Of the people, by the people, for the people
Artist
Richard Haines
Year1963
Classification
architectural arts
Medium
glass
Dimensions118 x 557 in. (299.7 x 1414.8 cm)
Credits
Commissioned through the Fine Arts in New Federal Buildings Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
Federal Building
Los Angeles, CA
According to the artist (paraphrased): he chose to use an excerpt from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, "Government of the People, by the People, for the People..." as the theme for the lobby mural. To interpret this theme he chose a small community as the unit of government, and descriptively, symbolically used different kinds of people and activities to give meaning to the idea. The figures and groups are fragments relating to different things and offering associations that can be amplified by the viewer. Starting from the left: the rural wedding - under the fruit tree, the fisherman's family group, mother and child; above the family a gathering, possibly a PTA meeting. The large seated figure is the Scholar - the learned man of ideas - the author. The three men above the quotation can be a local governing body - the three branches of government - a board of arbitrators, a meeting of minds. The four boys in the foreground refer to the youth of an area bathing together at a summer camp or playground. The group above the worshipping figure suggest the activity of the welfare of a community. The large group around the speaker at the microphone refers to a number of things: freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, political activity, public affairs, etc. The two seated women downstage are a gesture to the early peoples of this area of the Southwest. The two men with newspapers in heated discussion symbolize the right of expression that is vital to the nature of public opinion. The group above the men is a gathering for a community sing. The graduate is another highlight in a person's life in society. The structures at the right of the panel make reference to the urban life-construction, traffic. The seated man can be the builder, the architect, tha planner.
