Evening star., 1942-01-18
Paintings
OF BOrie
On Exhibit
Corcoran Gallery
Presents Work of
Renowned Artist
By Leila MechIin.

Oy Lena INcChItn.
The Corcoran Gallery Of Art
opened yesterday, to continue until
February IS, q notable exhibition Of
paintings and drawings by Adolphe
Borie-who died in the spring Of
1934-and whose reputation since
his death has been steadily in
creasing
Up to that time he was best
known as painter Of portraits. and
1t was these he exhibited, but in
his studio, at Forty FIRST and Pine
streets, Philadelphia, were many
paintings and drawings made for
his own pleasure of which only his
closest friends had knowledge. It
is a selection Of these, made, at
his request. by group Of artistic
associates, that have enhanced his
reputation and brought him before
the public in an entirely new guise.
It is from these that the current
exhibition is largely made up.
In spirit these works are very
French and reflect the influence of
such painters of the modern school
at Manet, Renoir and Cezarne, as
well as Mary Cassatt, also a Phila-
delphian, but one who abandoned
her native city because of its banal1-
ties and took up residence In Paris,
the atmosphere of which she found
mos: congenial. For such readjust-
ment Borie would have had perhaps
better reason, as he had French
blood in his veins. His family were
from the Bordeaux region Of France
and came to this country via the
West Indies. John Joseph BOrie. q
direct ancestor, went to Philadel-
phia as a refugee from San Do
mingo during the Juan Christophe
regime and there set up an i'm
port and export business which
prospered handsomely.
There was a love Of art inherent
IN the Borie family-an elder broth
er, Charles Louis Borie, becoming
an architect, and as such gained
eminence. designing with G. G.
Zantzinger) the Justice Department
Building in this city, as well as the
Philadelphia Museum Of Art and
other buildings of note. He has
served on the National Commission
Of Fine Arts, etc. Adolphe, born
seven years later, in 1877. studied
art first in Philadelphia and then
In Munich Returning to Philadel-
phia, in 1904, he retained residence
there as long as he lived.
He was essentially urban. One
day in the country satisfied his
longing for outdoor life. But he
liked people. and frequently rode
with his hunting friends In the
lovely country through which the
PENNSYLVANIA main line has .
right of way.
He was a most kind and friendly
person, eager to please, and giving
without stint of himself.
George Biddle's first meeting with
him, graphically described in his
monograph on Borie, was typical.
Biddle, a young art student, intent
upon going abroad for study, sought
him out, with some fear and trem-
bling, for advice and questioning.
and was met by almost unbelievable
cordiality and friendliness. All that
was ahead OF the young student
must have instantly fired the elder
mans imagination. He must give
him q letter to Mary Cassat, who
was probably then in Grasse with
Renoir and who would introduce
him to DegaS when she got back
to Paris. Frieseke would undoubt-
edly put him up at the American
Club. Yes, he knew the work OF
Matisse and Picasso. No. times had
changed; Paris would be better than
Munich-and so on. No wonder
Biddle was enchanted and then and
there became Borie's devoted and
edmiring friend for life.
But how superb was the way in
which Borie took for granted the
same prodigality in kindness OF his
artist friends to an unknown young
American art student-believing
them no less generous than him.
self, no less willing to hold out
the helping hand. He is said to
have had q delightful whimsicality,
to have always retained some Of
the Jolly naughtiness of extreme
youth-not to have taken himself
seriously, but to have always re-
Rarded the feelings Of others.
He was a born aristocrat" in
appearance, in the way he wore his
clothes, in manner and courtesy
q Philadelphian true to pattern.
His friends were artists, writer's,
men and women of original thought
and distinction. With how many
such may Philadelphia be credited.
Mary Cassatt, Cecilia Beaux, Thomas
Eakins, the Pencils, the Oakleys,
the Drinkers, Agnes Repplier and
others, among whom the art of con-
versation never lost its glamour.
His was also the gift of repartee.
It is the tendency now to de-
preciate Borie's portraits, but they
were what portraits should be, char
acterizations presented in excellent
form. Occasionally one would stand
out for especial subtlety and merit
now and then one would be quite
commonplace Again, his desire to
please may have sometimes over
ridden his own pleasure and con-
viction.
BY his several biographers he is
said to have been Influenced by
the French modernists-and, doubt
less, to an extent he was-but the
dominant influence seen in his
works now under consideration was
certainly that of Mary Cassatt,
whose line was firmer and brush
strokes more studied than that of
her French confreres.
There is no doubt, however, that
his several canvasses. do reflect the
works Of CeZanne, Renoir, Manet-