Evening star., 1944-04-09
Art
Notes
Indian Paintings
By Carl Moon At
National Museum
Bv Leila MechIin.

By Leila Mechlin.
In the foyer of the National Mu'
scum, Constitution avenue at Tenth
street, there is nov on exhibition
collection of paintings of Indians o.
our Southwest by Carl Moon OF
Pasadena, Calf, which will bt
found of exceptional interest both
artistically and ethnologically. They
were the gift of the late Florence
Rand Lang and painted, under com.
mission from her. for the Division
of American Ethnology of the
museum. AS originally planned the
series was to have comprised 10(
canvases, but Mrs. Lang's deatl
terminated the project with 26
This is their first showing in Wash.
ington.
These paintings are practically
all of Indians of today and for the
most part set them before us in
their capacity as craftsmen busted
in production. The National Mu-
scum has a large collection of the
works of these craftsmen-pottery
baskets, woven fabrics, hand
wrought jewelry-but now in Mr.
Moons paintings we see them in
process of creaticn-and against
the background Of home life and
setting. The canvases are of mod
crate size and the figures are about
half the dimensions of the living
subjects. While essentially illus
trative, these paintings are rem
dered with certain breadth and
freedom which will be found note
worthy. In color they are rather
high keyed but the effect is pleas
antly atmospheric. The tribes rep
resented are the Hopi, Pueblos and
Navajos of Arizona and New Mex
leo, and the Apaches of our White
Mountain region. They seem to be
a happy as we'll as an earnest peo-
pie, and certainly their instincts
are essentially artistic.
That this exhibition should fol-
low so closely that of paintings of
Indians made 100 years ago by John
Mix Stanley lends additional in
terest. The Indians of the early
days were either looked upon as
MANAGING savaG6s or as the ro-
mantle heroes of fiction. Today
they are the wards of the Nation,
free to avail themselves of educa-
tional opportunities, while at the
same time encouraged to treasure
the best of their native traditions.
Tribal Craft
The National Museum, the Mu-
seums of New Mexico and Arizona
and the Indian Bureau of the In
terror Department have done much
to stimulate pride and conserve
talent among the Indians of the
great Southwest by collecting and
exhibiting the best tribal craft of
the past, and developing market
for that of today.
Under the auspices of the Museum
of Denver and the Universities of
Oklahoma and New Mexico a school
of water color painting has been
developed in accordance with ira
dition but essentially modern, typi-
cally native, not initiative, racial
yet in a measure universal. One of
the pictures in this exhibition shows
an Indian decorating a hide with
paintings OF horses and horsemen,
full Of motion and vim, but almost
primitive in simplicity.
Carl Moon, the painter of these
engaging works, was born in Will
mington, Ohio, in 1879 and studied
under Moran, who was, it will be
recalled, one of the first of our
American artists to discover and
transcribe the natural wonders of
the great West, especially those of
the Grand Canyon Mr.. Moon is
represented by "a paintings of In
dian subjects in the Huntington
Library of San Marino, Calf, and
by similar works in the Museum of
Natural History, New York; the
Southwest Museum, Los Angeles,
and elsewhere. He has also made
a name for himself as an illustrator
specializing, as in his paintings, in
Indian themes. AS an author and
lecturer he is likewise well known.
There is something very fresh and
ingenious about his art.
Chilean Artist Exhibition
At Pan merican Union
Under the patronage of the AM
bassador of Chile and Sonora de
Michels, distinguished Chilean
artist, Mireya Lafuente, is exhibit
ing paintings, made in Mexico and
Chile, at the Pan American Union.
1t is a colorful and impressive dis
play, consisting of no less than So
canvases, some of which are un-
usually large. Upon entrance the
visitor is almost overpowered by the
strength of c01or and cavaritv of