Scholarship can be difficult. Sometimes the only good advice is, "Keep Pushing." These handsome bookends, from the Twenties, are a constant reminder of the power of perseverance.
The bronze-clad bookends, shown above, were modeled by sculptor Julio Kilenyi in the 1910's or 1920's. Kilenyi was born in Arad which, at the time, was a part of Hungary (and is now in Romania). Later, he lived and worked in Buenos Aires, Argentina before immigrating to New York City. Kilenyi's aesthetic is entirely in-keeping with Europe's early Twentieth Century "New Sculpture" and monuments. The muscular "builder," heroically holding-up a wall, reflects the classic notion of the human form "personifying" abstract qualities or concepts (like "building," "liberty," "death" or "freedom"). Such artistic and aesthetic conceits continued into the Art Deco period, but seem to have fallen out-of-favor in the new world born after WWII. Click on the phtoo above to learn more about them.
More handsome Back-to-School ideas tomorrow and in the days to come.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.