1899. The success of these
displays led to the assembling OF the
national collections from which the
present display was drawn. -
The methods employed to this end
are worth remembering. In the fall
of 1889, art experts, museum dlrec-
tors and other especially qualified
persons in each of the States and
Territories were invited 10 serve on
regional juries and instructed to
select and purchase two paintings
representative Of the art and char
acter of their particular district
without restriction as to artist, SUBJ
ject or price. In other words, these
exhibitions, and the one now on
view, were sold out" before being
brought together. Thus, the paint
ers were taken into partnership on
a sound financial basis and the
Judgment of the juries backed up
100 per cent.
All Received Medals.
Furthermore, in connection with
the exhibitions at the fairs, six
cash prizes were awarded by expert
juries for the six works of greatest
merit. The prizes ranged from
$1,000 to S100 and were awarded
during the summer. Twelve artists,
therefore. not only sold their works,
but we're additionally rewarded.
Besides which all the artists rep
resented received a specially de-
signed medal in recognition of
participation.
Obviously, an exhibition of this
character cannot be expected to
attain the standard of one without
regional restrictions. For instance,
our greatest art center is New York.
Two paintings from the State of
New York could scarcely be repre-
sentative. On the other hand, take
some of the States west of the Mis-
sissippi and east of the Rocky
Mountains, which 20 years ago, had
no activity along these lines save
through the advent of an oc-
casional visiting artist, and still
are far from according an art mar
ket. That apparently every State
in the Union has responded to the
call and submitted work worthy of
inclusion with the best is astound-
ing, indeed. 1t is quite plain that
art has no outposts under the
American flag.
OF course, much has been done
in the past double decade to elimi-
nate space and distance. The air.
plane, the radio, the illustrated
magazine and the newspaper have
brought all our States and Terri
tories into intimate touch. Also,
artists trained in New York, Phila-
delphia, Chicago, st. Louis and
Sante Fe have blazed the trail and
handed on the tradition-perhaps
sometimes too faithfully. No one
who sees the current exhibition
at the Corcoran Gallery could fail
to observe that the same current
tendencies pervade, in art, the en-
tire Nation. This is perhaps natural,
but also to be regretted. The artists
who have made the greatest con-
tributions in the past have been
those who created from an urge
within themselves in isolation, &C
tual or reinforced.
That we are today living in
far from happy world is profoundly
impressed upon one by this exhibit
ton, in the whole of which there
Is comparatively little sparkle of
color or brightness of effect. Taken
all in all, the assemblage has a
dreary aspect, and even in the out
lying districts there seems to have
been little prospecting for the gold,
lavishly scattered, for those who
seek, by the hand of Nature. This
is too bad.
Many Solemnly Dull.
There are, of course, exceptional
instances, oases, offering refresh
ment, but if, as we believe, ours is a
land of extraordinary beauty, why
should our artists so generally give
themselves to transcribing and per-
petuating that which is most homely
and depressing? 1t is hard to say.
There is a great difference between
the dramatic and the solemnly dull,
and 1t is the latter which many of
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