Evening star., 1942-07-26
Art
Corcoran Gallery
Exhibits Famous
French Paintings
BY Leila MechHn.

BY Leila MechHn.
In Paris in 1874 under the title,
"Societe Anonyme des ArtiStes
Paintres, Sculpteurs ct Graveurs," a
group Of French artists held an ex-
hibition in an improvised gallery IN
a photographers establishment on
the boulevard des Capucines. Among
these artists were Monet, Sisley
Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Degas and
Cezanne, all of whom were in revolt
against the rule of the academicians
and the dictate of the directors of
the salon.
This was the first trumpet
eounded by the so-called mod
ernists-later to be called i'm
pressionists" and destined to turn
the world of art upside down. Un-
doubtedly it startled, but it did not
alarm, the onlookers. The following
year. however, when. by invitation,
the same group exhibited at Durand
Ruels there was more excitement.
Albert Wolff, prominent art critic,
declared it to be a calamity and
characterized it As an effort on the
port of five or six lunatics-one a
woman-to establish a rendezvous
in the conservative and orthodox
quarter in which to show their
works.
The story of the modernist move
ment begins there and goes right on
recording conquest after conquest
until today when, If French art of
the 10Th century is spoken of, the
reference is almost invariably taken
as to works by artists Of the new
school.
Strangely enough, however, it was
not until 1918 when the Amory Ex-
hibition was held in New York that
we in this country took general
cognizance of the movement or be-
came familiar with the works
which during these years had been
produced. The art of France that
we did know was that of those who
had, in a measure, caused the re-
volt and which fouriShed abundant
ly. was admitted to the salon, hon.
ored, rewarded and bought. 1t was
Furthermore the orthodox French
masters of the period under whom
nine -tenths of our young Americans
studied in Paris and whose influence
was reflected in the art of America
for so years. This is side of the
picture of which many have lost
sight.
The Corcoran Purchases
1t was in that same year, 1874,
that w. w. Corcoran, the founder
Of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. COM
missioned his friend, w. T. Walters
Of Baltimore, while abroad, to buy
outstanding examples of contempo-
rary French art for the Corcoran
collection. 1t was these, very well
chosen by Mr.. Walters, which formed
the nucleus of the contemporary
foreign group, owned and displayed,
first in the old gallery on Pennsyl-
vania avenue and then in the new
one, erected and still standing on the
corner of Seventeenth street and
New York avenue. A Considerable
number of these paintings were
shown in the salon Of 1874 and prac-
tically all were by artists who had
attained signal honors and were of
high standing in their profession
1t was they, not the members of the
'Societe Anonyme, who received the
medals, and whose works were dis
cussed and extravagantly admired
Furthermore, for not less than q
quarter century, it was they who, in
Partisan art circles, literally held
the fort. That the two schools o1
thought and production should have
run for SO long side by side before
the one engulfed the other is in.
teresting and remarkable. Happily
here in Washington today we have
representative examples of both FOL
inspection and study.
As the Chester Dale collection, on
loan to the National Gallery OF
Art, largely comprises examples oi
the art of the innovators-a numbe,
Of whom, by the way, learned from
the old masters and had no inten.
ton of breaking with tradition-sc
the Corcoran Gallery of Art in
cludes, among gifts from its donor
excellent and representative works
by the traditionalists by whom from
"a well into the present century
were produced the best French con.
servative painting of this era. Fur.
thermore, in the collection lent BY
the French government and from
Its museums, which is also now or
loan in the National Gallery, art
paintings by those before IA upor
whom the 10Th century art O
France was built.
The Conservative Element
OF course, it should be remem
bered that the "Societe Anonyme
circle included artists who at tha
time were acceptable to the con
servative element among the critica
French. In the salon of 1874 wa
exhibited Manet's wonderful paint
Ing Of little girl and a youn|
woman in a railroad station, know
today under the title, The Rail
way Corot, who stood neithe
quite within nor quite without tn
circle, exhibited in the salon at tn
same time his superb Wood Gath
erers,' now in the Corcoran Caller
OF Art. The Barbizon school wa
law unto itself. but never un
friendly to those who chose to tax
new paths. Van Gogh in his earl
days copied Millet with earnestnes
and diligence. Neither Manet no
Degas ever meant to break with ira
dition and actually did not do S,
Monet and Renoir were seekers fc
sunshine rather than enemies {
beauty-and they brought MOI
beauty into the world Fantir
Latour was always a realist an
conservative.
The difference between these tw
schools seems to have been ths
those Of the old school painted bt
cause they had something the
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