Evening star., 1943-01-17

from the John Simon Guggenheim
Memorial Foundation. They bring
colorful glimpses of regions much
In the headlines today and carry
the visitor from Moscow down the
Volga to the Caspian and through
the Caucasus to the Black Sea.
MIR. OHara has felt himself so
much in debt to the Soviet Union,
both as a traveller who was treated
with every kindness for three
months in 1929 and recently as an
American grateful to a magnificent
lighting ally, that he wished to
show some individual appreciation;
he therefore will donate proceeds
from any sale of the pictures to
Russian relief.
From the beginning of his career
as a painter Mr.. OHara seems to
have executed his water colors with
confidence, verve and mastery of
medium. His life has been quite
different from that of most artists.
Until his mid30s he was busi-
nesSman, manufacturer. In 1924
he undertook painting as a spare
time activity without seeking any
instruction. Two years later he held
his first one-man show in Boston,
subsequently sought and was award
ed the fellowship which enabled
him to take his family to Europe
for more than two years.
The present exhibition, hence.
represents work of his fifth year
of painting, and it is done with
marked technical proficiency. It
deals with subject matter beauti-
ful, inspiring and picturesque. It
was done with wet brush, in broad,
sure strokes, and the result is sim
plified naturalism. Persons who
are familiar with Mr.. O'Hara's work
OF the past 13 years will recognize
considerable contrast between these
Russian water colors and his later
work. His. development has been
steadily toward the direct, simple
statement. Many visitors, however.
will regard these Russian water
colors as engaging as anything he
has done since.
Some Of these paintings have
been exhibited previously In Wash
ington. In 1881 the American Fed
Grafton OF Arts sent on a national
circuit 40 of the Soviet Union Sc
rles, which were shown here at
Gordon Dunthorne's gallery on
Connecticut avenue. A year earlier
Mr.. O'Hara wrote an article about
his experience in Russia for the
American Magazine of Art.
Rnssia's Infinite Variety
Is Revealed.
"The choice Of outdoor subject
material in the u. S. s. r." he said,
rs infinitely varied. Racial types
and costumes abound. Tartars, Mon
gols, Kurds, Georgians, Armenians
and others of the more northern
types are often glad to pose in re-
turn for the gift Of a quick sketch.
The architecture, both in north and
south, is amazing In color and
shape. More rugged and dramatic
than the Alps are the ranges of
the Caucasus, with four peaks,
among them Elbrus and Kasbec and
Ararat in Armenia, higher than
Mount Blanc. For coastline, the
Crimea is equal to the most pic
turesque parts of the italian Riv-
iera."
The present collection illustrates
his words. The subjects include sew
eral OF golden domed churches and
monasteries and other colorful and
interesting buildings, as we'll as
views in famous Russian cities and
glimpses of rivers, such as "The
Volga From Nizhni- -Novgorod, and
another view Of it from Kiev, which
shows a neck-breaking steep de-
scent to the river. The Kremlin
and Lenin's tomb have their own
strange fascination. Two or three
bathing scenes are on view, one q
loan from Justice and Mrs. Frank
furter. Mount Kasbec and other
awe-inspiring mountain scenes
fishing boats and an Armenian mar
ket round out the varied subjects.
Edward Rowan of the section O,
fine arts, FWA. who is art chair.
man for Russian Relief, will circu-
late these water colors of Russia by
an outstanding Washington painter
to the major cities In this country
at the close Of their Corcoran show
ing.