Evening star., 1948-02-22


there were one.
Federico Castellon's "Pygmalion
and Galatea" Is, to me. one Of the
shows most intriguing works. It
has q well-related color scheme Of
crimson, warm and cold blues, sal
mon pink, flesh tints and other
notes, and repeated motifs. Waldo
Peirce's transcription Of . baseball
game between Searsport and Maine
State Prison is q good example Of
his vigorous sirnplifled naturalism.
Fletcher Martin, famous for two
listed realistic paintings, has moved
toward abstraction, and, In my
opinion, successfully, In his Ara
besque With Bull"
Colombian Artist
Luis Alberto Acuna's paintings
and prints on view at the Pan
American Union are of such interest
that it is regrettable the exhibition
Is of such short duration. Tomor-
row is the last day.
His paintings, depicting very solid
figures (ref1ecting his early interest
in sculpture), substantial landscapes
and architecture, are done on
coarse-grained canvas in pigment
spottily applied, the oolors tending
toward sublety. There are some
beautiful effects In violet, crimson,
deep blue and light yellow, which,
despite their freshness, appear to
be veiled in gray. The subject mat
ter, too, is handled in a somber
mood, sometimes merely contempla-
tive, as in Sailors Wife," again sin
lister, as in "Amazonic Jungle"
(Which seems about to swallow the
solitary nude bather In Its depths)
and in other instances, pathetic,
sardonic or tragic. The Latin Amer
leans reputation for light-hearted-
ness does not seem to be promoted
by their present-day artists, as wit
ness the last three exhibitors at the
Pan American: Carlos Prado in De-
cember, Dosamantes last month, and
Senior Acuna this month. not to
mention many previous exhibitors
from south Of the border, whose
work was grave or melancholy.
Senor Acuna is one of the three
Latin American artists awarded
Guggenheim Fellowships In 1947.
Born in Colombia in 1904. he studied
art In Bogota. At the age Of 20 he
attended the Beaux-Arts In Paris on
a government scholarship. Two
years later the French government
acquired from an exhibition there
of his work, a painting for the Lux
embourg Museum. He subsequently
studied in Mexico. taught at the
School Of Fine Arts in Bogota and
became its director in 1914. He Is
also a writer on contemporary art,
and an authority on pre-Columbian
culture.
Realistic to Abstract
Werner Drewes, an exhibition OF
whose prints was shown at the Arts
Club q few years ago, is having
a one-man show Of recent work In
the Division Of Graphic Arts, Smith
sonian Building, through next Sun
day. Twenty-four prints in various
media, some combinations, reveal
his versatility both in technique and
modes Of expression. A few wood
cuts are realistic, a larger number
of prints are pure distractions and
in between are some which vouch-
safe enough details to indicate their
inspiration. Outstanding among
these is Sunset" soft ground etch-
ing and engraving, beautifully done,
and technically and emotionally
satisfying.
Born in Germany In 1899, Mr..
Drewes studied at the famous Bau-
haus in Weimar. with Klee and
Kandinsky. He subsequently studied
and copied old masters, particularly
Velasquez and Goya In Spain; traV-
eled In Europe, South America and
Asia and came to the United States
in 1880. He made his home in New
York for 16 years. He Is now an in
structor at the School Of Fine Arts
of Washington University, st. Louis.
II r
Artists Cooperative
The new gallery of the Artists
Cooperative at 1903 K street NV.
is a marked improvement over the
ORGANIZATIONS former quarters. The
oyster gray and earth red back
ground and the good lighting afford
a fiattering setting for the works
on view. The group exhibition,
which remains through March s.,
comprises between 20 and 80 paint
ings and sculpture and a few deco
rated plates.
Sculptures are few but admirable,
among them Jane Loves Dancing
Torso" Sara Silberman's reclining