Evening star., 1949-02-06
Art
Twelve Exhibitions
OF Varied Interest
In Local Galleries
By Florence S. Berryman

By Florence S. Berymon
Twelve new exhibitions will have
opened in Washington galleries, last
Sunday through today. The 18th
annual exhibition OF the Miniature
Painters. Sculptors and Gravers' So
ciety of Washington. to open this
afternoon in the Natural History
Building, National Museum, is gen.
orally an engaging show, with much
popular appeal.
The President of the United
States and his daughter Margaret
lead the roster of notable people
whose portraits by Greta Kempton
in an exhibition, at the Corcoran
Gallery Of Art, will be open to the
public this afternoon.
Others among the is paintings
are those of the Secretary of the
Treasury, Mrs. John w. Snyder and
their daughter Drucie; Postmaster
General Donaldson, Secretary of the
Interior Krug, Secretary of the Air
Symington, former Postmaster Gen.
'eral Robert E. Hannegan and the
late Senator Carter Glass of Vir-
ginia. The familiarity Of these faces
to Washingtonians should make 1t
easy for each visitor to decide for
himself how well the artist has CAP
tured the individuality Of her
subjects.
1t seems to me that President
Truman's and the three Snyder por-
traits are particularly successful as
close likenesses. On the other hand,
Miss Truman's portrait, while 1t has
the appeal one would expect to find
in a representation OF young and
pretty woman, charmingly dressed
and posed in a pleasing color
light green and golden tam fails to
reveal the subtle indications Of her
personality.
There is an excellent likeness Of
Robert w. Fleming, president Of
Riggs National Bank. The portrait
of Guy w. Bailey, president of
the University of Vermont, is
outstanding for the sensitiveness
and distinction of the subject. -Four
portraits of women, all beautiful, of
course, who live in New York City,
Richmond and Houston, complete
collection which is thoroughly
traditional in viewpoint and execu-
ton.
Miss Kempton, a native of Vienna,
Austria, studied under two masters
there, and in New York City at the
National Academy Of Design and
the Art Students League. In pri-
vate life, she is Mrs. T. w. Nc
Namara, and lives in New York City.
Cathedrals of France
| Medieval cathedrals. compre-
hensive exhibition of excellent large
photographs, opened last Sunday
on the ground-foor gallery Of the
National Gallery Of Art. They
are on loan from DR.. Clarence
Ward, head of the department of
fine arts, Oberlin College. who will
give a lecture on THE Gothic
Cathedral" thiss afternoon at 4
o'clock at the National Gallery. This
show will remain only through next
Sunday. ~
Despite the rival attraction of the
Gulbenkian collection Of Egyptian
sculptures, which also opened last
Sunday, the cathedral photographs
drew a large crowd Of interested
visitors. Nearly 40 French cathe-
drals and churches are represented,
each with two or more exposures.
Among them are the world-famous
Notre Dame de Paris, Reims,
Amiens, Chartres and others, and
some comparatively unknown to
most Of us. At any rate. I had not
previously heard of Veuilly la Po-
terie Church, nor Of Ducy-Sainte-
Marguerite. the photograph OF
which shows spectacular tree OF
unbelievable shape, alongside the
church. 1t is obviously a mere in
cident, for the emphasis in these
photographs Is on architectural de-
tail-facadeS, buttresses, sculpture,
capitals. etc. Quite number look
as if the photographer had lain on
his back on the floor of the church
and aimed his lens straight up to-
ward the topmost point. These
photographs have the appearance
of abstract compositions. Not only
architects, but all who love France
and her magnificent Gothic cathe-
drals will enjoy this exhibition.
Air.Conditioning Art
Our era is not the first to try to
control the atmosphere indoors. G.
Virginia Diedel, Washington at
torney -at-law and member of the
Arts Club, after considerable re-
search, visualized something of the
law and historical facts in series
of pictures showing the develop
ment, in part, Of air conditioning,
beginning with practices in ancient
Egypt. Thomas H. Darling, a New
York illustrator, made the charcoal
drawings, and Edward H. Helmuth
of Washington, did the lettering
which provides a brief account with
each picture.
The series was opened at the Arts
Club last Sunday, to remain
through February 49,. The informa-
ton Is interesting, and will probably
be new" to most visitors. The "ar-