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

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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

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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.

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lHl Elllllllll llli HlHlllY . , -1 evzffryfi .,- ff i f .Q V, - ' family. f The iron table, designed by Miss Cooper and wrought in ,fp a shops of the South Boston High School, was presented by gg-Eg, ,.,l QQ, . class of 1940. The fact that we did not have to pay for ' work of fashioning the intricate design made it possible for class to make this valuable gift. 9 4 the gift of the Bowdoin and Gibson fund. The gift of the class of 1944 is a beautiful replica of the Wiimged Victory of Samothrace. The presentation of the statue seemed particularly appropriate this year, which may mark for us both victory in war and victory in peace. What more sig- nificant interpretation of our coming triumphs could we have chosen! The original figure, which stood in the prow of a galley, blow- ing a trumpet, was perhaps carved to celebrate a victory off the Island of Cyprus over the Egyptian General Ptolemy in or about the year 306 B.C. S. Reinach in his art commentary Apollo writes: The ir- resistible energy, the victorious swing of the body, the quivering life that seems to animate the marble, the happy contrast af- forded by the flutter of the wind-swept mantle, and the adherence of the closely fitting tunic to the torso combine to make the statue the most exquisite expression of movement left to us by antique art. The Wingetl Victory of Samothrace expresses to us the strength, courage, and brave forward-looking spirit of woman- hood at its best. HELAINE FLASCHNHR, '44, IRIS HIERBITS, '4-4. page tu 'elwe At the left is a portrait of Dr. Jeremiah E. Burke, for whom I our school is named. The portrait is the gift of Dr. Burke's Dr, Burke was Assistant Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools from 1904 to 1921, from l92l to 1931, Dr. Burke was Superintendent and in full charge of the schools of Boston. the the the the The Chinese celadon vase on a hand-carved teakwood base is