Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-03-05

i ne f1dlllldlh A1G AWdAo WILL
petition was the single important
opportunity offered to artists by
industry during 1949. More than
10000 artists in the United States
and France entered paintings in
the contest which provided purse
of $28, 900 in prizes and honorable
mentions. One hundred paintings
were selected, so from each coun-
try, by IA authorities g American,
5 FRENCH, museum directors and
curators and editors of art period
icals. This represented the final
| winnowing from works selected
from the mass of entries by two
| juries of admissions, also composed
of art authorities.
Washington is the third city to
see the results of this much-pub-
| licized industry sponsored art
event, with the opening yesterday
at the Corcoran Gallery Of Art,
of the travelling exhibition OF 10
paintings, presumably the cream
of the 100 winners. The whole
collection was shown at Widen
stein Galleries, New York City, in
December, and drew the largest
crowd of visitors in the galleries
history. The travelling show first
visited Boston's Institute Of Con-
temporary Art, and will go from
Washington to the Los Angeles
County Museum, then to the Mel
son Gallery, Kansas City, this
metropolis being the home OF Hall
Bros, greeting card publishers
and sponsors of the show, which
will subsequently be seen in other
cities.
The contests only stipulation
was that the paintings should In
terpret Christmas themes: but the
artists were allowed unrestricted
choice of specific subject, and
freedom of individual expression
It was the intention Of the spon-
sors to reproduce some OF the
paintings on Christmas cards; but
they wisely did not promise to
limit themselves to the jurieS'
choices.
That three Washington artists
won prizes Is matter OF local
pride. Samuel Bookatz and Rob-
ert Franklin Gates we're among
the first 10 prize winners, receiv-
ing $3.50 each. Edmund r. Demers
of Catholic University's art facul-
ty, received a $100 honorable men
ton. Mr.. Demers' Nativity" is
much the most appealing, a sim
plified. rather hammered work. in
quiet color scheme OF blue and
brown. It ought to reproduce well
as a Christmas card.
Mr.. Bookatz' Cathedral" done
in thick tapestry of rich colors
reminiscent of stained glass;. is
too abstract, and Mr.. Gates
FLORISTS Christmas" a shop with
bright green wreaths and red rib
bons, an unusual theme, is too
impersonal. I think, for popular
appeal.
With very warm memories Of
France, and no desire in this con-
nection to wave our flag, I con-
slider the American group Of paint
ings decidedly the better. There
are vigor and individuality in
many of the works, and a larger
proportion Of them with elements
Of popular appeal. than appears
to be the case in the French
section.
Evidences of religious convic-
ton in either group are so
minute, however, that the observ-
er would need a microscope to dis
cover them. There is a fairly
large number Of Madonnas, but
they are either obviously secular.
or too shallow to convey any par
ticularly warm, reverent feeling
For examples, the first American
prize, Fred Conway's Mother and
Child" is in the former classical
ton, a semi abstraction with the
emphasis on space organization,
as the artist himself says. The
first French prize. Edouard
Georges Nativity and Birds" de-
|picts a cover-girl type of Madon-
ma, with as brutal quartet Of
shepherds as I can recall since
Brueghel's. Our fear-haunted era
doesn't provide, apparently, the
soil in which religious painting
f1ourishes.
It was patiently difficult foc
some Of the artists to paint a
Christmas subject. Winter" as
a theme was as near as they
could get. Some very cheerful
and picturesque snowscapes are
titled Christmas Morning, DAY"
Eve" or whatever, with a star
or church spire somewhere in the
scene. A few failed even to get
this close: For examples, Howard
Mandel's 'Equestrienne" deals
with the ''futility of war" and
Anton Refregier's sugary white
Dove" represents world peace
and brotherhood"
Some Of the most engagingly
successful in the spirit Of the
competition are, in the American
section, Mr.. Demers' Nativity"
Lily Harmon's Christmas Morn
ing" Joe Lasker's Greetings
From Within" Edmund Lewan-
dowski's Three Kings" Laurence
Sisson's "How Still She Lies" and
John Wheat's Carol Singers"
In the French section. la
Verge aux Enfants," by Roger