Evening star., 1948-11-21
Youth Carves Statue
Out Of Church Step,
Wins Corcoran Prize

A 2O-year-Old art student VINO
carved his first sculpture from a
rock with a cold chisel and carpen-
ter's hammer is winner of the Cor
coran Gallery of Arts third annual
exhibition of the work of artists of
Washington and vicinity which
opened last night.
He is Josef Pere Herzbrunn of
4517 Harrison street NV, student
at George Washington, University
and the Corcoran School of Art.
His winning work, War Motif H."
is a reclining nude male figure and
1t represents dying soldier.
The stone from which the statue
was carved was an old step from
st. Augustine's Catholic Church,
1118 Fifteenth street NV, a col
ored church which Abraham Lin
coin helped to found. 1t was re-
Gently demolished.
The sculpture was one of 20 art
works chosen from nearly 1000
items submitted for the show, and
WAR Motif II" won the only prize
given, certificate of merit. The
strictness of the exhibitions jury
of selection raised such a storm of
protest that the Corcoran also ex-
hibited one work of each of the
nearly 400 artists who submitted
work.
Rebels Against Usual Memorial.
Mr.. Herzbrunn's winning sculp-
ture, a 5-foot columnar figure SIM
ply carved and earthly" represents
his rebellion against the usual war
memorials.
"I hate war memorials expressing
glory and victory" he said. People
seem to forget about the sorrow and
tragedy and death in war when
they make Monuments"
Last year his War Motif l. a
quartz piece representing hands
covering a baby's head. won honor
able mention in the Corcoran eX-
hibit, sculptors of Washington
Maryland and Virginia.
Mr.. Herzbrunn was born in Welch,
W. Va, but has lived here since he
was eight. His father, Edward A.
Herzbrunn, is an insurance man.
An Army veteran, Mr.. Herzbrunn
said he plans t o''try to turn stone
into bread" and become a profess
sional sculptor
Sculpture First Love.
Eve been drawing ever since I
was a kid" the young artist said,
but nv sculpting dates from three
years ago. I picked up a rock one
day, carved a head from it with a
cold chisel and carpenters hammer,
and ever since sculpture has been
nv first love. I've been studying
art for the last three years. owe
lot to Heinz Warneke, Corcoran
sculpture teacher, who has guided
me since I started the work last
March"
Nineteen other works picked by
the Jury were displayed in special
room along with War Motif II"
The artists and the titles and types
of their works are: Benjamin
Abramowitz, 80 Eastway road,
Greenbelt, Md, Debris" an oil;
Samuel Bookatz, 2700 @ street NV,
Drawing conte crayon; Walter
Tony Carnelli, 1409 Twentieth street
NV, Hope" tempera; Peter
Blanc, 1910 st. Matthews court NV,
"Hamlet," oil; Sheila Cowan, Ameri-
can University, Still Life with
Flowers" charcoal; Lucille Evans,
1725 H street NV, oblivion Can
not Engulf," encaustic, and Hang
ing Shapes" lithograph; Barbara
Ferreu, 1725 H street NV. La
fayette Square oil tempera; Eve
Geiler, 638 I street NV, "Refiec-
tions," water color; Virginia Coll
kasian, 6611 Eighth street NV,
"Character Study conte crayon;
Mona L. Jordan, 515 North Pied
mont street, Arlington. Tokyo
1s47," pastel; Jacob Kainen, 1922
Forty-ninth street NV, Pilgrim"
etching; Pietro Lazarri, 1859 Fuller
street NV, I'm Memoriam to Ed
Rowan" ink; John Chapman Lewis,
11oS Euclid street NV, The Cy-
clone" oil: Leonard Maurer, 2818 N
street NV, Man and Horse" and
Group of Three Women" ink
washes; Jack Perlmutter. 1926 Hal
ley square Sc, The City" Oil: June
Schweitzer. Art Department, Ameri-
can University, Toad cast stone,