Public art abounds at the Capitol

Spied a cool new mural in the downtown on Tuesday, so I risked being late to my lunch appointment to swing over and take a picture. I like murals that play fast and loose with perspective.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful in Sacramento. You know the weather I mean. Sunny but breezy, and just cool enough that when you're sitting on a patio having lunch, you idly wonder where your jacket is. Everyone is getting out to enjoy it for the short time it lasts.

Afterwards, I took a detour through an alley behind the State Food and Ag building, and I swear I smelled cloves. Cloves, cloves, very strong. Their cafeteria wasn't suddenly baking Thanksgiving pies or anything; I ducked in there and sniffed. Are the Food and Ag workers smoking clove cigarettes near the giant vent? It's a Sacramento mystery.

Another mystery: Who are these figures on the side of the Department of Transportation building, and why are they hugging things?

e asked if the figures were meant to be riff on the Art Deco period. I replied they are the Art Deco period - period.

Comments

[Dan]

Beautiful mural.

Those figures are the original Five Dwarves (updated later to Seven): Lampy, Scopey, Mishmash, Picky, and Stiffy.

[Anthony]

No, they aren't art deco. They look like "moral allegories" common to a lot of New Deal architecture, showing the uplifting meaningfulness of the working trades: mining, surveying, etc... Very common in buildings built in the 30s by FDR. A very Americanized version of Soviet Socialist public art aimed at proleteriat sensibilities rather than bourgeoise decoration (which art deco was VERY much concerned with).
There's some particularly beautiful examples of this kind of public art in Kansas City in the state buildings there: LOTS of allegorical figures doing heroic things to wheat and cattle. Rather attractive in a Copland kind of way!

[molly]

I was going to say that the books and lamp the lady has represent education, but that's rather obvious.

[pam]

Yeah, I think they must represent Education, Architecture, Drafting and so forth.

And Anthony, you hit the proverbial nail with the era and the reference to New Deal. Thanks.