Evening star., 1940-03-24


tangible and spiritual nature. The
birth of Christ, while miraculous,
was also natural, and His worship
by the shepherds, then by the Wise
Men and finally by the world at
large, is perfectly understandable;
but Christ risen from the dead, al
though seen by many, belonged to
the unseen and supernatural world.
Obviously, painters have essayed the
subject, for the most part, unsatis-
factorily. To an extent, the painting
by Carl Melchers of the Supper at
Enmaus,' which was included in
his memorial exhibition, held some
years ago in the Corcoran Gallery
of Art, came nearer than the ma
jority to interpreting in spirit the
Christ, who, during 40 days after
His resurrection, appeared from time
to time to His disciples; but even
that was not of the event itself
which is celebrated today. Perhaps
the nearest that we come to pictorial
representation Of the Easter theme
and spirit is to be found in Abbott
H. Thayer's paintings of angelic
figures, of which there are several in
both the Freer and the Gellatly col
lections, in other American mu-
seums, and still owned by the family
Of this great deceased artist.
1t was, it will be remembered, an
angel, who. at the mouth of the
tomb, wherein the body of Christ
had been laid, announced to the
devoted women who, as an act of
devotion, came at early dawn on the
first Easter-"He is not here, He is
risen." followed by the command,
60 tell His disciples"-and it is this
Heavenly messenger that again and
again Thayer pictured.
In the Stevenson Memorial" in
the Gellatly collection, we see her
seated on great rock, perhaps that
which had been rolled away from
the mouth of the sepulcher; in the
Freer collection the angelic figure
is seen at full length as descending
from the heavens, gravely con-
scious of her mission as the giver
of tidings of consolation and peace;
but more beautiful is the magnif1-
cent figure of the Angel of Dawn"
which is still part of the Thayer
estate-one of the noblest canvasses
ever painted. This, through the
courtesy of the Macbeth Galleries,
trustees, we are privileged to repro
duce herewith. The sky in this pic
ture is illuminated by the light of
breaking day, typical of new era;
: the angel stands lightly on the
earth, which seems limitless with
: its low horizon as we'll as high;
the wings are outspread; one hand
points up, the other down, suggest
ing unity between Heaven and
earth; the face is gravely beautiful,
the figure Statuesque. 1t is very
large canvass, but none too large
for the theme, and in every perticu-
lar the composition is perfecHy bal
anced. In it, figuratively, is con-
served, as well as manifested, the
consummate meaning of the Resur-
rection to Christian people; and to
none of whatever religion could it
fail to signify that which is heaven
ly and eternal.
Abbott H. Thayer was born in
Boston in 1849 He studied first at
the National Academy of Design
in New York and then in Paris un-
der Gerome, but the greater part
of his life was spent in New Hamp-
shire, where, near Dublin, he had
his home. He painted both figures
and landscapes, and with equal skill
and success. While perhaps best
known for his paintings, such as
"Virgin Enthroned," in the (ellatly
collection; THE Virgin" in the
Freer Gallery, and "Caritas," in the
Boston Museum of Fine Ars his
portraits of his children, of which
there are several here in public COL
lections, and his landscapes, such
as those in the Freer Gallery, as we'll
as his flower paintings, were equally
eloquent as expositions of his
strength and gift. Of him, Royal
Cortissoz has said: THE chief les
son his pictures enforce is that they
sprang from creative inspiration,
and, coming from a source, testify
to the supremacy of elevated ideas,
of spiritual beauty. When Thayer
died on May 20, 1921, he. left behind
him one of the noblest heritages in
American art"