The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27
Proposed Mural Decoration Of New
Indianapolis Federal Building
A Hs n
Secure
FORSYTH Architect Gibson and Attorney Miller

The part which the federal service has
occupied in the history of our people, in
their civilization. education and develop
ment might well form motives for great
mural decoration. The history of the juris-
prudence of the great middle West should
be so painted as to present inspiring and
valuable records. The symbolic attitude of
this federal building to commerce. trade
and law; the relation of the postofice to the
intimate domestic life of the people, in its
varied functions present subjects for deco
rative painting which are vital and emf
nenty characteristic of cur time 1t is
only through methods which deal with the
contemporaneous thought and life of the
people that mural decoration artistically
has stood the test of time.
at is hardly to be expected that our federal
building will be decorated in this way There
is nothing modern and nothing Characters
TIC OF our times in our architecture or dec
grafton. This is shown very clearly in the
Boston library and its decorations, wherein
not one element of the great New Eng
land history is pictured upon its walls The
same thing is true of the Congressional Lii
Drary at Washington. There is nothing in
its decoration to tell one whether it is in
AAohNSs 1Sl DTdZn OF AUSTRALIA. In
1t there is no decorative record of the his
tory of the United States. Instead we
IND allegorical subjects, treating Minerva,
Beethoven, Civilization. Law, Herodotus.
but no decoration which pictures local and
contemporaneous events such as distin-
gushed the Greek. Roman, medieval and
renaissance periods
WHAT WALTER GILMAN PAGE SAYS
Mr.. Walter Gilman Page. one of the prom
inent artists of Boston, who has spent sew
eral months in the city and has already
identified himself largely with artistic
movements here. is deeply interested in the
subject of the decoration of the federal
building. While not a mural painter him
self. he regards the value of mural decora-
ton as inestimable and considers it essen
tial that building of the type of the fed
eral building should have appropriate and
harmonious decoration. This building
represents the federal government and a
great opportunity exists for an artist to i'm
press the majesty of the law in a fitting
decoration of the place. In addition, grace
and dignity will be added by such decora-
ton and the building will be endowed with
all the attributes for which 1t is intended
says Mr.. Page THE library of Congress
has been decorated, so also has the Capitol
and so may be any federal building in what
ever section of the United States it may be-
The decorations of the Criminal Courts
building in New York. which is the only
decorated courthouse in the United States
are examples of the beauty and dignity fit
ting decoration lends to stately room and
the impressiveness given by such decora-
ton. The educational value of mural dec
orations has been thoroughly and satisfac-
torily demonstrated in New York, Boston
and Philadelphia, where there are estab-
lished municipal arts societies, and these
American cities have but followed what is
most usual with all public buildings in all
the principal cities of Europe. Nothing
would advance the art interest in Indian
apolis further or focus public regard more
firmly upon what is essential to modern
life-a cultivation among all classes of
love and appreciation for the aesthetic, than
mural decoration in a building of the char
acter Of the federal building in this city"
Mr. Samuel u. Miller, the well-known at
torney, said, when asked as to his view on
the subject:
Anything that will tend to increase the
respect of the people for the administration
of justice is desirable. Every governmental
agency and opportunity should be taken adj
vantage of which CAN, to any extent, help
to this end The proper decoration of the
walls of the court rooms in the new
United States Courthouse would. L believe,
be means TO this worthy end"
In reply to a question as to his idea Of
the character the decoration should take
Mr.. Miller said:
"A court room is no place for the exploit
tation of mere sentiment. We are taught
that Justice is stern, firm and even
handed, as is her character so should her
habilaments be. 1t seems to me that the
decorations should be severely simple; rich
with the elegance that speaks power but
not luxury, and devoid of anything that ap-
proaches to pretentious enumeration
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