Evening star., 1943-04-18
Art
Notes
Three Excellent
One.Man Shows
On View Here
Bv Florence S. Bergman


opened last week end. Each COM
prises portraits and still life, and
is conservative in character. But
the artists individuality gives each
its special flavor. One is by Noise
Kisling, a French painter of Polish
birth and international reputation;
the second is by Eugen Weisz, long
associated with Washington, an
instructor at the Corcoran School
of Art and at George Washington
University, and a lecturer at Trim
ity College; the third is by Jere
Wickwire, a New Yorker The first
two remain through April; the last
closes next Saturday. Those who
attended the openings had the
pleasure of meeting the artists.
Washinteon Painter
At Arts Club.
Mr.. Weisz' exhibition is a retro
spective show of his work for the
past six or eight years Most of the
oil paintings are doubtless familiar
to many persons who attend local
ANIMALS, for a majority of the 18
works on view have been publicly
shown before.
There is the admirable portrait of
DR.. Elmer S. Newton of Western
High School, now retired, which was
given to the school by members of
the faculty two years ago, and re-
produced in The Star at the time.
speaking likenesses" of Robert
Parsons and Herndon Phillips of the
Corcoran Gallery staff, ingratiating
captures of two young girls, Mary
Page Browning and Mary Potter,
the former shown in the Artists
Guild annual last autumn, and
searching self-portrait are familiar
as we'll as a number of Well-com-
posed and richly painted still life
arrangements. A portrait of the
Hon. Francis B. Sayre further bears
witness to Mr.. Weisz' ability to OBJ
tain a close likeness, which would
appear to be the major requisite
for portrait painting, despite the
opposite viewpoint held by many
contemporary portraitists.
Mr.. Weisz is entirely objective in
his portraits, seeking only to reflect
the appearance and personality of
each subject. But in his landscapes
and still life, IA of which, in differ
ent media, are shown in the Arts
Club reception room, he displays a
freer, more personal approach. and
broader handling. He simplihes, but
never distortS There are water COL
ors, pen and ink drawings, litho-
graphs, Oil sketches and works in
tempera and pastel. Several pastels
of flowers are as rich and toneful
as oil paintings. Lithographs "On
the Island of Orleans" and Iris"
have restraint and delicacy. Among
the water colors is a particularly
cheerful one of vivid red oil drums
IN landscape.
Kisling's First Appearance
In WaSkinPt0n.
Among the many distinguished
Europeans whom the war has
brought to the United States is
Noise Kisling, whose one-man show
at the Whvte Gallery is his initial
display in Washington. Nearly all
of the paintings shown have been
done in this country since his arrival
about two years ago. 1t is interest
ing to note that the impact of
America upon Mr.. Kisling has had
happy results, which is not always
the case when European artist is
thus transplanted.
This painter, who left his native
Poland for France when he was 18
and became naturalizeG French
man, who fought in World War I
and otherwise identified himself
with Frances fortune, has been
exhibiting for 80 years. Those IA
miliar with his work, in reproduc-
tion If not In the original, will re-
call that he is best known perhaps
for his portraits of women and
children.
These are very personal works and
seem to be not likenesses but va
riations of some inner vision of
the artist.
A case in point is the portrait, re-
Gently completed. of Nine Martins.
1t is beautiful decoration but
the reviewer for one completely
failed to identify it as likeness
Of the vivacious wife of the Am
bassador from Brazil.
Other portraits in the exhibition,
including one of the well-known
French cinema star, Michele Nor
gan. all have the family resem-
blance of women painted by Kis-
ling. They are inclined to have
gentle. dreamy expressions, heart
shaped faces, broad brows. wide-set
eyes and small chins. Their hair
may be black, tawny or honey
blond; but they are all the same
type, as much so as the famous
Gibson Girl" There are occa-
sional exceptions. such as Mr.. Kis-
ling's portrait of an exquisite little
girl, Eva Arthur Rubinstein, who
appears to be entirely herself.
Cityscapes of New York and else
where reveal the artist to be urban
at heart His Central Park, Win
ter" lent by the Hon. Joseph Clark
Baldwin, Is superb; a strong, sure,
colorful glimpse of skyscrapers along
the edge of the park. This is work
one covets Another view of Central
Park is astonishing: it resembles
jungle. from which one might ex-
pect to see wild animals emerge;
but the skyscrapers in the distance
are unmistakable At any rate, it is
convincing: and on seeing it the
average person will perhaps plan to
revisit Central Park some time and
hunt up these wild, picturesque
stretches. Other cityscapes include
an enchanting view of the old port
Of Marseilles, which the Nazis have
wantonly destroyed and replaced
with Notifications.
In contrast to these admirable
views Of cities, Mr.. Kisling's land
scapes seem vague and ineffective.
One gets an impression that he is
not emotionally moved by the coun-
try. But when he is painting flow
ers that have been plucked and ar