had "upset tradition in his introduction of labor scenes... within the sacred precincts of a church", the murals were met with acclaim from the press as well as church officials, and brought Vanka "significant if not prolonged fame." Vanka was invited back to complete a second set of murals which were dedicated on November 16, 1941. With World War II then raging in Europe, these murals featured much more overtly anti-war subject matter than the earlier ones. With the completion of the full set of murals, the Pittsburgh Press wrote that the artwork would "put [the church] near the top of the 'must list' of places to see in the Pittsburgh district", while the Sun-Telegraph wrote that Vanka and the parish priest, Albert Zagar, were "tossing the dogmas of religious art into the ash-can". Vanka himself described the murals as "my contribution to America". The subject matter of the murals includes a combination of traditional religious imagery and social themes related to the Croatian American experience, such as war, injustice, and exploitation of workers. Vanka acknowledged traditional church decoration practices dating back to the Byzantine Empire in his placement of Mary, Queen of Heaven, above the altar and depictions of the Ascension of Jesus and the Four Evangelists on the ceiling. Elsewhere, Vanka included scenes from the Old and New Testaments, images of saints, and scenes depicting the Croatian immigrant experience such as Immigrant Mother Raises Her Sons for American Industry, in which a group of Croatian women mourn over a young man killed in a mining accident. Other murals included allegorical depictions of injustice and inequality in America, such as The American Capitalist, in which a wealthy businessman sits before an elaborate meal while ignoring a beggar, and Injustice, which depicts a hooded figure wearing a gas mask and holding a scale in which a loaf of bread is outweighed by gold. Vanka, a committed pacifist, also included strong anti-war imagery, such as a crucified Jesus being pierced by a World War I soldier's bayonet, and the Virgin Mary breaking a soldier's rifle. Later career and death Apart from the Millvale murals, the majority of Vanka's American work consisted of charcoal and pastel drawings, many of which depicted scenes and people he met during his travels, and oil paintings, which were predominantly landscapes and still lifes. Vanka mostly stopped exhibiting his work after World War II, although he did