Burke High School - Silver Lamp Yearbook (Dorchester, MA)

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These original paintings by Francois Leon Benouville hang in the public reception room of the main oflice. On the ex- treme right we see a painting of the Villa Torlonia, Frascatig directly at the right is a paint- ing of the Pincian Gardens in Rome. Both Rome and Fras- cati appeared prominently in the news during the months preceding the liberation of Rome, June 5, 1944. The artist has reproduced the richness of the foliage of ltaly in cool green colors, brightened by dappled sun- . YUM, , light. The effect is one of leisurely peace and undis- turbed beauty. lHl EHllSHIll lHH HlHUlV The beauty of our library has been greatly increased by the addi- tion of three original American paintings. It is unfortunate that the camera was unable to repro- duce the colors of these extra- ordinarily beziutiful pictures. Stanley Wootlwarcl has made the Gloucester coast line memorable in his painting Iiarleru Point. Barr Rocks. The deep blue of the water is balanced by the warm hues of the jutting rocks, against which the white spray dashes. Mr. Wooclwartl has said that he never painted a more beautiful picture. At the left in Power' of the Sea, Charles Wtxotllwury, famous for his Seascapes, has painted with bold, forceful strokes the surging blue Atlantic. One can almost feel the vibration of the sea and hear the pounding of the waves. The third painting is Aldro Hibbard's Blue Iflillr. Ver- 010711. a winter scene. A stream leads the eye through the snow-covered valley, past a knoll of green pines to the blue hills beyond. page wine

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lHl lIHlISHHl Hill HiHlIlV ln 1954, the year which marked the establishment of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School for Girls, the first Student Council was organized. The members of the hrst Council were so proud of the beautiful new building in which they were privileged to be educated that they were stimulated to dedicate their activities to the preservation and addition of beauty within the school. Each succeeding Student Council has continued the good work by sponsoring projects which have resulted in contributions to various artistic units. The classes of 1955, '56, '57, '58, '59, '40, and '44 have chosen to strengthen the tradition established by the first Student Council and have, accordingly, presented to the school gifts of lasting beauty. The drive of the Allied Armies through Normandy has aroused new interest in the architectural triumphs of the Middle Ages. During the First World Wat, the French Government commissioned Louis Orr to repro- duce in pictures many rare examples of Gothic art, so that these treasures might be preserved for all time, at least in the minds of all beauty-loving people. It has been our good fortune to acquire two etchings by Louis Orr, which hang in Room 5l8. On the left is the photograph of an etching of the Cathedral at Rheims. The artist caught his inspiration just as the clouds were breaking after a storm and was able to mirror the glow of the returning, though hidden, sun. The etching on the right acquaints us with the Cathe- dral of St, Etienne du Mont, Paris. Here the etcher presents the complete facade, designed in the Renaissance tradition. Above, with the permis- sion of the Copley Prints, Curtis and Cameron Com- pany, is a photograph of The Siege Perilous, a panel in colors copied from an impressive and beautiful detail of the orig- inal frieze The Quert of llae H oly Grail. The orig- inal, painted by Edwin Austin Abbey, may be seen at the Boston Public Li- brary, This picture hangs in Room 205. fmge eighl At the left is an excellent lithograph of Westminster Abbey, one of the great monuments of Gothic archi- tecture. The picture, which hangs in Room 202, is re- produced in an atmosphere of smoky blue, representing, perhaps, the haze which oc- casionally envelops London.

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lHl EHIlSHlIl HIH HlHlIlY At llae Melndeon. a reproduction of a picture by a contemporary Boston artist, Marguerite Pearson, is the first of a series of lovely ladies in beautiful surroundings to be developed at some future time as an Ziff unit for the Conference Room. In the main public office hangs the beautiful reproduction in i glazed terra cotta of the Singing Boys from the Canmria by Luca della Robbia in the Cathedral Museum at Florence. The newspapers report that the Allied Armies are even now advancing towards Florence through the country where della Robbia found the marble deposit from which he fashioned his bas-reliefs and developed an art which is, perhaps, permanently lost, The figures, white and glistening, stand out against a background of celestial blue, and the entire plaque hangs against a bronze , damask tapestry. The complete effect is one of line and color, softly and harmoniously blended. Forever, these youthful choristers in the plaque are chanting the beautiful Psalm Laudate Dominum in Sanctisf' The ninth panel, of Abbey's The Quert of the Holy Grail, The Castle of the Maidens, hangs against the left wall of Room 203. This panel was painted by hand from the orig- f inal which hangs in the Boston Pub- lic Library and which is reproduced here in photographic form with the permission of the Copley Prints, Curtis and Cameron Company. Sir Galahad is setting free the im- prisoned Virtues in order that they may bless the world with their mani- fold activities. This was the final step which had to be taken before the achievement of the Grail could be assured. The picture is a con- ception of exceeding graciousness, re- plete with loveliness in form and fea- ture. Many of the models for the picture were famous women. Ellen Terry, a great English actress, posed for the central figure, a tall, majestic woman with long braids.