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

Page 14 text:

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.

Page 13 text:

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

Page 15 text:

During the years '57, '58, and '59, under the W. P. A., art projects were established by the Federal Government. The Federal Government engaged highly skilled artists and paid the entire expense involved in acquiring their services. The gift of one hundred dollars from each of four classes, l9,56, I957, 1958, 1939, paid for the hand- painted copy of the The Oath of Knighthoodf' the sec- ond panel of Abbey's The Quart of the Holy Grail, and the wood from which the artists carved the oak panelling with its beautiful oak-leaf border, the jacobean table, the benches. and the tapering candlesticks. The ofiice fur- niture was designed by Miss Cooper and hand wrought from oak, as was the panelling, by expert wood carvers. The result is a unit of priceless worth which, under ordinary circumstances, would have represented an ex- penditure of many thousands of dollars and which, without the financial assistance of the Federal Govern- ment, we could never have hoped to obtain. The ar- tists who created these treasures have told us that no school in the city can display such exquisitely beautiful hand carving. The original of the painting The Oath of Knight- hood forms a portion of the mural decoration of the Boston Public Library. The Copley Prints, Curtis and Cameron Company, have given us permission to publish the photograph. At the right with the permission of the Copley Prints, Curtis and Cameron Company, we present a photograph of The Vision, a panel in colors copied from the first panel of The Que!! of the lioly Grail, painted by Edwin Austin Abbey. The baby Galahad is lifting up his hands to the veiled and celestially radiant Holy Grail, which is borne by a white-robed angel. Our reproduction hangs against the rear wall of Room 205. l The picture directly at the right i is the photograph of a painting of San Marco in Venice, On the right is the Duce's Palace, and on the left the famous Basilica. In the foreground the pigeons, the flower girl, and the gendarme enjoy the sunlight in the square. At the extreme right is the Bay of Constantinople. the gate- way to the East. In the back- ground is the Cathedral of St. Sophia. It is fitting that the two pictures should hang on opposite walls in Room 202, for these cities owe much to each other in the development of their art and commerce. lHl llHll3Hlll lHH Illilllll