New-York tribune., 1920-11-28
Willy Posany's Mural Paintings
I'm the Peoples House

: his services. This sum has been pro-
viced by Mrs. Philip Lewisohn.
10 the right and left of the stage
Mr.. Pogany has set panels containing
IN each case d nude figure. In one the
Mother OF Man" stands with arms
foded above her head, amid what the
artist calls the fume and fermentation
OF earth. The tonal scheme is som
her, almost livid. and recalls vaguely
the mode of Franz Stuck In the other
panel, devoted to the "Hopc Of Man"
woman, painted in a lighter KEY.
against a golden background, repre-.
sonts aspiration toward freedom and
salvation. To the right Of the stage
on the long, unbroken wall, there has
been placed a triptych representing
threc "regions' of the human soul
designated, respectively. "The Valley"
The Mountain" and "The Sea-" In
the first of these, groping figures
young and old. are placed in a land
scape covered with flowers conven.
tionally treated. Sensuous life is here
depicted. In the third picture man as
a creature of reasoning ambitions i
swept up on the crest of an icy wave
weltcr OF forms surging above the
'E.c"y r"ss In q &. dec rntr
man is freed and reaches to an Anime
+ peak Of ublimc reality.
Mr.. Posany's symbolism is sufficiently
recondite, and. even with the aid of in
scriptions and leahet at which we
have glanced, fails to carry quite the
conviction at which he is driving. 1t is
no disparagement of the intelligence
! presumed to prevail at the PEOPLES
House to say that the artist might more
effectively have spoken if he had adopted
simpler, more popular terms We won-
der, too, if his argument would have
lost anything if he had given more SCOPE
to the JOY o. life. No doubt these are
strenuous times, and il day of unrest
bitter emotions come readily to the sur
lace. Though Mr.. Pogany is not pre-
clscly bitter, his cast Of thought seems
unduly grave. He fills the room with an
atmosphere of painful struggle the key
of his color making it all the more on
nressve. Still, we would not do him
an injustice, or trench upon a subject
which is outside our province, namely,
tho surroundings in which radicalsm
prefers to do its thinking MIR. Pogany
IS surely entitled to his own views on
this subject. After all. the more i'm
portant point for US is what he has done
20 add form and color to the character
of room.
He has done, to begin with, & piece
of work with more force in it than we
have hitherto associated with his art
In general he has attracted US by the
sort OF thing that looks we'll, in col
ors, on the cover of a magazine. He
has been gayly decorative. Nothing in
his art that We have seen has sug-
gested a feeling for architecture. In
. collaborating now with the builder of
wall he has escaped stereotyped for-
mul@. The old familiar lay figure, en-
thrOned in the middle Of a canvas with
cog wheels, jars and cupids balanced
on either side. he has swept completely
away. The nearest approach that he
makes to Journalism is suggested in the
broad vertical bands of conventional
ized pattern running from the top to
the bottom of the right and left mem
5ers Of his triptych. These point to &
desire to set frame within his frame
TO define boundaries by painted details
L.
architectural Enclosure. His aim, how
ever, is not very happily realized.
The bands in question irresstibly re-
call Eskimo totem poles. At the same
time they are not too obtrusive, leav-
ing the spectator untroubled in his ap-
prehension Of the main factors in the
broad design. These are admirably
handled. The two groups on the right
and left are held in the right equilb-
rum, and the central panel. "The Noun
pyramjdal scheme. The triptych, in
other words, is conceived as whole
and skillfuly executed as such. It f.
IN accomplished piece Of painting.
his treatment Of form Mr. Fogany
trihe hammered, but he has a measur,
Of strength, and there is grace besidss
in his firm and huil line.
He might have proved not only az
complished but brilliant IL he had
achieved richer and more luminous
key Of color The livid tone 10 whicl.
We have already alluded is repeated TOO
often throughout thia cycle Of paint
ings and his tendency to rather cold
fiat tints is productive Of especially y
disappointing results in his solid back
ground. These need more transpare mt
quality, they need more life, and. to
gut II frankly, more beauty. That IL,
to tell the truth, the omission which
troubles us most in this ambitious and
really interesting performance. 1t wns
fine thing to have dreamed these
dreams. The mere fact Of their going
on the walls Of this auditorium is a
cheering fact. Nothing could be more
delightful than thus to bring the In