Evening star., 1961-04-16
National Gallery Inuugurotes New
Policy With Horrimon Exhibition

ade the situation changed
completely. One important
factor in the change was the
Marie Hartman Gallery,
New York, founded by Mrs.
Hartman in 1880 and di-
rected by her through 1912.
The gallery exhibited and
moved into American col
lections some of the finest
works Of the new French.
An outstanding pair in the
show at the National are two
by PicaSso: A neo-classic
Mother and Child" with
strong line and delicate color
saying everything there is to
say about mother love, and
the great 1905 Lady with
Fan" The upraised hand,
the certain carriage, the quiet
intensity of the gaze, all
impart a religious feeling to
the secular figure.
Other men of the main line
are DaumIer, Renoir, Rous-
seau, Seurat, Lautrec, Matisse
and De Chirico. In addition,
the collection is we'll supplied
with paintings by Derain and,
the only American, Walt
Kuhn.
There are a dozen Derains.
The artist died in 1854 and is
probably best known in art
history as one of the original
Fauves, or wild beasts" who
infuriated official Paris in
early years Of the century.
The Hartman pictures prove
beyond doubt that Derain's
so years of work following
his Fauvism were much more
important.
American RealiSt
Derain's two portraits in
the show, one of Mrs. Harri-
man, one Of Eve Curie, have
a strange quality most nearly
seen in the wood sculpture Of
Ellie Nadelman and some of
the paintings Of Guy Pene
du Bois. The women look
almost like dolls who have
come to life. 1t is in the still
lifes, particularly one called,
THE Kitchen Table" that
Derain establishes his claim
to mastery. The picture
heaps together some olives
and fruits. covers them with
shadow and pierces the
shadow with mellow light.
Resonance, like that of a fine
violin, vibrateS throughout
the picture and we are back
where we began, with Chardin
in the kitchen.
Compared to practically all
the French, Walt Kuhn
strikes a homespun note of
pure strength with no en-
bellishments or refinementS.
But the work stands up and
easily holds its own in the
distinguished company.
The central American ira
dition is unvarnished realism
and Kuhn worked in that
tradition. He died in 1949,
a bad year for a realist to die.
Almost Immediately abstract
expreSsionist paint hit the fan
and the only rule in Amert-
can art was, if you can tell
what it is, it isn't any good.
Like others, Kuhn's reputa-
ton has survived the deluge.
The seven Hartman pictures
show why. They were central
to the big Kuhn show last
year in Cincinnati and they
reveal the penetration and
power of a major artist.
A monumental wv hite
Clown" and a sturdily con-
structed nude "Dryad" dem
onstrate his command of the
human figure as architecture
and as vessel of the spirit.
His "Zinnias" burst like
rockets against black space.
Hare and Hunting Boots"
plays form against form,
texture against texture, with
complete naturalneSs. Green
Apples and Scoop" gives an
amazing brightness to the
apples, a rich awareness of
wood to the scoop. Every
where there. is a steady eye,
an honest hand.
With the Kuhn pictures on
exhibition at the National
Gallery, Mr.. and Mrs. Harri-
man are doing still what they
did so well with the great
French: Bringing exception
ally rewarding painting to the
American attention, and here
the painter, too, is American.
The Hartman collection
will be on view at the gallery
through Sunday, May IA.