205
"...Ithinkthatdesignisthebasisofallart....Itisaninescapablefact
thatwhatiscalledabstractionisusedbyallartists,whetherornottheyareentirely
consciousofit.Abstractart,frommypointofview,ismerelythebeginningofa
picture.Furthermore,theaestheticvalueofaworkofartmayberuinedbytooclose
adherencetorulesandtheories.Thesensitivepersonaldeviationsfromsocalledlaws
ofdesignandalsofromfactualI'epresentationaredelightfulanddesirablewhenthey
aresensedwithintegrityandcontributetotheunityofthepicture."—LeonKroll,in
LeonKroll,(anillustratedmonographpublishedbytheAmericanArtistsGroup,
NewYork,in1946).
KrollwasborninNewYorkCityin1884.HestudiedattheArtStudentsLeague
ofNewYorkunderTwachtmanandothers,attheNationalAcademyofDesignin
NewYork,andwithJeanPaulLaurensinParis."Alsoreceivedencouragingcriticism
fromWinslowHomer,"headds.
ThelittlebookmentionedabovecontainstheimposingandlonglistofKroll's
professionalawardsfrom 1912 untiltheyear1946.Thetotaltodatenumbersabout
fifty,andincludessixorseventhousand-dollarawardsandFirstPrizeattheCar-
negieInternationalExhibitionin1937.
HeisalsoamemberoftheNational.AcademyofDesign,NationalInstitute,
AmericanAcademyof."^rtsandLetters,andapastpresidentofArtistsEquity,to
mentionsomeoftheAmericanorganizationstowhichhebelongs,andisaChev'alier
oftheLegiond'Honneur.
MuralsbyKrollaretobeseenintheJusticeBuildinginWashington,D.C.,and
intheWorcester (Massachusetts)WarMemorial.Betweenfortyandfiftyofhis
workshavebeenpurchasedbymuseums;theMetropolitanMuseumofArtinNew
Yorkrecentlyacquireditsthird.Afewoftheothermuseumsandinstitutionswhich
ownexamplesofhisworkaretheWhitneyMuseumofAmericanArtandMuseumof
ModernArtinNewYork;NationalAcademyofDesign;PennsylvaniaAcademyof
theFineArts;ArtInstituteofChicago;CityArtMuseumofSt.Louis;Carnegie
InstituteinPittsburgh;CorcoranGalleryofArt,Washington,D.C.;DetroitInstitute
ofArts;MinneapolisInstituteofArts;SanFranciscoMuseumofArt;DenverArt
Museum;andtheuniversitiesofIllinois,Nebraska,andOmaha.KrolllivesinNew-
YorkCity.
LASKER,JosephL.,FromanIvoryTower, 24 x30.Illustration—Plate 106
"Aboutthepainting: Readingfromlefttoright;anivorytowerwithacrack
init,themuseofart,adiseaseddoctor,thestatusquo.Inthebackgroundishis
brother,furtheronback,theColosseum.Thespacecontainedinthispackageis
guaranteedqualityspace."
JoeLaskerwasborninBrooklynin1919.HestudiedattheCooperUnionArt
SchoolandlatertaughtpaintinganddrawingattheCollegeoftheCityofNew
York.MuralsfromhishandmaybeseeninpostofficesinCalumet,Michiganand
Millbury,Massachusetts,andintheHenryStreetSettlementPlayhouseinNewYork
City.Hewasincludedintheexhibition"19YoungAmericanArtists"chosenbyLije
magazineandisrepresentedinthepermanentcollectionoftheSpringfield(Massa-
chusetts) Museum ofFineArts. Awardsand prizesinclude theEdwin Austin
AbbeyMemorialScholarshipforMural Paintingin^1946 and 1947; Hallmark
InternationalAward,FourthPrize,UnitedStatesSection,1949;ThirdHallgarten
Prize,NationalAcademy,1950;PrixdeRomeFellowship,1950;GrumbacherPrize,
AudubonArtists,1951.AtpresentheislivinginItaly.