Evening star., 1950-01-08

The Wilten Chalice, By an q
school about 1850, a noteworthy
soon to leaue the National Gail
rhinoceros horn, intricately cut
and mounted with jewels, precious
and semi-precious metals. The
significance of all this grandeur
comes near to overwhelming the
imaginative observer.
Everyone acquainted with the
seamy as well as the romantic
side Of history knows that at the
opposite pole from all this mag
niflcance was the most abysmal
poverty. But equally abject mis-
cry has been imposed in many
parts of the world today, in the
name of the people" without any
mitigating creativeness at the top.
The fascinating collection OF
armor recalls to us "old, far-off,
unhappy things and battles long
ago." These handsome suits. huted,
etched, embossed and otherwise
decorated, are late armor. actually
closer In time today than they
were to the times of King Arthur's
knights and other armor-clad
romantic heroes. But the layman's
convenient telescoping Of past ages
enables him, perhaps, to get more
imaginative and literary thrills
out of such exhibits, than does
the scholarly expert.
Tapestries Of Late" Years.
More than 20 tapestries, too,
are ''late" for this field Of decora-
tive art. They were made in the
18th century (mostly), when tech
nical mastery enabled the weavers
to reproduce the most elaborate
cartoons. done by famous artists.
The dramatic pull of the armor.
and the colorful and romantic
appeal of the tapestries and orna-
mental objects, may conceivably
eclipse the Renaissance bronzes for
many visitors. But these sculptures,
more than 80 In number, include
superb portrait busts, some life
size, and figures and groups in
spired by classical mythology
which should not be overlooked.
Some esthetic purists insist that
we should study works of art ex-
|clusively from esthetic standpoints.
But agree with the more compre-
hensive attitude, that numerous
approaches-historical. sociologi-
cal, economic. literary and bio
graphical, as we'll as esthetic. add
immeasurably to the average per-
sons enjoyment. The Vienna art
treasures lend themselves particu-
larly well to many viewpoints.
y
Mexican Premiere in d. G.
The first one-man show in
Washington Of work by Federico
Cantu of Mexico (mentioned here
briefly when it opened at the Pan
American Union in December)
affords US acquaintance with an
artist already well known in the
United States. He was represented
in two group shows in Washing
ton during the '40s. The current
display comprises a selection Of
his works which have been on a
Pacific Coast circuit for two years.
Nearly half of these paintings
and prints interpret religious
themes, in which subjects Senor
Cantu is one of the few con-
temporary Mexican painters inter
ested. His Madonnas, angels and
other religious figures are Mexi-
can types, rather long-boned and
aquiline featured. simple rural
people who do not correspond to
North American mental concepts.
But they are obviously sincere and
reverent in feeling. His color
schemes are somber, with brown
and green predominant. He uses
distortion with such restraint that
some people might not notice it.
His style is unmistakably his own;
yet it does not seem to me to have
any odd conventions or distin-
gushing quirks.
Born AZ years ago in Nuevo Leon,
Mexico, Cantu began to study art
at IA. At 16 he made his first
trip to France where in two So
journs he spent five years. He has
also lived in Los Angeles and New
York City. but since ~ Mexico
has been his home.
This exhibition remains through
January 16.
4 r X