Auriel Bessmer's life followed an arc very different from that of other New Deal artists. His parents, emigrants from Hungary, were disciples of Cyrus Teed, AKA Koresh. They followed Teed to the commune he was organizing in Florida, but eventually left and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Auriel was born. Bessemer himself never departed from aspects of his parents' spiritualism, becoming an enthusiastic Theosophist. He studied art with Leon Kroll and Arthur Covey at the Art Students League, Columbia University and the National Academy of Design. He taught at the Pan-America School in New York before moving to Washington, where he taught at the Corcoran and ran an art gallery near Dupont Circle. His poem "The Slaughterhouse of Man" condemned the rise of fascism in Europe. He served as a graphic artist in World War II. His work included the created of a portable altarpiece for the U.S. armed forces entitled "God's Will is Law". Following the War he received commissions for dozens of murals for churches, union halls, railroad cars and corporate clients. In his later years he moved to Colorado Springs and joined a religious group, the Summit Lighthouse. He worked illustrating the tracts of this group.God's Will is LawAtlantis
Critical Analysis
Bessemer's 3 post office murals survive, as does at least one of his union hall murals. His work might be described as having a restrained classicism. The compositions are attractive, but his figures are somewhat monotonous and stiff. His religious illustrations have a simplistic style that might define a prototype for New Age art.
