'Workers scurry like busy ants to complete the University of Pittsburgh’s lofty Cathedral of Learning. The men and trucks trample the winter’s snow into mud as they labor through the frigid winter of 1933–1934 to house much-needed new classrooms. Carpenters nail timbers together to finish the scaffolding. The main part of the structure rises at the upper right, already clad in limestone blocks, while masons are still covering the lower stories of the façade... Behind the Cathedral of Learning stand the gleaming white columns of the Mellon Institute Building, which was also under construction. ... Together, the two paintings tell the story of this mighty undertaking. ... Like the Empire State Building & the Golden Gate Bridge, the Cathedral of Learning demonstrated that the...Depression could not stop Americans from accomplishing great things.'
'Finishing the #CathedralofLearning'
Harry W. Scheuch (1906-1978) Oil on canvas #PublicWorksOfArtProject (#PWAP)
Smithsonian Museum of #AmericanArt (from the US Dept. of Labor) 1934
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#HarryScheuch #AmericanArt #TheNewDeal #GreatDepression #construction #constructionworkers