Evening star., 1941-03-19
Federation Of Arts
Hears u. 5. Patronage
Decried and Defended
Sessions Close Today;
Delegates See BienniuI
Exhibit at Corcorun

GlOll VI Ille AIueTlCdIi FeOSTdtlO1l Oi
Arts at the Willard Hotel after hear
ing the Federal works of art pro-
gram criticized and defended at a
lively meeting last night.
The argument that artists are
essentially self-supporting profess
sionals, like bankers, lawyers or
architects, and should stand on their
own feet instead of being supported
by Federal patronage was advanced
by Mrs. Juliana Force of New York
City, director of the Whitney
Museum of American Art.
Mrs. Force said that while the
Federal projects were useful and
necessary to tide artists through the
depression, she was convinced that
continued Government support OF
artists is "promiscuous and expen-
sive" and has a tendency to lower
the quality of the work of the
artists.
Good artists don't whine or think
their lot is hard one, or that they
are neglected by the age and the
community" she continued. 1--WE
/ never seen any good come out OF
Government-sponsored art except
that done by artists chosen for COM
missions by competition"
Suggests Funds to Museums.
Mrs. Force suggested the Govern.
ment could best encourage art by
/ giving funds to museums for tn,
purpose of making annual purchase
of contemporary paintings.
The Federal art projects wer'
enthusiastically defended by Forbei
Watson, associate editor of Maya
zine of Art and special assistant II
the Section of Fine Arts, Fedora
Works Agency, and Hugo Gellert
of New York City, a member o.
the Executive Board, United Amer.
ican artists.
Mr.. Watson called attention tc
the fact that some of the fines
paintings of the ages were pro.
duced during the Renaissance un.
der the patronage system and in.
sisted that the finest paintings cre-
ated in any one period of thi,
country's history have been done
under the Federal program.
Il challenge anybody to see mu-
rails and paintings in public build
ings throughout the country and not
be impressed by the fine spirit oi
our native artists. Mrs. Force, al.
though she says she dislikes pa.
tronage, is a generous patron her
self and has given support to many
artists" ....
II have never supported any.
thing I didn't believe in," Mrs
Force replied.
Others in Discussion.
Other participants in the round
table discussion and forum last night
were Daniel Cation Rich, director
of fine arts, Chicago Art Institute,
Holger Cahill, Federal Works of Ar
executive: Richard P. Howard, di-
rector of the Dallas Museum Of
Fine Arts; Miss Charlotte Part
ridge, director of the Layton Art
School Gallery, Milwaukee; Angel
lea Gregory, artist and faculty mem
Der of Newcomb College, Tulane
University; Caroline Durieux, ar
artist on the Tulane faculty, ano
DR.. Alain Locke, professor of phil
osophy at Howard University.
The final days program opened
this morning at the Willard with
talk on Contemporary Aspects
of the Renaissance Tradition" by
DR.. Edgar Wind of the Institute ol
Fine Arts, New York University;
a discussion of Medieval Art anc
America" by DR.. Charles Rufus
Morey, head of the department o,
art ana archaeology, Princeton Uni
versity, and an open discussion lee
by DR.. Ulrich Mddeldorf, head Of
the art department, University Of
Chicago.
At their opening session in the
Willard Hotel yesterday afternoon
the delegates heard a discussion oi
"Art Resources of the Past anc
Their Meaning Today" by Mr.. Wat
son, Thomas C. Parker, director oi
the federation, and Olin Dows, New
York artist, formerly connected with
Federal art project here, who pre-
sided.
Robert Woods Bliss, president oi
the federation, was to have pre-
sided, but was unable to attend
the opening meeting and sent q
telegram of regrets.
Speaking on THE New Public
for Art" Mr.. Watson said art ap-
probation has been extended tc
every town and village where post
Offices and other public buildings
have received paintings from Fed
eral projects.
Urges Purchase of Paintings.
Mr.. Watson discussed various ways
of teaching art, including the demon
stration method. He advised his
audience to buy paintings in order
to get the fullest enjoyment out of
art.
At conclusion of the meeting, Mr.
Dows announced that the delegates
had been invited by c. Powell Min
negerode, director of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art, to a preview yes
terday afternoon of the Biennial
Exposition of Contemporary Oh
Paintings at the gallery.
Later, the visitors were guests OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Duncan Phillips at a
reception and view of the exhibition
"The Functions of Color in Paint
ing" at the Phillips Memorial Gal
lery, 1000 Twenty-firSt street NV.
The program today included a
business meeting this morning and a
luncheon at the Willard at o'clock
The visitors were to inspect the
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library
and collection as guests Of Harvard
University from 3 to S o'clock this
afternoon.
The delegates took advantage OF
their stay in Washington to visit
exhibits at the Arts Club, the Chill
dren's Art Gallery, 816 Independence
avenue S.W.; Fine Arts Gallery oi
the Interior Department; Howard
University Gallery; Library Of Con-
gress; Little Gallery, 1904 o street
NV; Little Gallery of the Art De-
partment of George Washington