Evening star., 1945-06-10

During the war the art of portrait
painting has been considerably &C
celerated. Artists who have made
q speciality of portraits have been
kept buster than usual and at the
same time the works produced have
been of more notable merit.
No doubt this is due in part to
the emphasis placed on the indi-
Wdual and desire for recognition
OF personality. but under any cir
cumstances it goes to show how
important is this field and how large
a place portraits, both painted and
sculptured, play in the art of today
and tomorrow in the history of the
past and upon the upbullding OF
the world of tomorrow.
There are some who have thought,
and possibly may still think, that
photography has displaced and will
increasingly displace the painted
portrait, but this is not so. The
photograph registers momentary
impression, whereas the painted
portrait is a composite of such
impressions welded by the artist
into one 1t is not merely a matter
of likeness, although this is very
important, but of Interpretation of
character as well. The skillful por-
trait painter is ever alert to changes
of expression, as, for instance, Is
the weatherman with eye on the
scudding clouds, the sunlit skies.
Portrait painting came into vogue
when the donors of religious paint
ings to Christian churches had
themselves commemorated. And SO
1t has gone on to the present day
some of the finest works by the
great masters taking this form.
i Badees of Arisfocracy
From our country's earliest days
portrait painting has f1ourished in
America and today ownership of
portraits by Copley, Stuart. Peale
and others of the early period are
rightly regarded as badges of aris-
tocracy. The National Gallery OF
Art has done much through out
standing examples to stress the i'm
portance and significance of por-
traiture at its best, comprising in
its permanent collection portraits
by such masters as Titan, Velasquez
Rembrandt, Holbein and others nc
less we'll known. There is a mag
nificent portrait of Archibald Skirv-
ing by Raeburn in the Smithsonian
collection, the National Museum
The Corcoran Gallery of Art has
reason to be proud of it's early
American group-Stuart, Malbone
Harding and others up to the pres
ent day and including paintings by
Sargent, Seyf1ert, Johanson, not to
mention all.
At Corcoran Gallery
At the present time the Corcoran
Gallery is exhibiting a portrait of
Gen. Stilwell, through the courtesy
OF his family-the work of Howard
Smith of Boston, and in the Cor
coran Gallery's studio, placed at the
services of out-of-town painters,
Bjorn Egeli, Norwegian by birth but
American by adoption, a former
Washingtonian and pupil of the
Corcoran School. residing in South
ern Maryland, has just completed a
portrait of Gen. Vandegrift of the
United States Marine Corps, a most
vital and successful work-an out
standing achievement.
Miss Hattie E. Burdette, one of our
most successful local portrait paint
ers, has been occupied with COM
missions throughout the past season.
Among those she has painted are the
Rev. DR.. Walter E. Price, pastor
of the Northminster Presbyterian
Church, and the Rev. DR.. John
Compton Ball, pastor emeritus of the
Metropolitan Baptist Church, both
of this city. These were in each in
stance ordered by the congregations
for permanent placement in theil
parish halls. Miss Burdette also die
an excellent portrait of DR.. Charles
Stanley White, surgeon of Washing
ton, and likewise a private com.
mission, portrait of Miss Elizabeth
Medinger.
The last of these is especially