I enjoyed looking at the Development of Arts mural and the Development of Sciences mural because they are very unique forms of art that contain several intrinsic and subliminal messages. In both murals, the transitions from panel to panel show how certain historical discoveries lead to our modern era. Both murals have a similar setup but each demonstrates a different type of historical progression within their respective fields. The Development of Sciences mural was especially interesting to me because I am a science major and it was interesting to see how much progression was depicted in such a small mural. Upon reading “A response to the Runquist murals” by Maruska, it is evident that the base of the tree in the Development of the Arts mural “is a symbol of universal human aspiration to create things of beauty”. In the Development of the Sciences mural, base of the tree represents “humanity rising to erect posture of thinking being”.
These examples of public art stood out even more to me because they were created right here at the University of Oregon and it is something that we should be proud of. These murals have been housed in the Knight Library since the first major construction and are in extraordinary shape for that matter. Also, the fact that these murals connect the lobby of the Library to the Special Collections and University Archives allows a “place-bound-identity” because “public art is seen as a solution to the problem of placelessness, especially in its ability to remedy social alienation and generate a sense of civic and community identity” (Doss, 5). Furthermore, this adds to the reputation of the Knight Library and its place in the National Registrar of Historic Places.
“Mention the words “public art” and you’ll get a variety of responses, from a nod of recognition from those who identify with America’s many public tributes to its ancestors and histories to a shrug of disinterest from those who feel neglected in the nation’s cultural landscape—sometimes even a groan of “help!” from city officials and arts administrators when public art becomes controversial” (Doss, 1). While not everyone enjoys public art, for various reasons, I did enjoy looking at these murals because they speak about our past and hint to our future. There will always be some sort of criticism by the public because not everything will equally please everyone. On the other hand, there are many people who enjoy public art because it reflects our history and predecessors. “Traditional forms of American public art include figurative sculptures displayed in public spaces—outdoors or in public buildings” (Doss, 2). For example, all the monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Why is D.C. such an attractive place for tourists? It has numerous museums, monuments, and memorials, all displaying various art forms for the public eye. The reason that so many tourists around the world travel especially to D.C. is for this art.
That being said, I do not doubt that some people disagreed with the Runquist brothers as they created these murals. One major thing is the lack of female representation in both of the murals, which may offend feminists or females in general. However, these murals are not meant to represent the entirety of history. These are simply personal opinions transformed into an art form, available for the public eye to view. On the other hand, if someone were to only to look at these murals to get a sense of history then they could come to a conclusion that women didn’t have much of a part in the development of these fields. Another example along these lines is the absence of people of color. This representation could spark controversy since it seems to say that historical discoveries were linked with those who were white, indicating a form of dominance over those who weren’t. These are only a few examples present in the murals, but certainly provide an idea of how controversy is stirred up.
References: