Evening star., 1948-10-24
Art
Matisse Drawings
illustrate Changes
In His Development

Illustrate Anan2eS
In His Development
By Florence S. Berrymon
Three exhibitions from the Amer
ican Federation of Arts offerings
for 1859 opened in Washington
galleries last week end: Contem-
porary American prints at the Cor
coran Gallery Of Art. drawings by
Henri Matisse at the Phillips Me-
mortal Gallery and book jackets at
Howard University. All will be on
view into November.
Drawings by Henri Matisse were
included In the large retrospective
exhibition which honored him at the
Philadelphia Museum last April and
May. 1t comprised more than 270
paintings, prints, sculptures, illus
trated books and drawings, assem-
bled from II public and private COL
lections in France, this country and
elsewhere. It began with his aca-
demic work in the early 1905, and
extended through his abandonment
Of traditionalism, and his develop
ment as leader Of one Of the several
movements which grew out Of post
impressionism. M. Matisse is an
esthetic descendant of Gauguin, en-
phasizing the decorative pattern
with influence from Oriental art.
Early in his career he began to
simplify, to rearrange, to distort.
The great majority Of works in
the Philadelphia retrospective were
returned to their owners at the close
of the show, but M. Matisse per-
mitted the American Federation of
Arts to send these go drawings from
his own collection, on a circuit of
10 American museums, including the
Phillips Gallery. This selection il
lustrates his development in draw
ing from the Seated Woman" Of
1924, a nude conservative in han
ding, to the Head of Marie Jose"
of 1947.
The drawings are done in several
media, charcoal and stump, pen and
ink, pencil and crayon. Changes in
style range from outline and simpli-
fed, three-dimensional modelling, q
particularly fine example being the
reclining nude, study for an
odalisque with red trousers" An
intermediate group is characterized
by bold outline to which linear orna-
ment has been added women and
girls in taffeta gown, Rumanian
blouse, etc.. Finally, there is the
long series of 1S drawings of an
Oriental model, done with almost
no modelling, the entire expression
being linear. The artist has rung
many changes on q mobile face,
heavy-lidded eyes, voluptuous con-
tours and gaily patterned veil over
the models head and shoulders.
My chief criticism of the exhibi-
ton of Matisse drawings is that
there is too much "sameness";; it is
as If one were to sit down to q meal
composed almost entirely of straw
berry Souffle.
** -
Geometry in the Round
Art TECHNOLOGY needs q new word
to identify the creations Of Naum
Gabo, which marked the formal
opening this month Of the new
Institute Of Contemporary Arts, and
also the mobiles and stables Of
Alexander Calder, exhibited in
Wo shfpofor enusrol ynors ~~@ $L>
productions of David Smith shown
at Howard University last winter,
and a few others. They are all
classified as sculpture, which term
has been identified too long with
natural forms, compact mass. etc,
to embrace comfortably these new
objects.
Mr.. Gabo's works now at the
Institute Through November 81 are
known as -constructivist sculpture
and are new only in a comparative
sense, as he and his brother Antoine
Pevsner began their esthetically
radical careers in Europe several
decades. ago. (Mr. Gabo changed
his name to forestall being con-
fused with his brother.) But they
are new" in the United States, as
the first comprehensive showing in
this country Of work by these
Russian-born artists was held only
last spring at the Museum Of
Modern Art. New York City.
One must visit the institutes
show OF Gabo constructions (also
paintings) with ones mind wiped
clean of associational ideas. Then
these scientific forms, rectilinear,
circular, elliptical. ETC., made largely
Of plastics looking like lucite, cellu-
loid, obsidian and other translucent
and opaque materials, are impress
sive and effective. Some of these
clean-cut works are serene and
restful. others are dynamic, all
with their own balance, despite
complicated relationships of various
parts. These constructions had
names in New York, but are not
identified here. 1t is just as well,
for the visitor will probably get
more out Of them if unencumbered
ny such titles as "Torsion."
Mr.. Gabo's paintings. quite as
abstract in every sense, seem less
startling than his constructions, be-
cause there have been many more
exponents of objective painting
than of geometric sculpture.
| X
Gorgeous Guatemala
Humberto Garavito's landscapes Of
his native country, Guatemala, now