Evening star., 1949-03-06
A\rt
Watkins Portraits
Added to Displays;
18 Paintings Offered
Bv Three Couples
By Florence S. Berrymon

Portrait painting has been en-
phasized recently with exhibitions
at the Corcoran Gallery, Chequlre
House. the National Gallery OF
Art and now a particularly inter-
esting one to open this afternoon.
To demonstrate to students
qualities that make a portrait a
work of art rather than mere
record of somebody's appearance,
Is the laudable objective OF the
collection by American artists on
view from 4 to today at the Wat
kins Gallery. American University
campus. The public is invited
and the show will remain through
April IA.
The fact than many of these
portraits are loans from the Cor
coran, Phillips Memorial and
Howard University Art Galleries,
and that all are by artists whose
regulations do not rest wholly on
portraiture. should be a guarantee
of the quality of the show, Many
of these artists, indeed. are much
better known for their landscapes.
still life, figure and symbolic
paintings. Consequently, these
portraits at Watkins should in
dicate, as the Gallery hopes. "the
scope and esthetic possibilities of
portrait painting for the artist. )"
Earlier Portraiture
American portraits from Poca-
hontas to Abraham Lincoln have
been assembled by the National
Gallery of Art from its permanent
collection. and hung as a special
exhibition in the large ground
floor gallery for temporary shows,
where it will remain through
April 8. All are interesting as
works of portrait painters in this
country through the 18th and
mid-19th century, and many have
the added attraction of portray
ing famous persons. Most Wash
ingtonians have seen these from
time to time, but it is good to see
them together as a little survey.
After the rare early 18th CEN
tury portrait of Pocahontas,
painted at the age of 81 in London.
there are examples by two 18th
century artists who came to Amer
tea from abroad: jeremiah Theus
and John Wollaston, whose por-
traits all have curious-shaped
eyes Following these are our ma
tive born Robert Feke, Benjamin
West with a young self-portrait).
John Singleton Copley, who did
such remarkable work with so
little opportunity and training,
and Charles Wilson Peale. His
STRAIGHTFORWARD masculine por-
trait Of Gen. Moultrie, and one
Of Benjamin Harrison (signer of
the Declaration) and Courts pro-
file portrait of Comte de Rocham-
beau. represent the Revolutionary
period.
Gilbert Stuart is the star" of
the show. being represented with
16 portraits, out of the total 48
on view 1t is interesting to
study the contrast between Cop
ley's hard outlines filled in with
paint, and Stuart's masterful
technique of actually building up
with paint.
Some famous men sat for the
next group of portraitists, not all
Of whom we're. able to make the
most of their opportunities: e. g.,
Ralph Earl's woodeny likeness of
Andrew Jackson and James Reid
Lambdin's unimpressive portraits
Of William Henry Harrison and
John Marshall. DE Witt Clin-
ton" by Jarvis. is excellent. John
Neagle is represented with a por-
trait of William Rush, our first
outstanding sculptor (and carver
of ship fgureheads). Audubon and
Healy painted Henry Clay at diff
ferent ages, but convincingly alike.
John Calhoun, painted while
young by Rembrandt Peale, Pres
ident Tyler by Jacob Eichholtz,
and Nathaniel Hawthorne by
Emanuel Leutze, are impressive
both as personages and portraits.
Trumbull, Vanderlyn, Matthew