Evening star., 1940-08-18

Chicago fire in light, illustrative
manner, beginning with the famous
COW of Mrs. O'Leary. Two tapestries
designed by Hilaire Hiler for the
Northern California Art Project and
woven by Maja Albee have bold,
bright color schemes. The Forest"
is the better: the Surrender of
Cornwallis" is nevertheless an in
teresting attempt to utilize an
historical theme.
Excellent Sculpture.
The works in sculpture this year
are neither numerous enough nor
large enough to share the impor-
tance of the painting and print
sections There are not a few ex-
cellent pieces, however. One recalls
with pleasure the simple, graceful
Girl Musician" in rose-colored
stone by Rudolph Hem. and the
Indian Woman and Child" and
Indian Beggar" in Tennessee
marble. by Donal Hord, works
beautifully executed.
In dealing with so large an ex-
hibition, one must inevitably omit
mention of many good works. After
leaving the first two galleries.
largely devoted to murals, one enters
a series of galleries containing oil
paintings, water colors and prints
Many of them deal competently
and engagingly with historic in
cidents. scenes and figures repre-
sentative of the respective localities
for which the works are intended.
But a sufficiently large proportion
deals with decay and misery Starkly
if not brutally presented, to give
some of the walls a depressing
aspect A psycho-analyst is needed
to explain why these Government
sponsored artists, living and work.
ing in a country enjoying the best
conditions in the world today.
should continue to depict it in
macabre fashion. Our civilization
has its lamentable aspects and our
safety may be precarious; but why
do these artists not enjoy the
Nations good features while they
may, and leave a record of COM
paratively happy times to help us
endure whatever worse periods may
be in store?
There is no intention of insisting
that the artists confine themselves
to pretty" subjects On the con-
trary, it is the manner in which
subjects are handled that makes so
much difference. For example,
among the Autographs is Adolf
Dehn'S "All-Night Lunch" repre-
senting a cheap eating place in a
sordid industrial neighbOrhood. But
above the barren roofs there is an
exquisite moonlit sky, the moon it
self balancing, in one part of the
design. the lighted street lamp out
side the lunch room. One covets
this print
Beyond Criticism.
The exhibition has certain classes
of work for which one has nothing
but praise: The Index of American
Design and the handicrafts. The
former is already well known
throughout the country, as there
have been many exhibitions of it.
1t is constantly growing. Artists
employed by the w. p A., who
are careful. painstaking craftsmen,
but perhaps not creative" have
been assigned to making drawings,
paintings, ETC., of many classes of
American objects which exemplify
our native design in its earlier days.
There are such diverse objects as
ships figureheads, weather-vanes,
old furniture, toys, to mention but
a few. When one regards the min
ute perfection of some of these
paintings in the Index, one may be
pardoned for thinking that this is
the most uniformly successful
branch of the W. P A. project.
A small display of handicrafts
in the American Art Today" ex-
hibition is also admirable. 1t in
cludes swatches of printed cotton
fabrics, rugs, draperies, furniture,
both plain and upholstered, cop
per bowls, baskets, ceramics. These
are generally simple, depending
upon careful workmanship, good
lines and harmonious color schemes
for their appeal. Some of Walt
Speck's ceramic animals are in
cluded: his work, familiar to
Washingtonians, through exhibi-
tions in recent months. is delight