To commemorate the 110-year anniversary of the Roosevelt Organ at First United Methodist Church in Boulder, Colorado, Pokorny was asked
to paint it. Here, he captures many of the elements that combine to create this high-quality instrument. The organ facade with its beautiful
rhythm of pipes supported by the exquisite wood casework is the centerpiece of the painting. Also featured is No.1 of Cesar Frank's Three
Chorals, a composition most representative of the type of music created for the great French organ builders in the mid- to late-1800s. The
painting also gives a sense of the scale and complexity of the entire machine -- the ranks and ranks of pipes, both metal and wood that
are mechanically connected to the back of the console. The side view of the keyboard console, with its carved bench and facade pipes above,
continues on in the painting showing the back reaches of the instrument. The piece also includes a detailed look at the organ console with
the cover open to expose the handsome three-tiered keyboard. The "stop knobs" controlling the various sound
combinations of the instrument are in the background at full scale.
|