“Story of Pennsylvania”, Large Art Deco Masterpiece for Finance Bldg, Pa Capitol by Eugene Savage

A large and remarkable masterpiece from the heyday of Art Deco mural painting, this colorful and detailed study was made by Eugene Savage in preparation for an enormous ceiling mural he executed for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Finance Building, constructed in Harrisburg in 1940. Like most of Savage’s murals from the 1930s and 40s, this painting is full of symbolism and allegory, and depicts an array of occupations that the state was known for, including farming, glassmaking, mining, and steel production. The Pennsylvania Dutch are shown in the midst of their farmland, their cart being pulled by a horse in a beautiful ruddy color. At the center is a Classical female figure with a sword, representing justice, ready to slay a dragon below, with the state capitol complex shown above. Each of the figures is tossing a coin into a silvery river, indicating that each worker in every profession contributes to the wealth of the state. Savage was, arguably, America’s most successful and prolific muralist in the Art Deco style, with important surviving paintings dating from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for a spectacular set of murals illustrating the history and lore of Hawaii commissioned by Matson Shipping Line for the S.S. Lurline, executed in the 1940s but not installed until the 1950s. The artist also painted other series of murals and paintings, including an enormous mural for the Texas Centennial Buildings in Dallas, a group for the Elks National Memorial in Chicago, and a series celebrating the Seminole Indians and their home in the Everglades, now held by the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville. He also executed works for other public buildings in Chicago and Indiana, and for Columbia and Yale Universities.