- State:
- WASHINGTON-DC
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), Public Works Funding
- Completed:
- 1934
- Artist:
- Harry William Scheuch
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- Unknown
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Harry W. Scheuch completed two murals for the PWAP titled “Workers on the Cathedral of Learning” and “Finishing the Cathedral of Learning” that were transferred from U.S. Department of Labor to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
According to the Smithsonian: “Artist Harry Scheuch painted the Cathedral of Learning twice for the PWAP. The first image is a close-up view of the masons at work(1964.1.157), while this second painting (1964.1.42) is a more distant view that reveals the horde of workers involved. Together the two paintings tell the story of this mighty undertaking. The forty-two-story structure was not substantially completed until 1937, and some interior work continued for decades after that. Like the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge, the Cathedral of Learning demonstrated that the Great Depression could not stop Americans from accomplishing great things.”
Source notes
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Finishing the Cathedral of Learning. https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/finishing-the-cathedral-of-learning-21815 (accessed 3/14/2023)
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Workers on the Cathedral of Learning. https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/workers-on-the-cathedral-of-learning-21816 (accessed 3/14/2023)
Site originally submitted by Andrew Gallentine on March 15, 2023.
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