The Four Seasons and Signs of the Zodiac

In 1940, at the age of 27, Vahe Kirishjian completed this mural series, titled The Four Seasons and Signs of the Zodiac, for the new Post Office Department building, which is now the William Jefferson Clinton Federal building, in Washington, D.C. The young artist came to the attention of the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts in 1938, after he submitted mural designs for a new post office in the Bronx, New York. While Kirishjian did not win the New York commission, his drawings impressed Section officials, who invited him to paint the eight-panel mural on the ceiling of the library at the Post Office Department building in Washington.

Kirishjian was inspired by the twelve signs of the zodiac and the four seasons. Four of the eight panels feature allegories of Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter next to the three zodiac signs associated with that season. Each zodiac sign corresponds to a month of the calendar and is represented by a symbol based on the shape of its star constellation. While Kirishjian painted these symbols and allegories on canvas that he later applied to the ceiling, he painted the four other panels directly on the plaster ceiling. These decorative panels are located between each seasonal panel and depict simple constellations.

To unite the panels, Kirishjian used strong outlines and a muted color palette that flattens the overall composition. His figures do not carry the heaviness of gravity, but instead float as if drifting through the night sky. A few touches of bright color — which include red-oranges, dark blues, and deep reds — add gentle
definition to the two-dimensional figures and symbols. When the mural debuted in 1940, the panels were praised by New York Times art critic Edward Alden Jewell, who declared them “delightfully fresh.” He also wrote: “This decoration is neither too much, nor too little, but, I should judge, just right.”