Evening star., 1941-04-13

Mr.. Beal is and has been for
our leading American painters and
etchers, one whose works have been
outstanding for strength, vividneSS
of impression and skill in rendition.
His interest has been much engaged
by what he saw around hlm-the
American scene - colorful, robust,
significant, but. above all, pictorial,
as the artist who is painter would
interpret that term, not meaning
illustrative but essentially paintable.
Varied Themes.
Undoubtedly, his work is many
sided, but one thinks of him as a
painter of rugged life on the New
England coast and under the big
top" circus tent, as we'll as of New
York, his native city, as seen across
Central Park with a backdrop of
architecture for natures most lovely
performance; but these themes rep
resent only a small part of his ac-
comphshment. He is represented in
many of our leading museums by
paintings of widely varied themes;
he has done muralS for Federal
buildings under commission Of the
section of Fine Arts, Public Build
ings Administration, in Washington
and in Allentown, Pa; he has won,
it would seem, almost every prize
offered for meritoriouS Oil paintings
by the leading art organizations
since he began exhibiting, about
1903, including second and third
Clark prizes in Corcoran biennials.
And, in the field of water color, he
has been scarcely less successful. 1t
should also be added, by way of fur
ther background, that while Mr..
Beal is National Academician, he
is one of thoSe-aS was the late Carl
Melchers-who has found favor with
both conservatives and innovatorS,
and, holding fast to fundamentals,
has avoided confusion in the matter
of artistic ideals.
The paintings now on view are
presumably of two kindS-thoSe
made as studies for future use and
those which have been done purely
for the fun of the doing. Albert
Sterer once remarked, although
perhaps not in these precise words,
that in order to insure the vitality
of a painting, it was necessary for
an artist to register his impression
with a pregnant brush before the
inspiration of the moment had
faded. This is what Mr.. Beal ap-
parently has had in mind. although
perhaps subconsciously, in render
ing the paintings which compose
the current showing. They are
straight from the shoulder; details
are omitted, or merely suggested,
but the essential spirit is there.
There is no evidence of hesitation,
no stumbling; the public, for the
moment, is forgotten, nothing has
mattered to the artist but that
which he wanted to do-to record
what he saw. or had seen, which
filled his mind and stirred his emo
tions.
Origin in Surroundings.
And how delightful some of these
impressions are! Such, for in
stance, as Spring, Central Park
fruit trees in bloom, an old-fash-
ioned open coupe making its way
up The Avenue" Or New York,
Worlds Fair" with its gay ban
ners and milling crowds; Circus
Elephants" and Before the Show"
The range of subjects is extremely
wide. Several have to do with
music and music-making - THE |
Music Room" which seems to be
a combination of water color and
pen drawing, or etching; Concerto"
violin, piano; Fox Hunting" Boat
Race, Rockport." Some seem to
have bad their origin in actual sur
roundings-at Gloucester, at An
nisquam, Rockport, where Mr.. Beal.
spends his summers; at "Old Salem"
and the like; whereas others derive
from scenes depicted on the stage |
or in books, or scenes of historical |
import-one from Twelfth Night"
two from The Country Wife" and |
two from Life With Father"
The majority of these paintings |
are, in their longer dimension, hori-
zontal, so that the view given is a |
bit panoramic; but, almost invaria- |
bly,, Mr.. Beal focuses interest in |
the center of his composition by
some pronounced feature in his de-
sign which thus insures unity of
effect-a very skillful procedure.
There is a possibility that a stu
dent might mistake the delightful |
slightness of these paintings as JUS
tification for slipShod work; but, if |
so, he would be very much in error. |
1t is the enormous amount of knowl- |
edge and practice behind the ac-
complishment which have made it
possible. AS it has been wisely said, |
only those who know conventions |
can dare to disregard them. Mr.. !
Beals freedom undoubtedly has
been fully earned. That this fact
does not make itself felt is all the
more evidence of achievement