Paupertas Omnium Artium

(Ed. Note--The Crimson does not necessarily endorse opinions expressed in printed communications. No attention will be paid to anonymous letters and only under special conditions, at the request of the writer, will names be with-held.)

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

In a recent editorial the CRIMSON criticized the exhibition of paintings by Undergraduates now showing at the Harvard Society for Contemporary Art because the work of only six artists was shown. Why are only the paintings and drawings of a few unfamiliar artists hung; where are the sketches done by their friends during lecture hour, they ask. In answer they assume that the directors made no serious attempt to get in touch with the great number of talented undergraduates. The walls are sparsely covered with the paintings of the first half dozen they met.

The assumption is unsupported, and utterly unjustified. The number of exhibitors is small, but the fault lies not with the directors but with the conditions of life here. It is obvious that College life does not provide the time or the inspiration for creative work. It is significant that most of the work shown was done in the summer; that all the major exhibitors are leaving next year to study art elsewhere; that only one up perclassman was shown, other Juniors and Seniors of artistic leanings having, long since departed. If the Editors of the CRIMSON feel that insufficient effort has hitherto been made to get in touch with all the students of Harvard and Radcliffe who dabble, in oils, or make sketches during lecture hour, the directors welcome their cooperation and advice. They sincerely hope many mute inglorious Picassos are found languishing unsung over mantelpieces or stowed away in closets.

In the last sentence the Editors state that the exhibition should show the best student work. Though the editor seems more interested in the names of the artists than in the paintings themselves, he does tersely express satisfaction with the quality of the works shown. Unless the CRIMSON can discover some worthy talent which is not represented, it would seem as if the exhibition measured up to their standards. John P. Coolidge '35.