Evening star., 1942-10-11
Art
Notes
Fine Exhibition
Of Chilean Art
Opens at National
By Florence s. Berryman.

Museum Of Art, in collaboration with
the Once of the Co-ordinator of
Inter-American Affairs, having been
prepared and sent to the United
States by the Ministry Of Education
in the republic of Chile and the
faculty of fine arts of the University
of Chile. 1t Is composed of nearly
ITO works, oil paintings, water colors,
sculpture, drawings. prints, posters
and monotpyes, which should be
sufncient to give us comprehensive
idea OF Chile's achievements in art
today. The works were selected
from the great Chilean exhibition
assembled by the University of Chile
last year during the observance of
the 400th anniversary Of the found
ing OF Santiago, Chile's capital city.
The exhibition opened at the
Toledo Musuem last March, was
shown subsequently at the Columbus
Gallery of Fine Arts, the Pasadena
Museum Of Art and the San Fran
cisco Museum of Art, whence 1t
came to Washington. 1t will also
be shown at the Metropolitan Mu-
scum in New York City before it
returns to Chile.
Chile's art is as old as our own;
older II one counts foundation archi-
lecture as the beginning. for the city
of Santiago was founded in 1871.
An interesting history of the de-
velopment of art in Chile is given
in the admirable catalogue of the
exhibition. This early architecture
and handicraft, developed by the
Spanish conquerors and the native
Indians. doubtless followed the
Spanish colonial developments else
where in Latin America, but little
trace remains, since Santiago was
completely ruined by terrible
earthquake in 1647.
For the next century and quar-
ter Chile's development was strongly
Influenced by France, after the
Bourbons gained the Spanish throne
However, the Baroque style, imported
from Europe, was modified by in
digenous features. Bavarian JeSuits
were the most important influence
on painting. sculpture and decorative
arts in the churches. After the
Jesuits were expelled, and free trade
was introduced between Spain and
her colonies, culture and art -four
ished: the Jesuits' conception of
art as a tribute by the people to
the church was replaced by the
doctrine that art should be the
expression Of the state"
Chile gained it's independence in
1910. The tablishment OF the
University Of Chile 100 years
ago, was an outstanding event in
the Republics cultural history. A
National Academy of Fine Arts
was organized in the next decade.
Individual painters, notably Pedro
Lira, and other artists. played majo
roles In the furtherance of art in
. Chile. and the development of mod
ern painting. In the first decades
of this century. Chilean painting
underwent development similar
to our own, with various groups
traditionalists, impressionists, real
lists and modernists striving for su-
premacy.
Modern standards were intro
duced in force about Is years ago,
when Chile's Minister of Public
Education, feeling that the School
of Fine Arts In Santiago was not
developing as progressively as it
should, closed it for two years, and
sent 30 promising young artists to
Europe for advanced study. An
other outstanding factor was the
creation of the faculty of Fine
Arts in 1890. subsequently incor-
porated into the University OF Chile !;
the art faculty included many of the
returning artists from their foreign
study. Thus the arts were estab-
lished In the curriculum OF higher
education and were freed from
political partisanship and interfer-
ence.
Because OF these various develop
ments, It is expected that visitors
to the contemporary Chilean exhi-
bition now at the National Gallery
will And many parallels to the
contemporary art Of the United
States.
Important Portraits Given
To National Gallery.
Two portraits by outstanding
American artists have been pre-
sented to the National Gallery OF
Art and placed on exhibition, as
was announced In The Star fol-
October 3. The first. portrait OF
George Washington. by Rembrandt
Peale, was given by Mr.. George w
Dawson of New York City: the
second, q portrait of Capt. Warren
Delano by Charles Loring Elliott
was given by the Warren Delano
estate through Mr.. Frederic A
Delano of Washington. Capt. Delano
is a grandfather of the donor, and
great grandfather of President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Dis
tinguished in quality and unusually
interesting in subject matter. these
paintings are noted additions to the
callery's collection OF American
portraits
Charles Loring Elliott, who painted
Capt, Warren Delano. was born In
Auburn, N. Y. In 1912. His father
vas an architect. who employed his
son to make architectural drawings
as the boy displayed an eager inter-
est In art. Later, young Elliott was
allowed to 60 to New York City to
study art, although his father dis
approved. He received instruction
and aid at the American Academy
from the venerable John Trumbull
Revolutionary War artist and friend
of George Washington. After few
ST0c X KE17-l