Large Industrial Modern Painting by Herman Roderick Volz (SOLD)
(SOLD) An important and historic preliminary sketch painting for the 55 foot tall polished marble mosaics at the Science Hall Building at CCSF. Titled "The Interaction of Science" commissioned by Timothy Pflueger, architect for CCSF, circa 1939-1940. Measures 67"H 61"W 1.5"D.
Herman Roderick Volz. A painter, muralist, lithographer, set designer and ceramist. Formal training at the Art und Gewerbescule in Zurich and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. Immigrated from Zurich to the U.S. in 1933, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area and became a citizen in 1938. During the Depression Volz was appointed supervisor in the Northern California Arts Project and supervisor for the Federal Building mural project at the G.G.I.E. Two of these large mosaic panels were later installed at the San Francisco City College among a panel created by Diego Rivera. Volz designed sets for MGM and Paramount Studios. He was politically active, vocal and often made social statements through his imagery.
Excerpt from The History of CCSF b y Professor Austin White:
...Because Pflueger was absolutely dedicated to
the integration of art with architecture, he ensured
that the college would have significant works of
art available for some of its buildings.
As Vice Chairman of Fine Arts at the
1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition
on Treasure Island, Pflueger was able to have
transferred to the college at no cost several of
the culturally significant projects created by
artists during the Fair—the 75 by 22 foot Diego
Rivera mural entitled
Pan American Unity; two sculptures carved by Fredrick Olmsted—the
7 foot high, 4 foot square, 9 ton granite heads of
Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci; two 42
feet by 55 foot exterior mosaics by Hermann Volz
entitled, respectively, The Interaction of Science and The Interaction of Mechanism; and a nine foot eight inch high Big Horn Mountain Redwood Ram
carved by Dudley Carter with a double bladed axe and several chisels...
This painting was acquired from the estate of Volz and is unsigned.