Evening star., 1961-06-11
BY FRANK GETLEIN
Art Critic Of The Star

religious art; time was, more
recently, when none was.
Right now there still isn't
much but there is some and
it does seem to be growing.
A few isolated modern artists
have devoted the major part
of their creative lives to re-
ligiouS themes, most notably
Rouault and Nolde. Many
more artists occasionally
have a character or an Incl
dent from Scripture flare
into meaning for them and
issue in q painting or a
sculpture. Not so long ago it
was taken for granted that
no artist could seriously in
tereSt himself in religion.
This is no longer so.
The new connection be-
tween art and religion works
the other way too. IncreaS-
ingly the churches are hiring
artists to make church art
instead Of buying it from
factories, mass produced,
ready-made and bearing wit
ness only to the lack of &C.
clesiaStical taste. Also, both
churches and art institutions
sponsor special exhibitions.
publications and discussions
designed to bring art and
religion once NOR into fruit
full collaboration.
This is all to the good.
Christianity and Judaism
still have much to contribute
to the artist. Art has always
had something to contribute
to religion. Church paintings
and sculpture used to be
called the Bible of the illit-
crate" and it was assumed
that once people could read
there was no more need for
church art. The phrase is
deceptive; it would be at
least as accurate to call the
science Of theology the Bible
of the unimaginative."
What religious art does is
to interpret scripture. Insofar
as the religious life is con-
cerned with scriptural in
depreciation. religious art is
always relevant,
Under the sponsorship Of
the National Conference of
Christians and Jews, the
fourth annual exhibition of
religious art by area artists
is now on view in the foyer
gallery of the Smithsonian's
Museum of Natural History,
Constitution Ave. at 18th
street NV. The show con-
sists of almost 100 paintings,
sculptures, prints and craft
works. 1t will be at the Natu-
raj History building through
June Is.
The effort of representa-
tives of the three major
faiths deserves nothing but
commendation. The exhibi-
ton itself, however, is un-
believably bad.
The reason is a well-known
variation on Gresham's Lew:
Amateur art drives out pro-
fessional. The exhibition
makes no distinction between
the two. The result is that
area professionals seem to
have pretty well ignored the
show and the foyer gallery
is awash with the paintings
of persons who are doubtless
of exemplary piety but who
don't know beans about art.
Here and there the work
of an especially devoted COM
petent artist shines like. a
good deed in a naughty
world. Leonard Maurer'S
Red Crucifixion" is one. His
cross Matching technique
gives solidity to the hung up
torso and seems to place it
in a context of a thousand
scratchy wounds. In Genesis
Fifth Day" John Chapman
Lewis evokes the feeling of
creation from a purely abb
stract arrangement Of bites.
In sum, though, these and a
very few others only make
the show as a whole seem
even more outrageouG.
On Thursday at 8:15 pm.
In the auditorium Of Wash
ington dral Girls
School, Woodley road and
Wisconsin avenue NV, there
will be a panel discussion Of
problems related to the ex-
hibition. Particips nts include
DR.. John r. Anschutz, Christ
Episcopal Church, George
town; Harold E. Wagner. of
the Church Architectural
Guild; and Raymond S.
Sites, of the National Gal
1erv of Art.