Toward a New Monumentality: Hans Feibusch's Pilgrim's Progress Murals

• Published in: Bunyan studies no. 13; p. 82
• Main Author: Simpson, Ken
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Newcastle Upon Tyne Northumbria University, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences 01.01.2008
• Subjects: British & Irish literature; Bunyan, John (1628-1688); English literature
• ISSN: 0954-0970

Compared to his counterpart's aggressive stance, which is meant to scare Christian from the Way, this demon's gestures of dismay indicate his defeat, and taken together the two figures provide a coherent representation of the reaction of Belzebub, the owner of the dog that threatens Mercie and Christiana in Bunyan's text, to the conversion of the pilgrims (PP, p. 21; PP II, pp. 155, 158-59). [...]Feibusch conflates the encounter with the dog in Part II and the demon with his bow in Part I, creating the necessary economy and continuity of action, developing the portrayal of the defeated devil more dramatically by putting the two demons in dialogue with each other, and depicting the experience of conversion in a context of struggle between good and evil. According to Feibusch, it is necessary to 'keep the painting as flat as possible so as not to irritate the spectator by shifting vanishing points' when painting a frieze on a long, low wall/9 Modern architecture, with its long, unbroken walls, calls for such murals, but so do the conventions of modern painting. According to Forsyth, ferrous rods used to bind inner and outer walls were rusting, allowing water to seep in, which would eventually lead to more serious instability (Forsyth to Bishop George Bell, 5 April 1944, ESRO 316/4/5/2). [...]instead of re -cementing all of the walls, damaged spots were patched (Hans Feibusch to Hamilton, 6 February 1944, ESRO 316/4/5/1).