Evening star., 1946-04-14

Etchers' Twelfth annual exhibition
which opened at the Arts Club last
Sunday offers considerable variety
and interest. Of approximately rs
prints which occupy all of the
ground floor exhibition space, a
third constitutes special invitation
section of the graphic works of the
three judges to serve on the Fourth
Pennen Competition at the Library
OF Congress: Eugene Higgins,
etcher; Charles Locke, photographer,
and Thomas Mason, wood engraver
The works of these three compile
ment each other nicely. Mr.. Mason
is a landscapist, Mr.. Locke is pri-
marily interested in characterize
ton, and Mr.. Higgins deals with
age-old symbols in a somber drama
of social significance Each artist
is represented with eight prints.
Eugene Higgins, the senior men,
ber of the trio, is so well known as
to need no introduction. His etch-
ings in the current show the typical
strong and sincere. done in deep
tones, dealing with sculpturesque
figures in settings Of brooding mel
ancholy or with feeling of impend-
ing disaster. His one mezzotint,
The Return" is a, work of velvety
beauty.
Charles Locke, who studied lithog-
raphy with Joseph Pennell. is a
craftsman of character, who likes to
observe types found in such COM
monplace locations as ferries, trains
buses, lunchrooms, etc. All but one
Of his Autographs in this exhibition
are character studies, somewhat
cynical.
Thomas Nason's work is of such
minute perfection, such serene
beauty, that it will doubtless be
the favorite group of many visitors
to the exhibition. Three of his
engravings were done on copper, but
their effect is similar to that of the
wood engravings. His technique is
ideally suited to the quiet peaceful
New England scenes he depicts.
Reputable Work Shown
Recent prints by members and
non-members comprise two-thirds
of the exhibition. In this section
too, are works by artists of national
reputation international in a few
instances which run a gamut from
such superb traditional prints as
John Taylor Arms exquisitely
etched panorama of Taxco, to STAN
ley William Hayter's large abstract
engraving and soft ground color
etching cling Personages" which
has the place of honor in the recep-
ton room.
Stanley Hayter is an Englishman
who undertook to treat graphic proc
esses scientifically. Nearly 20 years
ago in Paris he established his now
famous Atelier II, which he trans
ferred to New York in 1940 Ian
Hugo, another of these artists who
exploit line and tone in their alb
stractions, has contributed color
woodblock and line engraving "Nau-
titus" to the present exhibition.
Clare Leighton, an outstanding
English wood engraver, who has
lived in the United States for some
years, part of the time in Baltimore,
aid has illustrated a number of
books here, shows two strong pas
toral scenes in her chosen medium.
Prentiss Taylor. president OF the
Society of Washington Etchers, is
represented with two Autographs,
war-connected, imaginative and un-
usual. BY Ruel p. Tolman, vice presi-
dent, is an etching done some years
ago, while Inez Demonet, secretary
treasurer, has two prints, her dry
point-and-aquatint of gannets being
particularly good.
? Other noteworthy etchings include
Reynold Weidenaar's "Burro Sta
tion," very large plate, monumen-
tai in composition, delightful in de-
tail; Fred Becker's curious surrealis-
tic Dancer" Bertha Dougherty's
engaging little view of Alexandra,
Benson Moore's incisive glimpse of
Gloucester and Eliot O'Hara's ex-
tremely simple, linear Sand Dunes" !"
Minnie Briggs RauPs color dry
point American Osprey" on a flow
ering tree limb has an Oriental deco