esthetic,social,politicalorphilosophical,inhispresentenvironment.Man'sstruggle
forhumandignityisoneofthemostdramaticsourcesforartisticcreationtoday."
ConcerningTheBicycleRiders,Kgriwrites,"InParisIsawpeopleracinghome
fromworkonbicycles.Themovementwassofastthatoneformappearedtobreak
andblendintoanotherbeforethewholeformcouldbeseen.Theimmobilityofthe
buildingsandstreetsservedtointensifythemovement.Mymotiveinthispainting
wastoachievethatsensationofmotion.Iusedonesetofcomplementsforthebuild-
ingsandstreets,anotherfortheriders,inorderfurthertoseparatethetwo."
EgriwasborninNewYorkCityin 1913 andlivedthereuntilthefortunesof
WorldWarIItookhimtoWashington,D.C.,andthen,asamemberoftheN'avy,to
theSouthwestPacificandtheOrient.\'isitstoI'l.uropeandMexicofollowed.
From 1929 to 1931 hestudiedattheMasterInstituteoftheRoerichMuseumin
NewYorkonathree-yearscholarship,andhasalsostudiedwithHansHofmannand
WilliamCalfee.In^1946 hewontheA.I.FriedmanAwardina.showoftheAudu-
bonArtists.Thewinningexhibitwaspaintedwhiletheartistwasonboardaship
intheSouthwestPacific.Egri'sworkhasappearedinone-manandgroupshows
andisrepresentedinthecollectionofthe^VilliamRockhillNelsonGalleryofArtin
KansasCity,Missouri.From 1948 to19,50hewasResident.-XrtistattheKansasCity
AnInstitute,KansasCity,Missouri.HenowlivesinTaos,NewMexico.
ELSHIN,JacobA.,Iconostas, 45 x26.
"Itisanaturalthingforanindividualtoobserve,thinkitover,digest,and
react.Whetheritbeamusician,poet,philosopher,orpainter,theyallseethingsin
muchthesameway,butdigestthemdifferently,andtheirreactionsdifferonmany
questions.Thatequallyreferstothematerialisticsideoflife(oreventsoflife) as
tothespiritualones.Thelanguageofpaintingisalanguageofitsown.Thisdoesnot
necessarilymean,however,thatthislanguageshouldnotbeunderstoodbytheaverageperson—itshouldjustaswellbeunderstoodasthelanguageofmusic.
"Ifapainterlookedatthingsandportrayedtheminexactlythe.samewaythey
lookedtohim,themaximumhecouldachievewouldbethemirror-likerepetitionof
whatanybodyelsecouldseeaswell.Inotherwordshewouldnot displayany
specificemotionalreaction towardhisexperiences..Anyonearmedwith technical
ability,then,wouldbeabletomakethosereproductionsequallywell..Mlpaintings
wouldbealikeandindividualitywouldhavenochanceforexpression.
"Therefore,apainterwhoisseekingforself-expression.shoulddivorcehimself
fromtho.sereflectionsofrealityandturnhiseyesinsideofhimselfinordertopresent
areactiontowardit.That'sthefirststepincreativeness.Lifegivesthetheme,the
poetwrites, philo.sopherrationalizes, paintercxpres.seshisreactions through the
languageofimagery.Itdoesn'tnecessarilyhavetobeobscureormystifying,but
thesimpler,theclearertheideacomesforthandthemorepeopleunderstandand
appreciateitthebetter.Apaintingisnotjusttolookat,butalsotothinkabout.
"Titlesshouldhelptoclarifythesituationandbynomeansobscureit. Ihc
semi-abstractapproach,perhaps,istheclosestwaytocarryouttheseprinciples.Sub-
jectmatterisjustasvariedastheuniverseitself.Darkaspectsoflifeareasrealas
thelightones.Darktonesemphasizethelight.Atruetragedyshouldbeoff.setby
occasionalhumor,fortragedywithoutanyreliefisdullmorbidityas...continuous
laughterisnot...comedy,butbuffoonery.
"Withtheseeyesthepaintershouldobserveiliethingsaroundhimselfandhe