Evening star., 1942-07-12
Art
Notes
Exhibition by Men
Of Armed Services
At National
Bv Leila Mechlin.


may be seen during all this month
In the National Gallery of Art, Is
interesting from several angles.
The 1T works listed in the cata-
loTue are by soldiers, sailors and
marines. as well as aviators, who
have laid aside their regular occu-
pations for the defense of their
country and the cause Of liberty.
but comparatively few OF whom had
as vet experienced active warfare.
Some have had professional train
Ing and were normally engaged IN
various sections of the field Of Gre
alive art; others have merely turned
to art as an avocation.
According to the terms OF the
competition, only pictures Of scenes
and events connected with the
artists experience while on active
duty were eligible. Fifteen hundred
works were sent in. These came
from all parts of the country, Trini-
dad, Puerto Rico, Greenland and
Hawaii. The collection on view,
comprising about 10 per cent Of the
total, gives the pick of the lot.
Selection and prize awards were
made by jury consisting Of John
I. H. Bauer, curator of painting and
sculpture, the Brooklyn Museum;
Juliana Force, director, the Whitney
Museum of American Art; Lloyd
Goodrich, research curator Of the
same institution; Dorothy Miller,
associate curator of the Museum OF
Modern Art, and Herbert M. Will
liams, jr., assistant curator of the
Metropolitan Museum Of Art. Judg-
ment was inevitably based both on
subject and treatment. In short,
all considered, this exhibition must
not be regarded primarily as q con-
tribution to art, but as symptomatic
of the time and broadly indicative
of the servicemen's present point OF
view.
It should be remembered that all
of these paintings and drawings
were done when off duty and in
time set aside for recreation. For
this reason a good many have to do
with soldiers amusing themselves
with games, singing, social contacts,
etc. Others pertain to surround
ings-in most instances far from in
spirational. A few, and the best,
picture phases of the service and
bring home to the observer the stern
fact that this is war. These paint
ings were not produced, nor will
they be shown, with the object OF
arousing patror1ism or glorifying the
armed forces, but rather as q record
Of rather commonplace and unemo-
tional actuaities. There are no
bands playing, banners waving, or
men marching with heads held
high. In fact, the dullest and most
trying side Of military life Is that
here presented.
The first prize, $500, went to Pvt.
Robert Burns for painting en-
titled Troop Movement" which
pictures men in khaki travelling in
q convoy truck with great and evi-
dent discomfort. The artist had
exceptional art training, having
been five years student In the
Yale Art School and at the time OF
his induction into the Army was,
himself, an instructor at Rollins
College. 1t cannot have been, how
ever, for technical excellence that
this painting was given the highest
award but rather on account OF the
spirit of the rendition. Washing
tonians who have, in the last few
months, seen hundreds Of such can
vas covered trucks pass by, cannot
fail to recognize the truth of the
transcription-the cavernous aspect
of the vehicle, the detection and
WEAKNESS on the faces of the men,
too closely packed and without any
arresttng view Of scenes through
which they we're being transported,
at breakneck speed, to lend variety
and interest. In this work the
Rouault influence is strong. Judged
by traditional standards 1t is a bad
painting, but 1t creates strong i'm
preston.
In the same alcove In which this
hrst-prize painting is hung may be
seen a painting by Pvt. Walter de
Wolfe, Of whom no information Is
available. It is entitled "The Sen
tinel," and sets forth scene on our
far-nung coast where anti-aircraft
guns have been set up and the
Coast Guard stand on duty. This
Is subjectively engaging and at the
same time technically flne-al-
though 1t received no prizes or
honor. The composition is excellent,
the painting is admirable--the whole
Is a work Of art, and one which
would hold its own in any contempt
rary exhibition.
Out of the ordinary, too, is a
painting, In gouache, by Sergt. Rob-
ert Majors, to which a second award
was made. 1t is entitled Practice
Landing and shows parachute
troops dropping to earth beneath
gay-colored open umbrellas" which
spot the sky and lend color to q
broad, snowy, mountainous land
scape. Sergt. Burns. now in the
Signal Corps. studied art in Cali
fornia and Hawaii, and, before the
war was on the art staff Of the Dis
ney studios. He is also represented
in the present exhibition by excel
lent paintings of Army Birds" and
"Paratroops Coming Down"
A painting of an Army mine
planter in action-"Number II
Ready for Planting"-by Pvt. How
ard Steven Schroeder of the coas
artillery has much to commend it
the subject being graphically pre-
sented and with very considerable
skill. He studied art first at the Uni
versity Of Syracuse and later at the
National Academy New York, anc
before he Joined the armed force.
was a commercial artist in the latter
city.
A sense OF speed and potential de.
struction characterize the painting
Half Track" by Pvt A. Brockit
Stevenson, to which fourth aware
was MADE. 1t represents, with a GER
tain amount of artistic license, s
heavy motor vehicle sliding down {
steep and dangerous road with it
crew machine cunning the enemy
Impressive also for vigor and bolt