Evening star., 1941-02-16
Water CoIors Are Shown
Arts Club Presents Works
OF EdlUard Paine

" EuUuTu rune
Water colors by Edward Paine of
Mystic, Conn, occupy the gallery
at the Arts Club. His work is very
individual, and one can describe it
as different" with justification.
There are about 25 paintings and a
large painted screen. In nearly
all of them the forms are natural
istic. but arrangements and color
schemes are highly imaginative.
Buildings and trees stand out with
knife-edge sharpness, and the en-
phasis is on decorative aspects
rather than on any faithful like
ness TO specific places.
One might, however, term Mr..
Paines paintings as symbolic like
nesSes of the places from which he
derived his inspiration. The little
white churches with their pointed
towers, the maroon-painted barns
and rectangular dwellings are the
very essence of New England. Most
of us in this part of the country,
who visit New England only in
summer, think of it always as a
country of rolling hills and lush
green. Mr. Paine gives us stark,
barren landscape with gaunt, black
trees silhouetted against pallid
sky. Perhaps this grimness and
/ solitude of New England country
/ is the real portrait. One hears that
| summer is short. the soil rocky and
living hard to make up there, but
one does not really believe it when
motoring along New England's sun
decked roads in July and August.
/ In his marines, however. Mr.
/ Paine gives us scenes closer to ouI
memories of his home section
Summer Afternoon" Coming
About" THE Race" and a few
others featuring yachts and other
small boats. their sails dazzling
white against the sky. are reminis-
cent of many lovely little sea-
port from Maine to Connecticut.
There are quite number of def
mite. portraits of places: "Old Ma
SON House, Mystic" Baptist
Church, Steuben, Maine" Christ
Church, Cambridge" and prince
ton Club, New York" The last
mentioned is the best portrait. u
In the others the buildings are
painted with almost architectural
precision, but the abstract back
| grounds must eliminate some of
their familiar appearance. "Old
Pennsylvania" is more broadly han
died than the others, with some
what softer colorS.
Mr.. Paine must have a definite
feeling for the past, a sympathy
and interest, for he has incorporated
so many of its pleasant aspects in
his paintings. What is extraordinary
is that he has taken no liberties
with the outlines and general fea-
lures of old buildings, nor with the
costumes in his Charleston Fan
tasy" screen. and yet his paintings
seem strikingly contemporary. There
is a touch of surrealism in several
flower paintings, Morning Glories.
Tulips" and others, executed with
the preciseness of botanical studies
or old flower prints. set up against
strange, melancholy landscapes
such as described above. Two OF
these paintings show the flowers IN
quaint antique urn which hints
of the Victorian period.
Virginia countryside also comes
in for attention from the artist,
who presents in a painting of this
title typical red brick mansion OF
our neighboring State, set in a
grove of trees with lacelike branches.
convention of drawing trees to
which Mr.. Paine adheres faith
fully.
A third exhibition at the Arts
Club comprises etchings and dry
points by Frank Bradbury of Rich