Gropius Agrees to Judge Contest To Name Grade Dining Hall Mural

Professor Walter Groping, designer of the Graduate Center, agreed yesterday to judge entries in the contest to name the mural in the Darkness Commons dining hall. Groping said he was pleased that the painting has attracted so much interest.

More than a dozen names and explanations, ranging from "The Spiritual Search for Meaning" to "the Garden of Eden" and "Nausea at Noon" have been submitted.

Herbert Bayer, the artist who drew the moral, has been informed of the contest and is expected to send in an entry from Colorado, where he is working. The contest will close next Friday.

"To attempt to explain a contemporary painting is a difficult task," said Gropius. "It represents a psychological mood in the mind of the creator, who tries, by interplay of lines and colors, to reproduce that mood in the mind of the beholder. An artist cannot be expected to show literary genius as well."

Modeled After Tapestries

The mural was modeled after 16th Century French tapestries called "Verdures" which depicted plant life in varying hues of green.

Itichard Ripin 3G, president of the International Society for the Propagation of Taste and Discernment among Intellectuals and Others--the group running the contest--said last night: "We are deeply honored and gratified that Professor Gropius has soon fit to accept the position of arbiter in this competition. We feel certain that whatever title is finally chosen by Professor Gropius will reflect fully the artistic magnificence and the intellectual forthrightness of this noble work of art."