Evening star., 1945-07-01
By Florence S. Bergman

Metropolitan Baptist Church re-
Gently dedicated two oil paintings,
"Gethsemane" and "Olivet," painted
by Sue v. Stewart and given by the
congregation. They are hung in the
main auditorium on either side of
an electrified cross, completing the
scenes symbolizing the story of holy
week.
The paintings are large, 5 by 712
feet, decorative in effect, with strong
carrying quality, a necessary factor
in view of the size of the auditorium.
"Gethsemane" depicts vista
through trees, at the end of which
is light which one may interpret
as the Sacred Presence. "Oliyet"
reveals a .far-reaching horizon to
foothills beyond the tree-filled val
ley seen from the mount, upon
which the sun breaks through violet
edged clouds. Mrs. Stewards con-
ceptions of these subjects are beau
tiful and restful. She is a teacher
of art in the public schools.
The Metropolitan Baptist Church,
of which DR.. E. c. Smith is pastor,
is located on r street between
Twelfth and Thirteenth NV. It
has taken its place in an increasing
number of churches which are util-
izing the gifts of living artists for
their establishment.
Mono prints by Berf0ia
Nonobjective monoprints by Harry
Bertoia at the Phillips Memorial
Gallery comprise the first Washing
ton exhibition of work by this artist.
More than so prints, identified only
by numbers, are on view in the print
rooms.
Mr.. Bertoia now lives on the Pa
cific Coast and works in a defense
plant. A few years ago he taught
jewelry making and graphic arts at
Cranbrook Academy, Bloomfield
Hills, Mich. Whether these arts
have reacted in his recent prints is
not possible to ascertain without
being acquainted with his jewelry.
At any rate the colors in some OF
his prints glow like gems.
There is much more variety than
one would expect in an exhibition
without subject matter. Mr.. Ber-
toia's prints have many kinds
of geometrical forms: rhomboids,
rhombuses, "trylons and peri
Spheres" triangles and squares,
circles and ovals, as well as forms
composed of thread-like lines, some
whorled like finger prints, others re-
sembling tangled skeins. The pic
lures differ in size and color
schemes. Some are brightly col
ored, in what appears to be oil
paint, others are monochromes in
ink.
Although called prints. these
are a form of painting.
The pictures are painted on glass,
covered with damp paper, to which
the pigments adhere, and are put
through pressure, which allows the
pictures to be pulled off the original
surface. But although the method
of making monoprints recalls the
printing of etchings and other
graphic arts, there is only one each
of these Bertoia pictures. Each work
would have to be repainted entirely
on the glass in order to get a Sec
ond impression. One may wonder
why an artist goes to so much trou-
BILE for one print, why he doesn't
Just paint his picture on canvas and
omit the transfer to paper. The
answer is that he obtains diff
ferent effect by the monoprint.
Brushmarks are eliminated in the
transfer, and the colors take on
clarity and freshness on the paper,
which differs from the way they
would appear If done on canvas.
Further variety is obtained by Mr..
Bertoia,s use of individual blocks
to superimpose patterns on the
background permitting him to put
light colors over dark, among 9TH
er varied effects. The pictures are
executed in a clean-cut technique,
and many Of them would make ex-
cellent decorations.