UN Mural

[quote author=Windmill]
If the crane is the UN ideal, and it's collapsing, well...
[/quote]

The crane does seem to have been given 'center stage' intentionally. Notice the canon to the left of it, pointing straight at it.
 
The Security Council Chamber was a gift from Norway, designed by the Norwegian architect Arnstein Arneberg.

A central feature of the Security Council Chamber is the oil canvas mural painted by the Norwegian artist Per Krogh. It depicts a phoenix rising from its ashes, as a symbol of the world being rebuilt after the Second World War. Above the dark sinister colours at the bottom different images in bright colours symbolizing the hope for a better future are depicted. Equality is symbolized by a group of people weighing out grain for all to share.

The blue and gold silk tapestry on the walls and in the draperies by the East River windows features the anchor of faith, the growing wheat of hope, and the heart of charity.

The Charter gives the Security Council the main responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. As the "emergency room" of the UN, it has to be ready to meet at any time if there is a threat to peace.
Click to expand...

I don't have a sinister feeling when looking at it compared to the Denver one, of course maybe there may be symbolism I am not seeing in this.

Seems like the bottom part represents the darkness where people emerge after the WWII to be greeted into the UN world, where cooperation, hard work, agriculture, science, art and technology (upper, right and left panels) will create a better world for everyone (center panel).
 
Tigersoap’s assessment in generality seems right, it does not feel overly sinister, the mural conveys upon first impression, the aim to assist humanity, lift them up from darkness or oppression. Ropes on both sides crossover from darkness to light and all that implies by the illustrations juxtaposed.

The family seems a focal point above the phoenix/crane which is pregnant with alchemical meaning; Manly Hall has this bird depicted on a few of his books as recalled, but will need to revisit.

The top Left panel looks like heating, melting and pouring of Gold and there are ‘Money Bags’ or purses below this, or so it looks. Moving over to the top right panel there looks to be a city/industrialisation as in factory, business men is suits, two with their arms crossed, two more abstract people in pose like dance and person at a desk, like accountant.
Just quickly based on the upper part of the mural, industrialization and commerce seem to rain supreme, as in model.

If there is an emergency, this is powerful imagery for all the council members to be staring at as they ponder what to do.
 
According to 'new world encyclopedia', the phoenix has different connotations in different mythologies, but predominantly it represents resurrection / rebirth. Since the 'Adam, Eve, snake' theme also enjoys center stage, the artist might have depicted this:

_http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Phoenix_(mythology)

Judaism and Christianity

In Judaism, the phoenix is known as Milcham or Hol: "I shall multiply my days as the Hol, the phoenix" (Job 29:18). The story of the phoenix begins in the Garden of Eden when Eve fell, tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. Upset by her situation and jealous of creatures still innocent, she tempted all the other creatures of the garden to do the same. Only the phoenix resisted. As a reward, the phoenix was given eternal life, living in peace for a thousand years and then being reborn from an egg to continue to live in peace again, repeating the cycle eternally.

The phoenix became a symbol of Christianity in early literature, either from the ancient Hebrew legend or from the incorporation of Greek and Roman culture, or from a combination of both. In either case, the ideology of the phoenix fit perfectly with the story of Christ. The phoenix's resurrection from death as new and pure can be viewed as a metaphor for Christ's resurrection, central to Christian belief. The phoenix is referenced by the early Christian Apostolic Father Clement in The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. Most of the Christian-based phoenix symbolism appears within works of literature, especially in Medieval and Renaissance Christian literature that combined classical and regional myth and folklore with more mainstream doctrine.
Click to expand...

After looking at an enlarged version of this mural, the canon doesn't point directly at the phoenix, it just forms a part of the war / misery being depicted at the bottom.
 
Here is few weird things I noticed:
The serpent/lizard holding broadsword in it's mouth has human hands. It is very much alive alhtough been impaled.
The guy holding a shovel (standing right from the stallion) has a pole stuck in his back.
Who are the dark people at the topmost?
 
Kasimir said:
Here is few weird things I noticed:
The serpent/lizard holding broadsword in it's mouth has human hands.
Click to expand...

I cannot see "human hands".

