Evening star., 1950-05-07
News Of Art and Artists
Organization Seeks to Foster Religious Art by Holding Exhibition
Gid II. Shows Unusuo Mostery Of Ann7oL Anatomy

several Madonnas. aluminium
plaques with painted backgrounds.
**+
Young AnimoIist
The Phillips Gallery will open
this afternoon, an exhibition by
Virginia Patterson, aged IL (who
made some of these exhibits when
she was 10 and ID. More than
80 items, outline drawings in ink,
crayon and pencil, are so spirited,
and done with so intuitive grasp
of anatomy, that a mature artist
could be proud of them. Dealing
mostly with animals, they depict
horses, deer, sheep, goats, dogs
and chickens. in a wide variety of
activities. Horses are the major
theme, galloping, standing still,
bracing themselves against stiff
winds, climbing rocky slopes.
Seldom do I find the art of
children significant from the
esthetic standpoint. All children's
drawings and paintings are ex-
tremely important for their psy-
Geological revelations. But SO
times out of a hundred, they do
not merit, as works of art, the
starry-e raptures of their en-
trepreneurs. Furthermore, it seems
unwiSe to praise too highly the
creations of young people in their
first decade or barely out of it, as
too much adult appreciation often
has an unsettling effect on i'm
mature egos.
But a preview of Virginia Pat
terson's exhibition convinced me
that it is "the exception that
proves the rule" I knew nothing
of her identity until I had seen
all her drawings. Marjorie Phillips
said the young artist had had no
instruction; that she had spent
several summers on a ranch, and
had made these drawings from
memory. And that she is the
daughter of Judge and Mrs. Robert
P. Patterson formerly Secretary
of War; Paradoxically, I was
almost sorry to learn that she is
not a "dead-end kid. for her
work stands proudly on it's own
merits, and needs no patina of
parental prestige.
Other groups of her drawings
have been shown at the Farms
worth Gallery at Wellesley, and at
the Worcester Museum. The pres
ent show will remain only
through May %.
On Sunday, May %, the Phillips
Gallery will open a large retro
spective exhibition of Edward
Munich. which is coming here from
the Institute of Modern Art,
Boston, and later will visit other
cities.
Snow in Alexandra
More than 20 paintings Of the
past half decade by Mary Snow
are hanging in Alexandria S
Chequire House until May 20.
Among them are sketches of Hol-
land, France, Belgium and Ger
many done while she was in
Europe nearly three years when
her husband, Ralph Dale Snow
was with the Office of Military
Government in Berlin. He is now
with the Office of the Secretary OF
Defense.
Mrs. Snow is particularly in
terested in street scenes with in
cidental figures, generally painted
from height, and in flower and
still life arrangements. Among
the best things on view are two
landscapes, Summer Fantasy" a
large oil of the Georgetown Canal
which was included in a Corcorar
Biennial. and Virginia Meadow, >
well composed. I liked, too, her
little street scene, yellow House
in Alexandria. a painting with ro-
mantle mood; and Summertime, ~
lgarden flowers in a white pitcher
revealing her felicitous way with
blossoms in paint as we'll as in
mature. for she has a garden full
of flowers which doubtless serve
as models. Particularly note
worthy for it's color is painting OF
primula, the reddish purple OF
the flower and warm brown set
ting being fused in the back
ground.
Mrs. Snow is currently secretary
of the Society of Washington
Artists, and is also a member OF
the Arts Club, where her last local
solo exhibition was held G945). In