Spotlight on: National Historic Landmark
January 08. 2014 11:52PM
PIVOTAL PANEL: Designated a national historic landmark last spring, 'The Epic of American Civilization' is an extensive mural cycle created by Mexican artist Jose Clemente Orozco between 1932 and 1934.
Designated a national historic landmark last spring, “The Epic of American Civilization” is an extensive mural cycle created by Mexican artist Jose Clemente Orozco between 1932 and 1934. The mural is composed of 24 panels depicting the history of the Americas from the Aztec migration into Mexico to the industrialization of modern society. Located in the reserve corridor of Baker Library, now the Orozco Room, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, these scenes cover nearly 3,200 square feet of wall space. This panel is titled “The Coming of Quetzalcoatl.” Orozco (1883-1949) was Dartmouth's second artist-in-residence at a time of intense growth and activity in the institution's art department. Art history professors brought the prominent Mexican artist to campus to teach the art of fresco to students. During that residency, the idea for the commission of a mural was proposed, with Orozco creating the masterpiece in the early 1930s. It was classified a National historic landmark as part of a program established in 1935 and administered by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. For more details, call 646-2808 or visit hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu.