Philip de Laszlo: Progress

"Mrs. Philip de László, née Lucy Madeleine
Guinness" by Philip de Laszlo

Philip de Laszlo wrote: "I had now had had three different apprenticeships. Deep was the concern at home over my present and future. My father, who was seldom content with anybody, considered I was wasting my life because I was no longer earning money, and through him my home became a hell. 

Meanwhile I racked my brains to think how I could become a painter. Suddenly my mother and I hit upon the idea that I should become the pupil of a sign-painter. The head of the business was a man called Neumann. He also painted portraits, and I entered his service at five florins a month. It was Neumann's custom to charge fifty florins for a portrait, but the work was done by an old and impoverished artist, who received only half the commission - and the portrait was merely painted from a photograph. One day I was told to take a canvas, together with some photographs, to this artist. 

I took the canvas with me when I went home that evening. Overnight I drew the whole of the picture in with black chalk and next day handed it over to the old man. When he saw the picture he was astonished. 'Did Herr Neumann do this drawing?' he asked. 'No,' I replied, 'It is my work.' He told me that I was wasting my time in Neumann's service and that I should choose a calling which would give me an opportunity of painting in my spare time. 'That is impossible,' I told him. 'My parents are poor and I must earn money.' He then told me to go to a good photographer, where I should be able to use my talents and earn better money, and at the same time attend an art school.

He was also good enough to give me an introduction to Sandor Strelisky, one of the oldest and best known photographers in Budapest. Strelisky gave me a three years' contract. I had to colour photographic prints with watercolors. Later I learned to retouch the prints and went on doing this till the end of my time. Some of the notable people whose photographs I painted became my intimate friends later on.

When I was fifteen I drew a head of Count Eugen Zichy in charcoal, my uncle Philip giving me the money for the frame. With my mother I went to show Count Zichy the picture. He received us in a friendly manner and gave me an introduction to the Director of the Arts and Crafts School, Dr. John Videky. The drawing was exhibited in the leading bookshop in Pest and found a buyer. This was my first step in getting away from photography to serious art."

To be continued

(Excerpts are from "Portrait of a Painter" by Otto Rutter.)