Evening star., 1942-04-12
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Notes
National Gallery
Opens Additional
French Exhibits
By Leila MechIin.

come to this city as further indefl-
mite loans from the Chester Dale
collection, long known to be partic-
ularly rich in works of this school
These Al examples plus the Is pre-
viously received, and the compre-
hensive collection from the Louvre
and French provincial museums
places beneath the roof Of our Ma
tional Gallery one of the largest
and most representative collections
of the art of France during the
past 100 and more years that is
to be found anywhere in this
country.
This is not only gratifying as evil
dence of interest and cooperation
on the part of private collectors and
others in our National Gallery and
its functions, but brings very close
to us, at critical time, that art,
which. more than any other, has
Influenced our own for the last Is
or 80 years.
If, as we have been taught and
believe, art reflects life, the SOU
and spirit of people, what Is 1t
that we read in the display open to
us of the art of France and her art
loving citizens during the time
when she was passing through great
economic and political changes and
making history not only for herself
but the world?
Never, perhaps, has the stream OF
art made so many turnings as in
France in the 18th century. Here in
the paintings by French artists of
that period are reflected all of the
movements which followed each
other in such quick succession that
one scarcely had time to mature
before it was supplanted. Obvi-
ously. this betokened unrest and dis
satisfaction. but it produced varied,
and, in some instances, engaging
results.
The French people have always
been inherently artistic and have
held art in high. even reverent, re-
gard. Also, they have been willing
to accord the artist exceptional
freedom. But during the past 80
years France as a nation has been
losing ground, and her art. like her
government, has, to a great extent,
fallen into the hands of the Philis-
tines, with the result that both
thought and action have become
chaotic. The foundations upon
which both have stood, not for one
but many centuries, seem to have
given away under which circum-
stances existence itself is elusive.
AL art, If it is worthy, must be
individual, but also idealistic-a
reaching up of man to the divine,
an humble setting Of self-aside in
order to attain to heights of supreme
glory. Art came into being as a
means of expressing things both felt
and seen-things which were worthy
of continual remembrance. In short,
an effort to attain perfection and
make it known. The artist sub
mitted himself to rigorous training
to acquire technical proficiency that
he might achieve this great end,
and at the same time sought for
perfection in order to eXalt it.
The French painters Of the early
part of the 10Th century were such
perfectionists. In romance and
realism, In following the classical
ideal or seeking a way to translate
the beauty of sunshine through the
medium of their pigment it was
their art they were thinking about,
not themselves; it was better, finer
world through art which they had
in mind, although they might not
have themselves fulfilled such rules
of life.
But gradually there came a
change, the artists became self
conscious, the pigment used was
exalted and given prominence, to
shock and to confuse became objec-
tives rather than to delight and
cheer. The exotic, the vulgar and
degraded, the mentally unbalanced
and abnormal found their way into
art and at time when civilization,
OF which art is perhaps the fairest
flower, was slipping.
In America the contagion Of this
false art has spread with epidemic
force and fierceness under the mis-
nomer of social consciousness. u
Without the foundation of tradition,
inescapable in European countries,
we have shown ourselves weaker and
more at sea than those whom we
initiated, until today we have few to
whom to turn for that which we
have a right to look to in our artists
The end Is not yet, but the time has
come to look deep into current
trends and evaluate them honestly
Gauguin, it will be remembered
diagnosed the sickness of art as the
result of an overripe civilization,
but did not lead us to anything
better; Van Gogh, whose intentions
were good and who had in his heart
a love for his fellow man, was pitt
fully handicapped by insanity; Ce-
zanne, the third of the triumverate
was never able to satisfy himself
and had nothing to leave the world
that can be accounted as treasure
but it is with these three that the
pictorial story of 19th-century
French art leaves us.
The art museum is not merely 9
place of pleasure. 1t offers fooc
for thought; in some instances re.
freshment, rebirth; in others rather
grim warning. Every visitor who
passes through the doors-and the
National Gallery's record in tht
past year has been 1000, 0,000-mus
think for himself.
To construe this brief considera'
ton of the relation Of art to life
and the history of the French ar
OF the 10th century, told by thu
leading artists of France, as ad
versely critical Of the Chester Dali
loan collection would be very erro
neous. There are in this collection
so generously lent, many superla
lively fine paintings, and the fac
that they have a meaning and sig
nificance beneath the surface give
them still greater value.
To particularize, there are amoni
the most recent loans a delightful
portrait of an algerian Child" b.
Delacroix, painted strongly, in ricl
>.11~ ,rJ full of Wit litv. fbaro 1