Evening star., 1942-04-05
Art

By Leila MechHn.

nual and brief resume of the clubs
history is given in the catalogue.
Founded As years ago, its first ex-
hibition was held at the Cosmos
Club in December, 1896, with SO
painters represented therein. The
officers were Parker Mann, presi-
dent; E. c. Messer, vice president;
Lillian Cook, secretary, and Carl
Weller, treasurer. Among the out
standing members were James Henry
Moser, William H. Holmes, Hobart
Nichols and his brother, Spencer,
Lucien Powell, Wells Sawyer, Bertha
E. Perrie and Lesley Jackson, who
by-the-way, is we'll represented in
the current showing.
For AZ years now the Water Color
Clubs annual exhibitions have been
held in the Corcoran Gallery of Art
through the courtesy of the Board
of Trustees. This arrangement has
been beneficial both to the club and
the gallery. To the artists exhibit
ing it has given opportunity for ex-
cellent showing. and to the gallery
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and potentialities of works in a par
ticular medium. The result. it may
be surmiSed, was the upholding of
a high standard by the club and the
small but admirable collection of
water colors acquired through the
years by the gallery.
There are 106 paintings-two in
ct al 49, i
68 prints in black and white and
color included in this exhibition,
many of which are from out-of-
town. These were selected for ex-
hibition by jury composed of the
officers and Board of Managers of
the club, by whom the two prizes of,
respectively, $50 and $25 were
awarded.
The present officers are Seward
Hume Rathbun, president; Omar o.
Darlington, vice president; Eleanor
Parke Custis, treasurer, and Frances
Hungerford Combs, secretary. Mem
bers of the board are Susan B. Chase,
Roy Clark, Lesley Jackson, Mar
guerite Mum and Frances Wheeler,
all of whom are conservatives but
not so dyed-in-the-wool that the
door was closed to those who both
saw and painted differently. Not all
the exhibitors are perhaps as COM
petent as they might be, but they
have. 1t would seem, genuinely sin
cere and they have vision.
There are more landscapes and
less still-life subjects than usual,
but the chosen themes cover a wide
field, and the manner of handling is
very diverse. The first prize $500
went to Frederic Whitaker of Provi-
dence, R. l., for painting entitled
Basic Industry" showing factories
in a manufacturing town running
at maximum effort, presumably to
get out products required by war.
In this painting, which is broadly
handled. the impression is given of
tremendous power and energy. The
second prize ($25) was awarded to
Mass, for strong, colorful painting
Of North Beach, GaSpe," an engag-
ing and typical coastal scene.
Jane Peterson of New York. who
has in the past been prize winner,
shows a charming painting of
''Wind Blown Palms" by the sea,
fresh in color, competent in han
ding. Eliot O'Hara of this city,
who has lately returned from a
season of painting and teaching in
Florida, makes two contributions in
water color paintings to this ex-
hibition, as we'll as others in the
section given over to prints, one
of which is likewise of palms bend
ing before a boiSterouS wind but on
a showery day when the wind is wet
and the sky clouded; the other of
very young willow tree in early
spring dress as standing against
BACKGROUND of mountains near
Tryon, N. C. Both are extremely
subtle in rendition, more subtle
and more breathlessly lovely in eff
feet than the majority of works Of
art today.
Catherine Morris Wright gives
excellent account of herself and her
talent in two seascapes-"Little
Wind" showing very blue water
only slightly ruff1ed by the breeze,
which descends unreliably from
puffy white clouds overhead; and
"Sun and Stone" the ocean break
ing on a stern rockbound shore,
handsome and realistic.
In the place of honor on the west
wall hangs a painting by the pres
ident of the club, Seward Hume
Rathbun, who is not only painter
but architect, author and teacher
1t is entitled Deep Forest" and
shows, through an opening in gl-
gantic forest trees, a sunlit pool
with bathers-a composition which
offered exceptional difficulties in
rendition, of both light and scale,
which have been admirably met.
Halfway of the north wall has
been placed a painting, Respite,
by Frederic Whitaker, who carried
off the first prize, it will be recalled.
This is of goat-herd sitting in the
shadow of q wide spreading tree,
with his flock, when the sun is high
In the heavens. The vista is broad,
and unbroken, the eminence upon
which the sheltering tree grows af-
fords a broad outlook; the theme
Is treated with extraordinary force
and effect. While technically not as
good as the prize winning work, this
painting gives indication of greater
individuality and artistic gift. 1t
will be found memorable.
There are other mountain pictures
of note. Two by Vernon Duckett,
one of the Smoky Mountains, the
other of the Blue Ridge. Frances
Wheeler makes valuable contribu-
ton in her paintings entitled,
Morning" and Storm Clouds"
both setting forth transient effects
with delightful realism. Benson
Moore combines landscape with
flights of wild fowls charmingly.
There are quite a number of char
acteristic examples of Colonial archi-
lecture, faithfully and effectively
portrayed, both from without and
within, by painters of such standing
as Lester Stevens, Omar Caring
ton, Eleanor Parke Gusts, who is
L. L.