Evening star., 1955-05-01
ARTISTS AND EXHIBITIONS
Art Of the Americas
Representative Show
BY FLORENCE S. BERRYMAN

~ A@A@ASAS - AtAkA1N
, G street NV, through next
Thursday.
More than 30 works present
a recent phase Of the career of
this Iowa artist who has made
the world his home for over
three decades. He is now
painting portraits. Arabian
horse decorations and land
scapes in Hammamet, Tunisia,
where he has lived at intervals
for some years.
The horse and rider figures
are done Enthusiastically in oil,
on gold or copper backgrounds,
either gold leaf or paint. In the
same manner are "Tourags
and Meharists' with camels,
and a colorfuIly bedecked
group Of Bengui warriors. The
picturesqueness of Mr.. Wood
ruff's subjects may lead the
visitor to overlook the facility
of his handling of various
media. There are excellent
naturalistic watercolors in
c1uding Arab Cemetery"
glimpses of Arabs in narrow
Tunisian streets or archways,
a gouache of Marakesch, out
side its famed rose walls, and
a number of beautiful flower
studies.
Bookutz Solo
Samuel Bookatz' one-man
show at the Dupont Theater
art gallery, 1882 Connecticut
avenue. through May 10, is a
good survey of his recent ex-
periments and development.
A Washington artist for more
than two decades, he is a
prolific painter with an un-
usually large number Of one
man shows to him credit, as
we'll as active participation in
group shows. both local and
national. He has received
many awards.
He has moved steadily from
the realism of his early paint
ings and drawings, to semi
and complete abstraction. His
most successful paintings, to
me care those on the gallery's
south wall and entrance foyer,
entitled "Cove Port" "Pier
Meeting" Tower Canal" and
others. These have architec-
tural patterns in black out
line. and harmonious color
schemes dominated by gray.
green and warm light tan.
Rock Dunes" too, is good, in
a different color combination,
blue and dark grey.
Still another line which Mr..
Bookatz' work is developing, is
represented by Fantasy
Dance" and 'Maiden,s Dream"
in which semiabstract figures
emerge from harsh, strong
color planes and black.
Another, quieter experiment
tai undertaking c prises
Madonna 1" and a few other
subjects. painted on net
stretched over wood or can
vas board, with the mesh par
ticipating in the effect.
The Seaport
The Baltimore Museum Of
Art. celebrating Its silver an
niversary season, opened last
January an exhibition of
paintings inspired by some ac-
tivity or aspect characteristic
of a seaport. Open to artists
in the United States and Can
ada. with a total Of 81 900 in
cash awards, the exhibition
drew more than 600 entries
from all over the country.
The show was intended as
a tribute not only to the Port
of Baltimore, with its $50 years
Importance in the city's prog
ress, but to the much larger
concept Of the seaport, which
has meant so much to pros
perity on this continent. In
the words of John I. H. Baur,
curator Of the Whitney Mu-
scum Of American Art, who
selected the show and made
the awards. "The Seaport" was
"a salute to ports the world
over"
A small segment Of this ex-
hibition, about Is paintings,
done by Washington area art
ISIS, is on view at The Play
house gallery (727 Fifteenth
street) through May Is. In
conveying any of the bustling
activity or general atmosphere
Of a big city seaport. or the
cries Of gulls, the freshness Of
salt air and picturesqueness Of
small seaports, this particular
collection is disappointing. The
titles are neatly tied to the
theme, but the messages seem
strangely muffied.
Mostly distractions
Most Of these paintings are
distractions; the best are those
by Samuel Bookatz and Mimi
Dubois Bolton. Mr.. Bookatz'
tempera Ships Cove" is ex-
cellent in color and It's alb
str1ct forms suggest prows,
sails. etc. The theme Of Mrs.