Bayer's Description of 'Verdure'

For a modern painter, the commission to paint a mural in a given space does not come too often in our time. To be given a wall in an architecturally outstanding building is almost unique, especially as in this case my painting will not be the only "piece of art", but will be in company with creations of some of the leading modernists in sculpture and painting.

I suppose that, given such opportunity, any "fine arts artist" will go ahead and paint to his heart's desire.

For me it was, first of all, a question of choice of subject matter. A purely abstract design I thought would not suffice her survive to be lived with for a length of time. It should have a meaning to help to retain the interest of the faculty, which is to dine in this room. So the theme became a sprouting, glaucous verdure, an image of the idea of growing. Green, as a soothing, quieting, and appetizing color. To contain enough variations towards more exciting yellow shades as well as towards cooler bluish tints. But green, as rich and juicy as possible without becoming aggressive.

Extends Dimension

It is a small room, the picture taking an entire wall. Thus the picture will make the room, and I could not share the opinion according to which the composition of a mural should rather go and conform with the architectural elements-- emphasis on horizontal-vertical directions and flat color areas. I want the convolution-like movement rather to be an opposite to it, to "open up" the wall, to extend the three dimensional enclosure, to break the wall.

One joining wall is a large window and above the picture, between it and the ceiling, is to be a long, narrow strip of frosted glass. This glass I liked to be clear, transparent as to see some trees moving their chanches in the wind together with the picture. The indoors and outdoors to be one, nature and a man-made symbol of it.

Composition for Scale

Another consideration was the scale of the design elements. Planning a large form, more or less one structure over the entire length, I believed it necessary to compose it in a way that parts of it, when sitting close to it, can still be recognized and identified.

The slight movement of the surface texture, obtained by applying the pigment in short brush strokes, was to give it a certain luminosity and lightness, besides the impression of dynamic suspension, rather than static solidity.

Having the opportunity to design the electrical illumination, I believe that an even mixture of white and regular yellow incandescent lamps will support the coloring.

The "background" of the painting, on which the convolution is set, is no background as it is in some places "fore-ground" as well. Thus it is activated to take part equally in the functions of all areas of the painting. This may be one way, I hope, to keep this picture "alive".