Mr. Podgoursky Doing the S. Bank Mosaic It is announced that the celling mosaic decoration art work in the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank Building, Hongkong, has been awarded to Mr. Victor Stepanovich Podgoursky, local artist, whose fame is not confined to Shanghai and the Orient, but whove ritings are hung tu the galleries of America and the capitals of Europa, Mr. Podgoursky leaves for Ttaly in the Conte Verde to-day, where he will personally supervise the mosaic assembly in the shops Messrs. R. Bigazz!, Florence and The area to be covered total 4,000 square feet, with 50 life size figures, well as scores of animals, machines, ships, and kindred subjects, The design embodies flat coloured mosaic, half tones, but bright unsoftened colours, The main celling surface ts prom Jected as an inverted half cylinder, running the length of the principal room, the cylinder bela supported sections, end the entire unit is Dound by bronze ornaments Themantic of progress, the subject to be treated over a period from the prehistoric to the modern, with emphasis on Industry and transport. the occidental and oriental contrasted on opposing sectors.
Mid-centre of the cylinder ts a symbolic tmege of the mn, the rays of which support a huge reproduction Apollo with a four-horse chariot, while on the other side Is to. be erected a similar faure of Demeter.
One of the adjoining sections to the main mosaic is dedicated to sims of the Zodiac, with medallions being superimposed in bronze on the colour-fed glass. Another adjoining sector rings into relict contrasted banking. ancient and modern, oriental and cecldentel. In the former a huge Chinese flnure of the God of Fortune, holding coral in his upraised hand, dispenses wealth to his adherents. He ts mpported by minor figures of Japanese and Indian oncin, os well other oriental countries. Tu the western portion. a symbolic Mercury contrasted with safes, typewriters and modern business equipment.
Although work in the mosaic har begun, It ts estimated that the artist will have to devote four months to the final. supervision, Mr, Podsoursky, to whom comes: this distinctive honour. was born near Tomale, Siberia, studvine In the art schools of Moscow and St. Petersburg. During his sixteen venrs in China.) he has been recognized xs a leader amon his fellow Russians snd remmonstble for the art in the French lub and the Cathay Hotel, He also restored some of the paintings in the Shanghai Club
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.