Page 66 - Studio International - September 1968

No frontiers John Halas came to England in 1936 where he
established his cartoon film company with his wife
John Halas Joy Batchelor. The company has been enormously
prolific, ranging from `Animal Farm' to
educational shorts and a new interest in computer
generated films.

After an unsuccessful attempt to make a living in Paris, and the importance of design before drawing. We saw
I joined the newly formed private school of Robert beauty in simplicity and objectivity and thought that we
Bortnyik in Budapest. Bortnyik, typographer and ourselves had discovered good design by understanding
constructivist painter, had just arrived from Bauhaus the inner harmony of basic geometric relationships in a
where he had several years' teaching experience. One of composition. We hated symmetry and superfluous
the visiting teachers was Laszlo Moholy-Nagy who had decoration. We accepted the necessity of environmental
also returned from Bauhaus and had temporarily settled relationships and the concept of workshop practice,
in Budapest. which provided the students with practical experience
I could not afford to pay for tuition and, in spite of my with the materials they used and personal practice in
limited experience, I was assigned the job of assisting crafts. The snag was lack of space; unfortunately we
both Bortnyik, Moholy-Nagy and later other teachers. only had two rooms for the whole school.
This position provided an opportunity for me to meet
and know my masters much better than if I had been By 1933, after winning a series of competitions and
a pupil, since I could spend the whole day in their scandalizing the population with abstract designs,
company and deputise for them in their absence. mobiles and displays, the school made its mark and, as
Besides, my authority to look after pupils much older far as tuition is concerned, was considered equal to
than myself flattered my vanity. Bauhaus. Bauhaus strength, as was borne out by time,
There were about eighty students, among them the was not so much what the pupils produced as what the
famed painter, Vasarely now living in Paris, and Lanyi teachers achieved on their own. Walter Gropius,
and Rado, both first-rate designers settled in South Kandinsky, Albers, Klee, Itten and Schlemmer are
America. The establishment was a small but precise appreciated more as architects, painters and graphic
replica of Bauhaus in every aspect, and the only one in designers on their own than as brilliant teachers. Possibly
existence to carry on the tradition at that time. The this did not apply to Bortnyik and Moholy-Nagy; the
method of teaching, the organization, and the system of former was a brilliant teacher in spite of his impatience,
working in small units, were all closely copied from its shattering humour and sarcasm. Both were first-class
German counterpart. Like Bauhaus, the master and communicators, able to explain the inner meaning of
student relationship was based on the closest possible their strong convictions. By that time our establishment
partnership. Projects were developed in co-operation was desirable enough for Gropius and Klee to pay a visit
with the masters. to Budapest, especially as Bauhaus was forced to close in
The system did not always work however. The April 1933.
enthusiasm of the pupils seldom matched their talents It is worth noting that as a typographer and graphic
and capabilities. The savage sarcasm of both Bortnyik artist, Bortnyik was an outstanding talent himself and
and Moholy-Nagy in criticising sub-standard work often his work, produced in the early 1930's, would still be
shattered their confidence and I was left to pick up the considered well ahead of its time by today's standards.
pieces later. His interest expanded over animated films and, especially
As with Bauhaus, the primary introduction to all courses in this medium, I was lucky to be able to assist him. He
was the study of basic geometry and the understanding of knew how to delegate. The repetitive labour-consuming
relationships between such basic forms as the triangle donkey work was left to me to deal with. At times this
and circle. Exercises with tetrahedral and octahedral meant activity until sunrise. The eventual reward later
shapes followed, and gradually led to some practice in was learning how to avoid unnecessary labour in stop-
three-dimensional design and textures which widened motion film techniques. It is a paradox that this revolu-
to the use of colour. tionary from Bauhaus became, after the war, President
Then the construction of letters, based on geometrical of the Academy of Arts in Budapest.
principles and asymmetrical exercises of simple As for Moholy-Nagy, he was not a good delegator,
typographic designs followed. As at Bauhaus, the belief though just as determined to put across his convictions
in functionalism was accepted with religious fervour. and propogate his beliefs in the manner of a high priest.
Through some brilliant lectures given by Bortnyik and Few of his works were created with the assistance of his
Moholy-Nagy and a painter, Berény, who later became disciples. The 'Space Modulator' was possibly the only
an internationally accepted artist, all of us were easily work with students' assistance. This brilliant construc-
convinced of the Bauhaus philosophy of functional design tion, built during his 'Bauhaus' period between 1925-7,