On the Art of Ephraim Doner

Clark Ashton Smith

Ephraim Doner's art is revealed through a magic mirror, a mirror deeply installed in his brain, behind the very roots of physical sight. It reflects the universal and eternal, rather than the localism and temporality seen by superficial artists.

This current display, in the gallery of the Owings house at Highlands, contains capital examples of his portraits, groups, landscapes, and tiles. Among the portraits, I would single out, perhaps arbitrarily, the ones of Mrs. Owings, Mrs. Roberts, Eric Barker, and the self-portrait. Those of women are marked by highly pleasing harmonies of color; all, by subtle characterization.

There are several pictures of crowds, deep-colored, mysterious, and surging with enigmatic activity, with the vital unrest of eternal generations.

The landscapes, too, seem to swell and surge with never-ceasing growth

The tiles are unique. They depict the men, women, beasts and birds of new and as yet unnarrated fables. Here, in this small, hard medium, one finds sheer perfection.

Printed from: eldritchdark.com/writings/nonfiction/13
Printed on: March 28, 2024