Fraternity-Testvériség, 1963 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1963-09-01 / 9. szám
FRATERNITY 7 Asiatic woman engrossed in thought. The deep-set eyes, the high cheekbones, the firm lines of the mouth and hands reveal her preoccupation. The eyes are practically lost in the deep shadows created by the constriction of the lids. Her strained features show worry. The work is, I think, a masterpiece modelled with remarkable reality. Placed beside “The Eternal Altar”, the enormous difference in technique which Finta used in carving these two statues from wood becomes immediately evident. In “The Eternal Altar”, the smile, the glow are produced through light effects. In “The Thinker”, however, Finta used shadow and a coarse surface to underscore the impression of deep concentration. Rodin’s “Thinker” produces a similar effect, but there the subject is classical rather than Asiatic. However, it should be noted that the hand which supports the head of Finta’s “Thinker” is European. The fingers are long and delicate, though their surface is coarse, like that ot the face. A further stage in Finta’s artistic development is represented by his cherry-wood “Nymph and Faim” and “The Mother”. The recurring motif in the former composition is the heart, the sjunbol of love. The faun’s face, beard, sideburns and eyebrows assume that shape. In whichever direction we turn the statue, we find everywhere the same symbol. There is no part in the entire composition which — supplemented with another part — does not produce this effect. The faun’s lower eyelids and their supplementing lines form hearts, expressive of desire rather than love. The nymph faces the faun in profile. The large crown of her hair, the faun’s upper arm, form a heart. The nymph’s face reflects not desire but tender submission and the yielding smile of the loving woman is almost in contrast to the faun’s lustful leer. Regrettably, this work is in need of repair. The wood has dried, causing several cracks in the figures.
