Evening star., 1946-03-17


beyond.
The Society of Washington Ar
lists landscape medal went to
Richard Lahey, director of the
Corcoran School of Art for his
beautiful Cove at Ebb Tide" (re-
produced). Fairly large, with colors
admirably related, this harbor
scene has a sky as interesting as
the shore and water. 1t is a happy
painting, calculated to take the
beholder's mind temporarily, at
leasD off atom bombs, deteriorat-
ing international relations and other
evils.
Autumn Grass" by Mimi Du Bois
Bolton, which won second honorable
mention in landscape, is also an
appealing work, in which fall has
turned green into subtle, delicate
shades of orange and yellow.
Ghost Story Painting
Wins Anonymous Prize
An anonymous prize was be-
slowed upon Paul Leland Thomp-
sons Ghost Story" which surely
deserves recognition as the most
imaginative painting on view. 1t is
a dark night scene of an abandoned
farm peopled with human and
animal spirits. The observer will
like Mr.. Thompson's wraiths, as
they are all too occupied with
romance or farm chores to annoy
any one.
The society's composition media
was given to Jack Perlmutter's ma
tional Gallery of Art" precise
and clean-cut adaptation of cubism
1t certainly conveys the feeling OF
the rotunda; its vast height, classic
details and the flying figure OF
Mercury ssilhouetted against the
white Light of the east wing. First
honorable mention in this class went
ito Helen Costello's Red Peppers, !,
a still life in red and green with
the same colors muted in the back
ground. Paul Arlt's "Transconti-
mental won second honorable men
ton, an airport at night, with forms
of planes and passengers simplified
as seen in the dark.
The 20 works in sculpture cover
"a lot OF territory from academic to
abstract and from miniatures to
heroic-sized pieces: it includes work
In direct cut and modelling, in six
or more materials.
Sculpture awards went to two
works cut directly from the stone,
with the heavy, sturdy, simplified
forms characteristic of this tech
nique: Minnie Barz's "Washwoman''
and H. Van Matters "Playtime"
(polar bear and cubs. Visitors will
find more washwomen in the cur
rent society annual than they will
in real life at present. Florence
Bessom shows little terra Gotta
Wash Day" And hanging not far
away is Garnet Jex' painting of the
same subject, cheerful scene with
tubs in the foreground and the
woman busy hanging out clothes
beyond.
Lilli Gettinger's heroic-sized stone
head entitled 'Pagliacci" seemed to
me outstanding. This distorted, ex-
presSionistic conception certainly
conveys the idea of mental anguish,
presumably of the husband Canio
in the opera. Miss Gettinger must
be a music-minded sculptor. She
has an abstract piece on view called
The Dreamer" which suggests a
music rack or lyrelike object. Jane
Love also shows two radical works,
the better being a head of a girl
revealing Oriental influences. Row
land Lyon contributes one of his
streamlined elephants, a wood
carving.
Naturalistic Trend
Revealed in Sculpture
Fully half of the sculpture group
is conservative and naturalistic.
Negro heads by Sarah Silberman
and Franczeska Frazier, portrait
busts by Ethel Hood, Myrtle Fisk
Veal and Belle Bellerose are indi-
vidual and well done. Jean Donner
Groves marble torso and Eleanor
Coxs Sea Urchin" are competent
performances adding variety to the
display.
Kathleen Wheeler's ceramic hunter
and his dogs, Mary Katherine
|Sater's terra Gotta figure of Mime
Chu Shih-ming and Katherine
Hobbs glazed terra Gotta cubs are
Engaging miniature works.
As 80 painters and sculptors are
represented in this 55th annual, il
is not possible to mention all of the
deserving works on view. But Wash
|ingtonians viii find it worth theil
while to visit the Corcoran Gallery
between now and April 10, when the
exhibition closes.
Margaret Gates Shows
20 Recent Paintings
1t is hard to believe that Mar
garet Gates exhibition now at the
Whyte Gallery is her first solo show
Her sound unpretentious paintings
have appeared in so many group
exhibitions, that Washingtonians
must feel very well acquainted with
her work. She is in every respect
la Washington artist, having been
born here. and having studied at
the Corcoran School of Art and at
the Phillips Memorial Gallery un-