These combine with Wyeth's commitment to capturing the essence of the moment and the qualities and character of the place and objects to make a complete world of significance within his painting. Although the symbols are not all obvious, they are all important in making the mood and meaning of the painting. One person drew a spiral when thinking of the spirit of community of the Hartwick Wall. Above is an example of how a master artist has used those two symbols in an understated way, as part of a well developed translation of his own feelings. Vital to the message is that, beyond simply drawing a heart and a spiral, Wyeth has connected us to elemental concepts of love and eternity with his artistic vision.
Light falls on the shell and makes it shine from within.
The shell's spiral architecture and connection to the sea, contributes to the feeling of a moment caught in time contrasted with timeless eternity. In the Mural Project in downtown Oneonta, this type of understated symbolism will be the most common. The clock shows that the hour is sunset, by prevailing Italian time, the exterior light can only come from a divine vision. From the pose of the saint's hand to the objects that surround him, symbols fill the fresco with meaning, telling a story of the character of St. Augustine. In many murals, throughout the ages, symbols have been used as they are here, to illustrate concepts in a more obvious way.