Hungarian Carver Makes Ecclesiastical Statuary

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 5

Hungarian Carver Makes Ecclesiastical Statuary

(Specially -written for “The

Press” by

W.H. WATMEFF)

A Hungarian craftsman working in his garage in Conference street, Christchurch, produces finely executed pieces of ecclesiastical statuary for churches throughout .New Zealand.

The craftsman, Mr Laslo Racz, originally trained as a wood carver. .It was only after his arrival in New Zealand from Rumania in 1963 that he began working as a sculptor.

Mr Racz said he had been greatly influenced in becoming a wood craftsman by Geza Rosa, a well-known Hungarian artist who for four years lived in his home town in Rumania. “After a long apprenticeship I originally carved in wood, making decorative figures which were later cast in plaster for use on buildings. For many years I did work for churches throughout Rumania,” he said. Mr Racz also produced figures for a puppet theatre. Much later, and before coming to New Zealand, he was chief of sculptors at a cooperative of applied arts near Bucharest From here were turned out all manner of native arts and crafts which were bought by tourists and exported. In 1955 Mr Racz exhibited a piece of his work in the National Art Gallery in-Buch-arest -’This piece, in wood, was of a small group of railway workers and was meant to symbolise the resistance of < the workers, many of whom were shot by the army,” he said. Between 1942 and 1945 he worked in Budapest, carving fine/ furniture for the city's leading furniture house. For a short period be did carvings in the apartments of many of the patriarchs who attended a world congress of the Greek Orthodox Church. Army Service In 1945 Mr Racz joined the Hungarian Army. He was wounded in the foot during the occupation of Budapest by the Russians, It was after hospital treatment that he went back to Bucharest to work in the co-operative. In Rumania, as In most other eastern European countries, wood carving is a traditional art form.Mr Racz ex-

plained also that in most of them the Communist governments acted as patrons of tte arts. Immediately after World War H craftsmen turned out, on government order, millions of busts of Lenin and Stalin. Initially this was the only type of work available. Later the general theme of tte work available had to do with paintings and sculptors which depicted the life of tte working classes or of Communist politicians. A free choice of subject was not permitted although Mr Ra'cs said there was a greater liberality now, a trend he expected , would continue. One of the big problems facing tte artist in a Communist country, he said, was that, unless one was a Communist orders for wort were at best infrequent and then were just occasional small jobs of little value. No Difficulty Mr Racz came to New Zealand through tte auspices of tte National Council of Churches. He said his sister and her husband, who lived at Waimate, were his sponsors. Mr Race’s brother-in-law was a qualified lawyer but because of tte language barrier he had learned the art of the stone mason in order to make a living“I had no difficulty in leaving my homeland to come to New Zealand. After all I was only a craftsman and as such was not considered to be of any great importance by government officials.” When he arrived in Christchurch in 1963 Mr Racz worked for a local masonry firm. Now he is his own master, although producing sculptures for the same firm. Religious statuary has been tte only outlet of his artistic expression since he came to New Zealand. “I had never done this type of wort before although now I must admit I find it intellectually satisfying.” The change from carving to sculpture he describes as a natural development “When you make figures from wood you are restricted to a certain degree. I find* there is more freedom with day and casting.” “I have always been indined to figurative and complicated work,” he said. Mr Race’s worts can be found in a number of Roman Catholic churches in New Zea-

land, though he himself is a member of the Reformed Church. This in itself posed problems because several of tte saints he received commissions to sculpture are unknown to him and necessitated a certain amount of research. Many figures of Christ are fine examples of beauty and craftsmanship. The expressions of Christ’s sufferings come from the imagination of Mr Racz, and no two are alike. Normally it can take up to two months for him to complete a statue depending on the size, position and type of figure required. He believes it is not necessary to import stone or marble for such statuary as plaster casting, which can be reinforced, is just as strong and durable. Similarly, bronze, if it is not reinforced, will break into fragments if it is dropped. Reinforced plaster can last just as long aa tte building that contains it provided it is handled carefully and not knocked about Work In Churches His wort in churches as far apart as Rotorua and Invercargill includes crucifixes, stations of tte cross, saints, a 9ft Saint Joseph and Child cut out of Oamaru stone, and a Madonna and Child. The illustration shows Mr Racz working on a statue of Saint Joseph. The only examples of Mr Racz’s work in Christchurch are two stone casts of St Joseph and St Alphonse which stand on either side of the altar at tte New Brighton monastery. In addition to tte religious wort Mr Racz sculptures busts, but to date he has only produced two—one of W. Shakespeare and tte otter of his sister at Waimate. He feels there is no demand for this type of wort in New Zealand. Because he feels New Zealanders are preoccupied with Rugby football he made a fivefigure subject of a scrum. Asked why it and otter pieces had not been exhibited, Mr Racz, who is a member of the Canterbury Society of Arte, replied: “I don’t know. I will wait itatil I have a few pieces then perhaps I may have an exhibition.” “I am happy here in New Zealand with my freedom. I am at least in a position to do tte sort of wort that I love,” he said.