Evening star., 1948-12-12
Art
Grace Turnbull Show
Proves Versatile in
Sculpture Subjects
By Florence S. Berrymon

L.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art has
just opened an exhibition Of sculp-
ture by Grace H. Turnbull Of Balti-
more, the fifth in its series Of solo
exhibitions by contemporary Amer
ican artists. It will extend through
January 9. .
Eighteen sculptures in stone, wood
and metal, several photographs and
some drawings from the nude con-
stitute an impressive retrospective
show from 1890 to the present. A
high level. of accomplishment char
acterizes Miss Turnbull's works. She
varies her technique to suit the
chosen material and subject, and
obviously does not worry. as to
whether she is showing progress
from traditionalism to contemporary
idioms. Her most modern work is
the Maiden Motif" of 1912, much
simplified with beautifully rounded
surfaces in pink Georgia marble.
Looking from the life-sized hippo
potamus and elephant heads, direct
ly cut from black Belgian marble,
the handsome Triad" in Tennessee
marble and other large heavy works,
to the sculptress herself, delicate
appearing woman only an inch or
two over 5 feet, I could not conceal
my surprise that she could excel
in such strenuous medium. 1T
is question of impetus" Miss Turn
bull said, more than muscular
strength. I stand cutting my stone
for 7 hours a day if I am not in
terrupted'
Nine of the 18 sculptures are stone
/ five are of woods, four modelled III
clay and cast in metal or plaster
She has much Of interest to tell of
all her works. Two of those In
wood were made from a sycamore
tree in front of her home, which was
being cut down last year. She asked
the men to save her several sec
tionS of the trunk. From one with
four branches, she developed sug-
geStion of the CrucifiXion with sor-
rowing angels lowering above. 1t
is an interesting example of imag-
NATIVE use of material with severe
limitations.
/ A beautiful, vital head in terra
Gotta of young girl she said was
a version of a portrait she had
painted two decades earlier. Struck
by the sylvan appearance of a child
on the street, Miss Turnbull had
followed her to her home, and asked
her mothers permission to paint her.
The garden head in the current
show is an adaptation of the por-
trait Because of the girls slant
! ing eyes and fluffy hair, Miss Turn
! bull calls her sister to faun."
| Turning to one of her animal
portraits, she said. II was struck
by the head Of the hippopotamus as
he lifted 1t, cleaning with water,
from the surface of his tank. 1t
was Natures sculpture at its hand
soonest. Perhaps 1t is difficult for
the layman to realize that the most
beautiful form, as he conceives 1t,
may not be sculptural; and that the
ugliest monster may be superbly so. .
Miss Turnbull is a native as well
as resident of Baltimore. She
studied painting and sculpture at
the Maryland Institute, the Art
Students League Of New York, the
Pennsylvania Academy Of Fine Arts
and with Cecilia Beaux and Other
artists. She has exhibited in Wash
ington group shows at intervals, anc
in other cities. She has received
number Of awards, and Is repre-
sented in the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York; the Baltimore
Museum and elsewhere.
ILatvian Printmaker
T! Woodcuts and monotypes by Ada
Yunkers are on exhibition In the
Division OF Graphic Arts, Smith
sonian Institution, until the Monday
after New Year Day. These prints
are so large that Is Of them fill the
showcases, usually adequate for from
Is to 80 items.
Mr.. Yunkers, born in Riga, Latvia,
studied art in Leningrad, Paris,
Berlin and London. He has travelled
extensively in Europe, Africa, Gen.
trail and South America, and has ex-
hibited extensively, particularly in
Scandinavia. He has been included
in group shows in the United States
(and one-man show in New York
City earlier this year, and was rep
resented in the contemporary Amer
ican print exhibition at the Corco-
ran Gallery in october.
He lived in Sweden during World
War II and came to the United
States last year, to be resident
artist at the New School In New
York City. He is visiting professor
at the University of New Mexico
during summer sessions. Examples
of his work are included In II mu-
seums in this country and abroad
Mr.. Yunkers is an esthetic radical
who delights in experiment. Jacob
Kainen, curator of the Division OF
] 1IdplllC al 10, pOAllVo Ouo VAC AASVSA
method employed in Mr.. Yunkers
block prints. in which thickly pig
mented lines and forms appear
mostly against a dark background,
relieved by black linear accents.
| Considering the past decade of his
career. against the tragic back
ground of his occupied native land
and the war generally, it is not sur
prising that his work is depressing
in atmosphere, even though it does
not deal with war subjects. His
head of Shoemaker" is portrait
of misery. His Crying Woman
epitomizes all the unlovely aspects
| MM.;1S|t!& |