Fraternity-Testvériség, 1963 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1963-03-01 / 3. szám

2

FRATERNITY

ALFONZ LENGYEL:

THE LIFE AND ART

OF

ALEXANDER FINTA

HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN SCULPTOR

PREFACE

In this essay I wish to pay tribute to the memory of an Hungarian-born American artist whose sculptures are in the permanent collections of the leading American and European museums.

Alexander Finta came to the United States after much tribulation. He became a loyal citizen and served to advance both the artistic and the intellectual life of America. Yet he was never unmindful of the country of his birth, from which he had carried away the dreams and impressions of childhood. So long as he lived, he was acutely aware of historical developments in Hungary, and this contributed to the formation of his art.

The land in which he was born, however, was too small for his artistic aspirations. During his years of wandering, he acquired a vast store of experience on which he drew after settling in America. He strove to teach everyone charity and love. Always searching for the most perfect expression of art, he offered his talents to the public, meeting with the indifference and the ephemeral popularity that those who conceal their talents escape. And these experiences, too, helped to mold his view of life.

Finta’s motto was: “Learn something each day.” He never created two similar works of art. In his opinion, the creative must first master their materials: then use the transforming powers of spirit to fill them with art. The spirit of the artist is carried on the wings of the imagination