Arizona State University

Table of Contents

Locations

  1. Points of Pride

    1. Public Art

      1. Man's Wisdom Subdues the Aggressive Forces of Nature

        Interdisciplinary A:


        Uniquely Arizonan in theme, this fresco by Jean Charlot (1898-1979) was painted on the south lobby wall of Interdisciplinary A building in 1951. Though born in France, Charlot is a well-known member of the Mexican Muralist Movement of the 1920s and a student of Diego Rivera. Charlot looked to Arizona, and ASU history for the theme of this mural. The stairway that bisects the wall posed a challenge for the artist, who celebrates the Snake Dance in the top portion, and ASU's worldwide reputation for the research and production of anti-venom serum in the lower. "The Indian dance is a synthesis that illustrates the poetical and aesthetic approach," wrote Charlot, "the research of modern science is analytical and factual."