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Art in Washington
Area Artists Star as Draftsmen
The Franz Bader Gallery is holding a group show of drawings by Washington artists, to be on view through June 5. The artists are all part of the regular gallery group and their work is well known in the Washington area, but many of them are being seen as draftsmen for the first time.
Robert Gates is the biggest surprise, for he is exhibiting a completely realistic and meticulously detailed drawing of a "Spruce Branch." The clearly defined branch and needles are handled in a very sculptural way, however, and the work is a fine, sober statement. Leonard Maurer's drawing of a "Pine," on the other hand, is rendered in Cubist terms, with a strongly defined play of planes.
Jeanne Taylor's vital interpretation of "Martha's Vineyard" makes a handsome pattern in black and white. Richard Miller's still life adds a thin wash of color to the subjective treatment of the subject. Harold Giese's study of a "Fallen Bird" is a little gem , delicate in handling and charmingly done. Mitchell Jamieson shows one of his multiple studies of a child playing on a beach, which exhibits his usual fine command of draftsmanship. Ann Baum exhibits a witty interpretation of a musician.
One of the strongest works is Jacob Kainen's stern and monumental head, "Stoic," with its heavy washes of color. Alfred McAdams forms a contrast with a delicate and lacy drawing of a "Wizard," with touches of gold. Herman Maril's devotion to simplicity is well demonstrated in his economically rendered study of an old wharf. Kenneth Stubbs goes to the opposite extreme, with a highly detailed and delicate view of Positano, done in the manner of the Italian masters. Richard Dempsey's brilliantly colored study of a ferris wheel is strong and decorative, while a collage by Jack Lewis is confined to subtle tones of gray.
This is a nice show, and with a high level of competence. Drawings are one of the most intimate and satisfying aspects of an artist's work, and these are no exception,
Leslie Judd Portner, Washington Post and Times Herald, June 2, 1957, page E-7
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