Evening star., 1949-10-09
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Adorable Children
Are Not on Display
In Nura Exhibition
By Florence S. Berrymon

The state of childhood, rather
than portraits of specific children.
constitutes the theme of most of
the paintings by Nura Woodson
Ulreich, by whom solo exhibition
is now on view at United Nations
Club to remain through October.
ANY one who expects to see
adorable children" in paint, re-
sembling real children. will be
disappointed. But those interested
in an artists imaginative plastic
reconstruction of a child's world
and ideas of other children, will
find Nura's paintings and prints
intriguing. She paints as one
imagines a child would paint. II
equipped with an adults talent
while retaining childish thoughts.
Nura (as Mrs. Ulreich is known
professionally was born In
Kansas City and obtained her
general education there. She also
attended the Kansas City Art
Institute, was awarded two schol-
arships, and worked her way
to New York to study at
the Art Students League. Sub
sequently she went to the Chi
cago Academy of Fine Arts.
She married Eduard Buk Ulreich,
also a painter and designer, who
encouraged her to "be herself" in
her painting, and not to worry
about pleasing others.
The couple went to Paris for
two years work. There Nura
created the little figures she has
used since, as symbols of child
hood. Successful with them in
France, she went on to Vienna
and worked out similar themes
in sculpture, and eventually, in
lithography.
At United Nations Club are Is
oil and water color paintings and
Autographs, and several books she
has illustrated. Her most recent
work constitutes departure from
that Of some years ago, as the
visitor can observe by studying
the Autographs. a number OF
which are dated 1888. and the oil
paintings, output of the past few
years. She uses richer color, deep
er tone, and, curiously, achieves
more delicacy in her interpreta-
tions of youthful feminine per-
sonality. They are more individual
than the somewhat fiat little SYM
bols she had made convention.
There is much imagination in
her watercolors. These are covered
with a network of threadlike ink
lines. ITO the Circus" and sew
eral others have fairy-tale quail
ity, while a few with angular
treatment of animals approach
more closely to abstraction.
American Master
Paintings by Carl Melchers, lent
by Mrs. Melchers, are on view
at Chequire House, Alexandria,
through October 20. This is the
first exhibition of his work that I
can recall since the comprehensive
memorial show of more than $50
items at the Virginia Museum,
Richmond, in 1888.
Melchers had many connections
with Washington, in addition to
his paintings in permanent col
lections here. At the time of his
death Q932) he was a trustee of
the Corcoran Gallery of Art. which
held a large memorial show in
1888 of more than 100 works. A
gallery statement at the time said:
'It is believed that his name will
60 down in history as one of the
great masters of his time"
Melchers' time" was literally
half a century of achievement.
In his 20s Melchers settled in a
little Dutch village, Egmond-am-
See, which was his home for 80
years. Simple peasants and sea-
faring folk were his models, as
visitors to Chequire House will note
in such paintings as "a Sailors