Evening star., 1943-09-19
Sc -
At
Notes
Art for Bonds
Exhibition on at
National Gallery
By Leila Mechin.

No one can see the art fol
Bonds" exhibition which opened ir
the National Gallery last Sunday
to continue through the Third Wal
Bond campaign, without being
stirred and impressed. The paint
ings which constitute it were OBJ
viously produced with emotion and
skill on the part of the painters
as well as sincere desire to for
ward the great cause. There is no
cant of art for arts sake. no evil
dence Of self-consciousness on the
part of the painters. They have
had something to say and have
said it boldly and with significance.
When commissions were given for
the paintings now on view 1t was
with the understanding that they
would in all probability be repro
duced and distributed as posters,
and in some instances they were
admirably adapted to such pur-
pose, but there are many more pic
lures than posters in the collec-
ton as a whole. OF the 20 or
more artists represented only six
were specialists in this field, the
rest for the most part being mural
painters or painters of easel pic
lures. This might seem to be a
distinction without difference, but
the manner of treatment is and
must always be far from the same
the poster maker. like the commen-
tator, must brief his message
whereas the picture maker may pre-
sent his at length-each has his
place.
Posfey.Making Art
Chief among the designers Of
posters contributing to this exhibi-
ton is E. Mcknight Kauffer, who
when in his early twenties changed
the whole current of poster making
In England and, by example, set
1t on a higher plane as an art than
ever before His posters for the
Underground were both excellent
and charming; other commercial
artists followed his lead and brought
beauty into their fortnight ex-
preston. That was in 1914.
Later he was rewarded by desig-
national as Royal designer to in
dustry in England, visiting pro-
fessor in the Royal College of Art
and member of advisory council of
the Victoria and Albert Museum.
He did mot return to this country,
save for visits, until 1910. He was
born in Montana. The poster by
Mr.. Kauffer in this exhibition is
terribly grim, rejecting, no doubt,
his bitterness toward those who
brought untold misery to the world.
It savors of revenge-the hand
that asks for bread receives the
sword. What a contrast to those
from the same artist which lured
the working people into England's
fair countryside.
War is grim and the present war
grimmer than all that have gone
before This, too, is brought home
to the observer by other accom-
plished poster artists. Also by the
artists of broader field and wider
scope, such as Taube, Gropper, Rom
dell, Marsh. "A .gentler message
comes from others, among them
John Steuart Curry, who, being
himself of the Middle West, turns
the onlooker's attention to the soil
-"Our Good Earth" which we
must keep and till-always Amer
tcan. To emphasize this message
he has painted, life size. farmer
with a child by each hand, wading
through a sea of ripening grain.
Also he has done an excellent pic
ture of other farm workers-no less
a battle-ground than may be touno
on foreign soil.
Ernest Fiene and Joseph Hirsch
both make outstanding and mem
orable OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Whicn
signify admiration for the courage
of the fighting forces and appeal 10
back them up. Paul Sample IS weii
represented by a combat scene at
night entitled keep Firing" and
Edward Laning by picture
of q young soldier carrying a
wounded comrade on his back 10
safety which has the superscription'
'Tired? I'm Not. Let's Keep Go
ing" There is no letdown. Law
renee Bean Smith strikes good
note in his picture of young soldier
returning home, face radiant with
10y, hand on the latch Of the gate
leading to the modest dooryard-as
well as two others stressing home
ties-the family. Only one woman
is represented among the con-
tributing artists. That Is Marion
Greenwood, whose message, we'll
rendered, is I'VE must Not Fail
Them" Art has gone back to story
telling-and not without inherent
gain.
Storytelling Art
Kenyon Cox was once called up
to defend storytelling in art. What
he said was: There has always
been storytelling in art and that Is
quite as it should be. provided the
story is worth telling and the artist
tells 1t we'll" These stories told bv
our American artists concerning the
war are worth the telling and In
most instances they have been told
well.
OF the artists whose works are
shown two are in the combat forces
Henry Billings and Richard Munsell
the former a captain in the United
States Army, the latter a lieutenant
In the Army Air Corps. Paul Sample
for some time artist-in-residence a;
Dartmouth College, is now artist
correspondent at the front, Six oi
the artists exhibiting have beer
Guggenheim Fellowship holders
these are Arnold Blanch. Alexander
Brook, Adolph Dehn, Ernest Fiene
and William Gropper. Also it i!
interesting to discover that of thu
IL mural painters represented
have paintings in Federal buildings
In this city. Five of the painter,
are foreign-born and from countries
into which the war has cut deeply
The remaining stand, in scattered
way. for all parts of our countr,
and give indication of the upgrowint
here In America NJ a truly y,afiona