Evening star., 1942-08-16

Art
-
New European Art
On Exhibition
At Whyte Gallery
Br Florence S. Bergman.

~4AinterS are introduced 10 WdSll-
eapton by the exhibition of water
colors and crayon drawings which
opened last Monday at the Whyte
Gallery, to remain until the end OF
August. They are Jean de Bottom
of France. Arturo Souto of Spain
William Thoeny. an Austrian, and
Eris Isenburger, born, who
has been living in France for the
mast eight years. All of them are
artists of established regulations
abroad.
The work of the first two probably
will exemplify to many observers the
idea of nationalism in art. If ig-
norant of the artists Identities
when first seeing their work, some
of us no doubt would say of M. de
Bottoms. That has French
flavor" and of Senor Souto's, There
is something very Spanish about
that" To the extent that modern
expressionism is typically German
Prof. Thoeny's water colors have
Teutonic characteristics. He is rep
resented with eight works, the three
other painters with 10 each.
Jean de Bottoms water colors are
CAV and vivacious with a sophisti-
Gated naivete. In other words, they
appear simple and artless at first
glance, but are subsequently seen
to be knowing and chic" The
artist is fond of fresh, primary
colors, which accord we'll with such
subjects as THE Circus" and The
Ballet" but are somewhat raw IN
several instances. In THE Castle,
for example, the beautiful old build
ing In a park, is rather overwhelmed
by the expanse of emerald-green
surrounding 1t.
This French artist, whose mother
was English, was the only torelgn
PAINTER invited to record the cor
ornation ceremonies of George vi.
Two of this series, Coronation Ball
and procession Leaving Bucklng-
ham Palace" are in the current ex-
hibition: although the subjects are
English the transcriptions are Whoiiy
French. "Child's Christmas Dream
of a pink and blue Santa Claus,
.Marakech" showing oriental lnt1u-
ence in color and detail, ana an
admirable study in sanguine OF a
woman's back, exhibit other facets OF
M. de Bottoms talent.
OF works by Arturo Souto on view
five are executed IN black and brown
crayon with touches OF earth-red,
while the others are water colors
reinforced with pen and ink. All
are portraits of cities. The draw
ings depict Spanish and Italian
cities COR sections OF them ::
Madrid" Pantheon, Rome; "Iu-
regano, Segovia";; piazza del
Populo.", They are strong and tone
full. with undistorted forms, and
have a somber atmosphere, which
seems haracteristically Spanish.
Even the pen and wash drawings
of Paris done before the war, have
a melancholy air. The artist intro
duces incidental figures clad in old
costumes in some Of his works.
s'Rue de Rivoi," for instance, al
though dated 1889, is peopled with
men and women in the dress OF the
'o0s and its traffic is horse-drawn,
One of the Spanish drawings has
figures straight out OF Goya. All
of his work has nostalgia charm.
Arturo Souto was born in 1902 In
|Pontevedra in Galicia, in the north
western part of Spain. He under
took painting under his fathers in
struction. and continued his study
in Madrid and Paris. In 1884 he
won first place in the Grand Prix de
Rome competition sponsored by the
Spanish government, which provided
a fellowship for his study in Italy
This was interrupted by the Spanish
civil war. The artist worked for a
while in Brussels, then held an
exhibition in Paris on invitation OF
the director of the Beaux Arts. The
present war sent him to Havana
whence he came to New York. He
Is represented in the collections OF
museums in Madrid, Paris. Brussels
and Ghent. He is not unknown in
this country, having exhibited at
the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh
:, Thoeny was born in Graz, Austria
and began to draw at an early age
He became a prize student IN the
Munich Academy and was thu
recipient of substantial prize fol
a painting he sent to the Vienna
Secession Exhibition He was equally
successful at the Munich Secesslonis1
Exhibition in 1912, where modern
expressionism had its inception. This
movement included Paul Klee. whose
work is now on view at the Phillips
Memorial Gallery.
= Thoeny became aware OF the
menace of Hitlerism in its early
stages, before it had bllghted his
country. He lived successfully il
Switzerland and Paris, and now
begins a new life in the United
States.
EXPRESSIONS
1t is helpful to know of Prof
Thoeny's connection with expires
sionism, in trying to understand hi
PAINTINGS at the Whyte Gallery. tt
the average eye, they appear TO o'
11asty, unfinished sketches in water
color. with detail added in pen ant
ink. They are impressions OF cities
Paris, Marseille. New York ant
Washington, D. C. One assumes n
is endeavoring to present his feel
ing about each place, rather than II
afford an objective glimpse. 1t /
improbable that many Washing
tonians will recognize the view o
this city, although it does embod,
something of the current confusion
Several New York scenes are NOR
easily recognized because of the sky
scrapers. to which Prof. Thoeny ha
given an appearance of fraglllty
Perhaps the best work in the groul
is New York from the river, showing
skyscrapers in the background, an
cient houses along the water from
and a ships mast in the foreground
1t has the feeling" of the me
tropolis.
Thoeny has had one man show
In New York, San Francisco and Lo
Angeles, and has exhibited in groul
Sf0urc OF Fri