Artwork Record
Images
Additional Images [10]
Metadata
Title |
History of Early California and History of Southern California |
Date |
1941 |
Object Name |
Mural |
Description |
The murals on opposite ends of the room each depict early life in Southern California with soft colors beginning with the earliest days of indigenous inhabitants through 1799. Continuing the story, in chronological order, the West wall’s vignettes depict significant events from 1800 through the early 1900’s. Sylvia Moore writes that the frescoes "narrate the history of California in unrelated vignettes that seem to float across the walls of the library. On the East wall is the History of California, the age of exploration, with scenes of Magellan, Drake, Cortes, Balboa and Cabrillo. On the sides are local Hupa Indians and Father Junipero Serra and the development of the missions. […] On the West wall is the History of Southern California, starting with the mission period through the development of the city of Venice." Sylvia Moore, Yesterday and Tomorrow: California Women Artists (New York: Midmarch Arts Press, 1989, pp.24-25) According to school records, the murals were executed under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project: "After the destruction of the original Venice High School in the Long Beach earthquake of 1933, the new buildings were adorned, in the library, with murals provided under the auspices of the Roosevelt administration's WPA Project./The two murals…adorn the East and West library walls. The East mural topic is 'Early California Prior to Statehood'; while the West mural topic is 'Southern California'. Of particular interest to the Venicians is the scene depicting Abbott Kinney planning the canals that created a new west coast Venice…" Helen Lundeberg led this project, approved and funded by the WPA Federal Art Project. Work began in May 1940 with Grace Clements assisting Lundeberg with research, design and painting. They were then joined by five other artists, Edwin Emery, Miriam Farrington, Auriel Leitner, Elizabeth Mills, and Syrena Swanson. Painting directly on the 12-by-35 foot plaster walls, the team of artists outlined the scenes, and then filled the forms with soft colors. Insciption in LRC "WPA So. Calif. Art Project / Designed by Grace Clements / Helen Lundeberg / Assisted by Serena Swanson / Miriam Farrington / Edwin T. Emery / Aurel J. Letner / 1941 The WPA mural project completed on January 14, 1941." "Courtesy of the Fine Arts Collection U.S. General Services Administration." https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/venice-high-school-murals-los-angeles-ca/ |
Catalog Number |
MU64 |
School Site # |
8907 |
School Name |
Venice Senior High |
Dimension Details |
46"h x 142"w (actual - each panel) |
Material |
Fresco |
Artist |
Lundeberg, Helen |
Role Artist |
Artist |
Artist 2 |
Clements, Grace |
Role Artist 2 |
Artist |
Inscription Location |
LRC |
Credit line |
Courtesy of the Fine Arts Collection, U.S. General Services Administration |
Collection |
WPA / PWA |
Art School |
New Deal Art |
Related Publications |
https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/venice-high-school-murals-los-angeles-ca/ https://www.helenlundeberg.com/biography Sylvia Moore, Yesterday and Tomorrow: California Women Artists (New York: Midmarch Arts Press, 1989). Colker, David. "Sunset as a Quality of Light, Not Life: A Show of Helen Lundeberg's Works from the 1980's." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, CA], 05 Apr 1992, Web. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-05/entertainment/ca-955_1_helen-lundeberg [April 9, 2018] Haithman, Diane. "Helen Lundeberg; Artist, Pioneer of the New Classicism Movement." Los AngelesTimes [Los Angeles, CA]. 21 Apr 1999: Web. http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/21/news/mn-29537 [April 9, 2018] – obituary Lundeberg, Helen. Oral History Collection-Los Angeles Art Community-Group Portrait. Center for Oral History Research. UCLA Library. http://oralhistory.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0008z9qd [April 9, 2018] – interview Muchnic, Suzanne. Helen Lundeberg: Poetry Space Silence, Louis Stern Fine Arts, Feitelson/Lundeberg Art Foundation, 2014. Venice High School, p.59, 64, 66, 198,207 [April 9, 2018] Pleasure, Thomas. "Venice: Uncovering a Hidden Treasure." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, CA] 24 July 1994, Web. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-24/news/we-19186_1_venice-high [April 9, 2018] |