艺廊作品介绍
Untitled (Mural for Peace), commonly known as the United Nations Security Council mural, is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Per Krohg exhibited at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City since August 22, 1952. The mural, an 18' × 29' canvas located on the UN Security Council chamber's east wall, features a central image of a rising phoenix surrounded by images of war and disharmony, near the mural's bottom, and more tranquil images at the top.
The mural accompanied renovations to the Security Council by Norwegian architect Arnstein Arneberg, and was first publicly displayed on April 4, 1952. It was commissioned by the Norwegian government as a gift from Norway to the United Nations.
In 2013, Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, stated that Krohg's ambition "was to give the United Nations a chamber that could inspire those working in it to carry out the core of the United Nations mandate".
Krohg's mural has been met with controversy. Some, such as the Los Angeles Times, called it "imaginative", while a correspondent for the BBC described it as "the world's worst mural, at which I have sat and gazed for many bewildering hours".
Artist background
Per Krohg, also known as Per Lasson Krohg, was born June 18, 1889, in Oslo Norway and died March 3, 1965, in Oslo aged 75. As the son of painter Christian Krohg, Per Krohg studied under his father at the Academie Colarossie art school in Paris between 1903 and 1907. Between 1907 and 1909 Krohg was a pupil of French painter Henri Matisse. He then returned to Norway and was appointed a professor at the Oslo State Art and Craft School. As identified by Encyclopedia Britannica, "Krohg's early paintings were primarily landscapes and portraits, but his large, expressive, flowing strokes were better suited to the monumental character of mural paintings".
Selection and design process
The United Nations entrusted Norway to fit out and decorate the Security Council while Sweden and Denmark were responsible for the General Assembly Building and Secretariat Building. These three Scandinavian countries were given the role of expressing the "important political, diplomatic and symbolic position assigned to these countries during the first phase of the United Nations Organisation". According to Glambeck, the work of Per Krohg and other Norwegian artists was selected by Jacques Carlu and Howard Robertson from the United Nations Art Panel to be presented to the United Nations Security General.
Once selected to complete the mural, the local authorities in Oslo created an art studio for Krohg to use in the creation of the mural which was located in Oslo's Town Hall. In 1940 Krohg designed the artwork and presented sketches to the United Nations.
Artistic inspiration
Krohg's mural design was inspired by traditional Italian Renaissance frescoes. He reinterpreted renaissance frescoes with modern forms of painting by applying oil paints to a large piece of dry canvas. Krogh's strong Christian faith was also a key inspiration to his mural, as his modern interpretation of Italian Renaissance Frescoes resemble the religious murals found in Catholic churches. When painting the mural Krohg was also inspired by his teacher Henri Matisse. Matisse inspired Krohg to utilise a mix of fauvist colours, exaggerated gestures and depictions of everyday life. Krohg was also part of a group of four Norwegian artists including Henrik Sorensen, Jean Heiberg and Axel Revold who emphasised the purpose of their art as a form of moral education. This is evident in the United Nations Security Council mural through Krohg's aim to create an artwork which inspires peace and harmony.
Subject
Krohg's artwork consists of eight main elements, one large bottom field and seven separate framed panels. These panels combine to display a pictorial story which can be read as a horizontal and vertical story.
Bottom field
In the bottom field Krohg used brown and red tones to depict a coiled dragon holding a sword in its mouth as it attempts to pull it out of its body. Above the dragon Krohg has painted a bridge and a sloping hill in which humans are climbing towards a brighter field above. These men, women and children are moving from each side of the sloping hill to meet in the middle where a white phoenix stands with its wings unfolded. Krohg wanted to display an image of the future world in which the United Nations would save the world, just as according to his Christian belief, Jesus Christ saved the world. This is demonstrated through his use of a framework of Christian iconology where he has replaced Christ with a rising phoenix.
According to the United Nations the bottom field of the mural "represents man's efforts to emerge from a dark past of war and slavery to a better life and a future illumined by science and the arts". On the right side of the bottom field, Krohg has created an image of three shackled men which are embraced by the human figures in the panel above. On the left side a female figure is climbing up a rope also moving towards a brighter panel above. Both images on the right and left side depict "multiple scenes of human struggle with life and death".
Square panels
In the two square panels the forefront displays a crowd of joyful people from different ethnicities and a background filled with urban architecture. A line of blue silk runs between the two square panels and the vibrant colours creates a "striking contrast between the dark figure climbing into the urban area with their backs to us and the colourfully dressed crowd facing us". The line of blue silk running between the two square panels illustrates the United Nations' commitment to future peace and individual freedom. In the right square panel, a man stands waving the United Nations flag among the joyful crowd, emphasising the role of the United Nations in creating a peaceful world after World War II.
Central panel
The almond-shaped piece, also known as a mandorla, sits in the centre of the artwork above the phoenix and displays an image of calmness and serenity as a man, woman, and child sit kneeling. This panel reflects the Security Council's main purpose - "to maintain the world in a state of peace".……
原文较长，这里只摘了前面一部分，摘自英文维基百科「United Nations Security Council mural」（暂时没有中文条目，下面是英文原文），按 CC BY-SA 4.0 使用，去掉了参考文献、外部链接等尾部小节和表格，其余文字未作改动。