A mural, Unity, created by
Violet Oakley, which decorates the
Senate chamber of the Pennsylvania State Capitol.
Courtesy, Pennsylvania General Assembly
Source: www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/vc/visitor_info/blue/senate.htm
Violet Oakley, an important American muralist, was born in Bergen
Heights in 1874. She trained at the Arts Students League, the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Academie Montparnasse in
Paris.
Oakley created oil paintings, illustrations, stained glass windows
and murals. The “Unity” frieze expresses her vision of a
peaceful world. This mural was one of many commissioned for the
Pennsylvania State Capitol building. At the time, it was the
largest mural commission ever awarded to a woman. Oakley was one
of three women to receive the Gold Medal Award for distinguished
service from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She received
many commissions, including painting the first delegates of the
League of Nations and the United Nations. Her illustrated books
focus on the themes of world peace, disarmament and human rights.
She was a pacifist and feminist. |
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