Study for the Land Grant Frescoes
Item
Title
Study for the Land Grant Frescoes
Creator
Henry Varnum Poor
American, 1887-1970
American, 1887-1970
Date
c. 1939-40
Materials
Tempera, crayon, and pastel on paper mounted on board
Measurements
Triptych, left panel: 48 x 25 1/8 inches (121.9 x 63.8 cm)
Description
After meeting with the Trustees to discuss his initial design in November 1939, Poor incorporated several of the board’s recommendations into this larger and more fully developed study. President Ralph D. Hetzel, noting that Penn State had grown well beyond a founding curriculum centered on agriculture and the mechanical arts, wondered whether liberal studies might be added to the scheme. In response, the artist shifted an image of students gathered around a forge further to the background and, just to the right of Lincoln, inserted a scene depicting Penn State’s first president, Evan Pugh, holding a seminar. The blue-clad soldiers placed just behind this group are another change, reflecting the wording in the Morrill Act, passed during the dark days of the Civil War, which calls for the teaching of military tactics.
Source
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
Identifier
89.3.1-3
Rights
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.