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Dces DepPessicn Afft.t A nt?D".iJ"J19, So9. thn Anti'l Cr"inribU Domir,ick Lo*oni.oHtr Italian-born Ameri-Alfredocan artistCrimi, nearl.v a score ofrrirose drawings, including figrleand portrait studies, were,r view last month at the FerrrgilGalleries, and who re-,,-urnecl not long ago frorn antrtended stay in Europe, has::orle remarkabl.t' interestingiin{-[ acute theories concerninglre relationship of present-da-rart with the current woridwiclerconomic depression.That depression has affecteclth sales of artists' handir,vork,ar.l that it has appreciably re-,lur:ed the num'ber of people artisticallS.inclined rvho can aft'orclto continue with theirlrainting, is alreacl5' wellknown.But,further thanthis, Mr. Crirnibelievesthat, beforeit will havepassecl i t scollrse, it willactually havebeen clepictedon canr-asin more\ra)s thanone, for,since clepressionis theclominanttheme in theworlcl toda-v,and since artis generallrhe1clto beeither a re-flection or an interpretation ofthe times, it follorvs that depressionrvill lear.e its tracesin the art of today.His opinions har.'e beensharpened by his recent visitto Ital-v ancl n'rance, where heremained studying and paintingfor a .Year and a half, retulningto ,\merica after thelast Christrrras holidays. "Economicdifficulties play a greaterpart in artistic (as rvell asother) endeavors in Europethan the.v do here, " said Mr.Crimi, his eager, sensitive featuresabsorbeci irr his subject." Take prizes ancl scholarshipsfor example. Though they existin both contirtents, theY arepurelv lelative, for wltile one"Sicilian Peasants"ma). amount to $10,000 in the{-nited States, in Italf it isjust as likel,v to be 10,000 lire.Yet even in this country, dealersin art supplies tell me thattheir business is falling off.Fewer people are able to affordthe 'luxury' of painting."l\l nVERTHELESS, thinks^ \ this 30-r'ear-old artist, itis to the Lfnitld States that theworld shoultl look for an artistic,as well as economic renaissance,for it is still fundamentall-1-more prosperous thanEurope, and art is born ofprosperity. "In looking backthrough history," he said,"you n'ili find that great artperiods occurrecl on15.' after thecountry hadattaineda certain dominanteconomicpositionin itsworlcl."B.\'this,of course, Idontt meanto belittle theefforts ofother countries,artisticallvspeakirrg.n'rancetoda;', f o rexample, i sthe art learlerof thervorld. S h ehas donemore than26-\