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canvases and canvases excellent in part, among the better examples being items such as Lawrence Steinfeld's "Still Life in Locker Room," which is strong, well painted, arresting in color; Bumpei Usui's attractive flower subject, the interesting contributions of Henry Kallem, Abraham Harriton, Friedrich Haucke (his eerie landscape is one of the best), Louis Gugliolmi, John Robert Sharp, whose "Charlotta" indicates a genuinely personal style - these artists and others who might be named.

Some of the water-colors, too, are very rewarding, notably some of those in the water-color group displayed with such effectiveness against a background of reed matting and dark brown pressed board in the front section of the gallery. Here Zoltan Hecht, Joseph Kaplan, Manfred Schwartz, Elsie Driggs, Perkins Harnly, Theodore C. Haupt and a few other merit particular mention. Loren MacIver, though derivative has a charm that is individual; Richard Sussman, Phillips Lowther and Edward D. Jacobs, one notes with dismay, slavishly imitate George Grosz.

But it is due to the frequency which artists are represented by work crude, purposelessly wild, mannered smearly, or at times, it would seem, even maudlin, that the oil selection most suffers, and that the exhibition as a whole most suffers. The N. Y. easel division has accomplished, in the course of its existance as a department of the WPA project, much that is good. It will accomplish more that is good. The present shortcoming, if one is not mistaken in considering it such, may be cordially dismissed, therefore, as an incident.

NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE
May 1, 1938
THE FEDERAL ART SHOW 
The easel division of the New York Federal Art Project is making its annual accounting to the public at the Federal Art Gallery with a show of nearly 100 oil paintings and water-colors. Most of these were made during the past year by active and former members of the project, forming a "valid though not comprehensive cross-section of the work." As Mr. Knotts, director of the division, says in the catalogue, "it is a matter for regret that a larger number of works representing an even wider approach cannot be shown. As a sample of the project's accomplishments, however, the display is one of the better efforts of the group. Louis Guglielmi's "Relief Blues", Alexander Dobkin's"Paper Flowers," Israel Kantor's"Night Interior" Sidney Laufman's "Countryside," Miron Sokole's "Bouquet" Eugene McCown's"Three Heads" and Joseph Stella's"Wire Pattern" stand out, high lighting work of commendable average quality.

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