DOI issue:
Nr. 333 (February 1925)
DOI article:Comstock, Helen: Fromkes paints Spain
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19984#0136
mueRriAUonAL
FR0MKE8 TAINTS SPAIN
A Spanish gentleman Maurice FromkeS WCLS the catch. He came again, and
2^\_ who is a connoisseur firsf foreign artist to win finally he came with an invi-
in the exact meaning ^ , Spaniards ^ * h6ld an f
oi the word came to the V » • ictures ™ ° Museum oi Modern
exhibition of Maurice J® ^ P ^ ^ Art. The gentleman was
Fromkes's paintings at the HELEN (SOMSTOGK the director of the Museum,
National Museum of Mod- Don Mariano Benlluria.
ern Art in Madrid last year and expressed his sur- Two rooms were given to Fromkes's pictures,
prise that what he saw was the work of a foreigner. The Queen and the two young Infantas came to
" It seems unbelievable," he said, "that this man the exhibition accompanied by the American
is not a Spaniard." This tribute was not a solitary Ambassador. Critics came and treated the painter
example of such a reaction; the opinion was uni- more than kindly. Artists came, and the part
versal among artists and critics that it was that pleased the American most was that "mod-
remarkable that a _.__ ernists" and conserva-
stranger should have H tives alike were enthu-
seen them as they saw I siastic. At the close of
themselves. Spain had I the exhibition one of
found a real protag- the paintings, "A Ma-
onist in one of another HBVf . <fj donna of the Road,"
race and they were was purchased for the
astonished. This ap- HBt permanent collection
plied especially to his Wk ■INvwJB °^tne museum-
portraits and his land- Ita&\m3oBB The mother who
scapes for in these he Wt Bm>!' wBI posed for "A Madonna
had given himself I n JK MM . '•mBB of the Road" was also
completely to Spain; JM EhA-* t'le m°deI for "A
but in his still life sub- WDiM ,« Spanish Mother"
iects, with the rever- V|^M ,JB which is reproduced
ent use of old Gothic Kw ',V JH for this article. She
carvings, he offered to BjWBt fcfj^B was the niece of the
Spain something new, \ fl Fromkes's washer-
something not seen nlflRH BBIe^SSB^B woman in Madrid and
before in the work of £ rl waHMBfr"*--- '' ^ySrfflHr^BB she also posed for
her own artists. „ ,, another picture in
THE SHEPHERD BOY BY MAURICE FROMKES I • t T
The very fact that which the baby is
he was invited to exhibit in the National Museum wrapped close in her shawl in a way typical of
of Modern Art, which occupies the same relation Spanish mothers. In all his wanderings over
to the Prado that the Luxembourg does to the Spain Fromkes never employed a professional
Louvre, is an important one, for this honor has model. It was the people who came into his life
never been granted to an American before. The that he painted—the porter, the servants, the boy
invitation came as a surprise to the painter for he in the market, a shepherd boy m the hills, the
had not sought it, and had not even contemplated friend of a friend—these were his subjects. "The
showing his paintings in Spain. But his acquaint- Belle of Ronda" is a shoe-maker's daughter in
ance among artists and those interested in art had that picturesque town of gorges and bridges where
grown during his years in Madrid. His first the houses perch insignificantly on the top of
acquaintances, the brothers Zubiaurre (whose smooth rock walls that reach down to the black
work was seen in New York last year and is now water. The painter and his wife had scarcely
touring the country) had brought others and arrived in Madrid when he saw a little lace-maker
gradually the circle of Spanish friends widened on the street whom he wished to paint and he
and his studio dispensed the informal hospitality asked his wife to run after her and ask her to pose,
which the painter and his wife found so delightful for Mrs. Fromkes had learned Spanish in order
a part of Spanish life. One day a newcomer came to help them on their travels,
to the studio whose name the painter did not "But I can't speak Spanish well enough, and
three ninety-six
FEBRUARY I 9 2 5
FR0MKE8 TAINTS SPAIN
A Spanish gentleman Maurice FromkeS WCLS the catch. He came again, and
2^\_ who is a connoisseur firsf foreign artist to win finally he came with an invi-
in the exact meaning ^ , Spaniards ^ * h6ld an f
oi the word came to the V » • ictures ™ ° Museum oi Modern
exhibition of Maurice J® ^ P ^ ^ Art. The gentleman was
Fromkes's paintings at the HELEN (SOMSTOGK the director of the Museum,
National Museum of Mod- Don Mariano Benlluria.
ern Art in Madrid last year and expressed his sur- Two rooms were given to Fromkes's pictures,
prise that what he saw was the work of a foreigner. The Queen and the two young Infantas came to
" It seems unbelievable," he said, "that this man the exhibition accompanied by the American
is not a Spaniard." This tribute was not a solitary Ambassador. Critics came and treated the painter
example of such a reaction; the opinion was uni- more than kindly. Artists came, and the part
versal among artists and critics that it was that pleased the American most was that "mod-
remarkable that a _.__ ernists" and conserva-
stranger should have H tives alike were enthu-
seen them as they saw I siastic. At the close of
themselves. Spain had I the exhibition one of
found a real protag- the paintings, "A Ma-
onist in one of another HBVf . <fj donna of the Road,"
race and they were was purchased for the
astonished. This ap- HBt permanent collection
plied especially to his Wk ■INvwJB °^tne museum-
portraits and his land- Ita&\m3oBB The mother who
scapes for in these he Wt Bm>!' wBI posed for "A Madonna
had given himself I n JK MM . '•mBB of the Road" was also
completely to Spain; JM EhA-* t'le m°deI for "A
but in his still life sub- WDiM ,« Spanish Mother"
iects, with the rever- V|^M ,JB which is reproduced
ent use of old Gothic Kw ',V JH for this article. She
carvings, he offered to BjWBt fcfj^B was the niece of the
Spain something new, \ fl Fromkes's washer-
something not seen nlflRH BBIe^SSB^B woman in Madrid and
before in the work of £ rl waHMBfr"*--- '' ^ySrfflHr^BB she also posed for
her own artists. „ ,, another picture in
THE SHEPHERD BOY BY MAURICE FROMKES I • t T
The very fact that which the baby is
he was invited to exhibit in the National Museum wrapped close in her shawl in a way typical of
of Modern Art, which occupies the same relation Spanish mothers. In all his wanderings over
to the Prado that the Luxembourg does to the Spain Fromkes never employed a professional
Louvre, is an important one, for this honor has model. It was the people who came into his life
never been granted to an American before. The that he painted—the porter, the servants, the boy
invitation came as a surprise to the painter for he in the market, a shepherd boy m the hills, the
had not sought it, and had not even contemplated friend of a friend—these were his subjects. "The
showing his paintings in Spain. But his acquaint- Belle of Ronda" is a shoe-maker's daughter in
ance among artists and those interested in art had that picturesque town of gorges and bridges where
grown during his years in Madrid. His first the houses perch insignificantly on the top of
acquaintances, the brothers Zubiaurre (whose smooth rock walls that reach down to the black
work was seen in New York last year and is now water. The painter and his wife had scarcely
touring the country) had brought others and arrived in Madrid when he saw a little lace-maker
gradually the circle of Spanish friends widened on the street whom he wished to paint and he
and his studio dispensed the informal hospitality asked his wife to run after her and ask her to pose,
which the painter and his wife found so delightful for Mrs. Fromkes had learned Spanish in order
a part of Spanish life. One day a newcomer came to help them on their travels,
to the studio whose name the painter did not "But I can't speak Spanish well enough, and
three ninety-six
FEBRUARY I 9 2 5