[edit] I now see the "hands" but cannot say it is human
but the hands of a beast of some sort - 4 "fingers" on the
right column.

It is very much alive although been impaled.
The guy holding a shovel (standing right from the stallion) has a pole stuck in his back.
Click to expand...

There is a shovel and a pick. Implies there is digging
to be done somewhere and for some purpose?

Who are the dark people at the topmost?
Click to expand...

They appear to be "workers" with a specific function,
however, odd - not enough detail. I wonder if there is
a higher pixeled image available for closer examination.

[edit] I downloaded a higher res image! Thanks to E!

1) Picture at top-left panel. Two men holding up a pole,
carrying what appears to be a sickle or a cradle holding a
"child" inside it. There appears to be a ominous looking
rod-head-cradle looking at the "child" inside this cradle.

[edit] Its not a cradle - its a weighting device - and it
appears to weighing grain of some sort: wheat?

Just below this cradle, a woman opens the window to let
in the "sun rays", while a man is seemingly pulling up people
"from the depths".

2) Picture at top-right appears to be an alchemist lair,
as behind the "boy" appears to be chemicals and the boy
appears to be handling a head?

[edit] it is not a head, but a microscope

Above the alchemist appears
to be a huge odd-angled beam, hoisting something - hard to
make it out, but appears to be hoisting a dead man?

[edit] It is not a hoist or a dead man, but a big telescope!

3) Soldier appears to be stepping on the tail of the dragon,
I wonder if this symbolizes the potential danger he faces?

4) Just above the impaled dragon's head, looking down,
there appears to be a dove's head, looking up, with an
olive branch in it's beak - why is this "symbol of peace"
and the "symbol of evil" both in this common "underworld"?

[edit] it is not a head looking down nor a dove, but the
right foot of the dragon, and it's head is actually wrapped
around the column, seemingly biting the hand of the second
beast above it. The right "hand" is that of the beast below
and the left hand is that of the beast above. So there appears
to be two different beasts involved here.

5) "Ropes" are seemingly used to "tie in" something from one
"frame" into another... a leading/hinting device?

[edit] The "ropes" are chains - chains of bondage - those
seeking to break their bonds and move towards happiness,
goodwill, and prosperity?

[edit]
Top murals starting from the left seems to indicate:
(1) Commerce, (2) Industrialization, (3) Arts/Music, (4) Science
Middle murals indicates: Peace, helping-hands/Goodwill, and prosperity
Bottom murals indicates Poverty, Wars, Human suffering, misery, bondage.

Overall - it's a mystery - too bad no one talked to the
painter himself to learn more of what was in his head,
regarding the symbolism.

[edit] Hmm... maybe it is not so much a mystery as I previously
thought, it seems to indicate the horrors of war, pestilence, and
human suffering/misery and achieving the goal towards "higher
ground", or so it seems?
 
[quote author=dant]
[quote author=Kasimir]
The serpent/lizard holding broadsword in it's mouth has human hands.
[/quote]
I cannot see "human hands".
[/quote]

It looks human to me as well.

lizard.jpg


[quote author=dant]
[quote author=Kasimir]
The guy holding a shovel (standing right from the stallion) has a pole stuck in his back.
[/quote]
There is a shovel and a pick.
[/quote]

It looked to me like that as well, until I looked at a bigger version where you can see detail. It's just a pick he's carrying over his shoulder.

pick.jpg


[quote author=dant]
I wonder if there is a higher pixeled image available for closer examination.
[/quote]

There's a big one on the UN site that you can download if you register.

Here's some of the Art and Architecture at the UN.

A lot of their art looks very Salvador Dali-ish and Andy Warholish to me.

Like this one:

110913.jpg
 
Thanks!!! I downloaded the higher res image
- what a difference that makes!!!

I will update my previous post as to what I think it is...

Thanks again!
Dan
 
I think the bird in the middle is a stork and there is an empty swaddle at it's feet. Important question is:
Where is the baby?
 
Hi Kasimir,

I think the bird in the middle is a stork and there is an empty swaddle at it's feet. Important question is:
Where is the baby?
Click to expand...

It looked more like a dead crane to me. So the earlier explanation of a Phoenix makes sense.
 
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