Dublin Core
Title
Vase of Tulips
Description
A photograph doesn’t do justice to Sarkadi’s deft use of color and texture upon his paper medium. Were the painting’s few splashes of white removed, we would see three stems of tulip, along with a bit of greenery, in a glass jar set inside of a bowl. The splashes do not add depth to the painting but rather prevent a tidiness that elsewhere is rejected in favor of speckled shadows and reflections, unfilled sketch lines, and (through the years) paper that has itself become wrinkled.
About the Artist: Born in Budapest, Hungary, Sarkadi relocated first to London and then, in 1914, to the US. His artistic life began as a dramatist, writing one-act plays that spanned his time in both countries: Within Four Walls (1900), Children at Play (1907), The Line of Life (1916), The Gusher (1928), Fourflusher (1928), and The Angel (1929). One published collection of these plays, however, features illustrations that may be Sarkadi’s and would indicate a longstanding interest in the visual arts, although his painting career dates to the early 1930s. He also exhibited sculptures on more than one occasion, showing himself to be a multitalented artist. Sarkadi’s paintings were shown at the Balzac Gallery, Ainslie Galleries, and the American Artists Congress. His friend Willy Pogany, a fellow artist from Hungary, wrote how “it is strange that a man so saturated with transcendental philosophy antagonistic to matter, should take up painting as a means of expresssion...But with Sarkadi the process is different....Color attracts him just as much as form is evaded, and here we find that his instinctive choice of vehicle for the mysticism and yearning for limitless space is more than justified by the result” (New York Sun 10 May 1924: 6). 3 works at the Brooklyn Museum. 12 more images at FAP.
About the Artist: Born in Budapest, Hungary, Sarkadi relocated first to London and then, in 1914, to the US. His artistic life began as a dramatist, writing one-act plays that spanned his time in both countries: Within Four Walls (1900), Children at Play (1907), The Line of Life (1916), The Gusher (1928), Fourflusher (1928), and The Angel (1929). One published collection of these plays, however, features illustrations that may be Sarkadi’s and would indicate a longstanding interest in the visual arts, although his painting career dates to the early 1930s. He also exhibited sculptures on more than one occasion, showing himself to be a multitalented artist. Sarkadi’s paintings were shown at the Balzac Gallery, Ainslie Galleries, and the American Artists Congress. His friend Willy Pogany, a fellow artist from Hungary, wrote how “it is strange that a man so saturated with transcendental philosophy antagonistic to matter, should take up painting as a means of expresssion...But with Sarkadi the process is different....Color attracts him just as much as form is evaded, and here we find that his instinctive choice of vehicle for the mysticism and yearning for limitless space is more than justified by the result” (New York Sun 10 May 1924: 6). 3 works at the Brooklyn Museum. 12 more images at FAP.
Creator
Sarkadi-Schuller, Leo, 1879-1947
Publisher
Federal Art Gallery
Date
1935-1940
Contributor
Ritz, Abigail (photography)
Cooper, Ken (biography)
Cooper, Ken (biography)
Source
New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts
Object #FA18263
Object #FA18263
Format
jpeg, 1.1 MB
Type
Still image
Identifier
170
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Oil on paper
Physical Dimensions
24 x 18 in.
Condition: needs remounting