Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2012 The Monongalia County Court House Mural: Blanche Lazzell and the Public Works of Art Project in Morgantown, West Virginia Kendall Joy Martin Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Part of the Art and Materials Conservation Commons Recommended Citation Martin, Kendall Joy, "The Monongalia County Court House Mural: Blanche Lazzell and the Public Works of Art Project in Morgantown, West Virginia" (2012). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 7803. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/7803 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Monongalia County Courthouse Mural: Blanche Lazzell and the Public Works of Art Project in Morgantown, West Virginia. Kendall Joy Martin Thesis Submitted to the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art History Examining Committee Rhonda Reymond, Ph.D., Chair School of Art and Design Janet Snyder, Ph.D. School of Art and Design Kristina Olson, MA School of Art and Design Robert Bridges, MFA Art Museum of West Virginia University Joseph Lupo, MFA School of Art and Design Morgantown, West Virginia 2012 Keywords: Blanche Lazzell, Public Works of Art Project, PWAP, Monongalia County, courthouse mural, American Modernism Copyright 2012 Kendall Joy Martin ABSTRACT Monongalia County Courthouse Mural: Blanche Lazzell and the Public Works of Art Project in Morgantown, West Virginia. Kendall Joy Martin Blanche Lazzell (1878-1956), a native of West Virginia and graduate of West Virginia University, was an early practitioner of Modern art in America. Lazzell was employed by the government-sponsored Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) in 1934 in Morgantown, West Virginia. During her time with the program, Lazzell completed three wood-block prints and painted Justice, a mural for the Monongalia County Courthouse. This thesis examines Lazzell’s courthouse mural and discusses Lazzell’s selection of three themes, education, religion, and industry, and why they are significant to the Morgantown area. This thesis demonstrates that although the PWAP stipulated that there was to be no European modernist characteristics evident in work produced for the project, Lazzell’s courthouse mural exhibits traits of European modernist aesthetics. iii ACKNOWLDGEMENTS My deepest gratitude and thanks to my committee advisor Dr. Rhonda Reymond and my committee members, Dr. Janet Snyder, Professors Kristina Olson, Robert Bridges, and Joseph Lupo for being willing to offer their time, guidance, and assistance in my research of Blanche Lazzell and what makes her important to the artistic history of Morgantown, West Virginia. Thank you to Dr. Kristen Harkness for being an influential mentor and teaching me the art of pedagogy along with being a wonderful friend and sounding board. To my Grandmother, Doris Johnson Newton a loving thank you for the letters of encouragement and for helping to keep me fed while in graduate school. To my parents, Stephen Allen Martin and Terresa Gaye Newton Martin who have supported my artistic passion endlessly and helped cultivate my teaching ambition and who have always taught me the importance of my heritage and lineage. I am forever thankful and very blessed to have your unconditional love and support. This thesis is dedicated to you both. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………ii ACKNOWLDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………iii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………...iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS…………...…………………...……….…………..….........v INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………......1 LITERATURE REVIEW……...…………………………………………………...…….3 CHAPTER 1: Lazzell and European Modernism…………………………………...........7 CHAPTER 2: Government Patronage of the Arts…………………………………….…12 CHAPTER 3: Lazzell and the Monongalia County Courthouse Mural…………..….….18 CHAPTER 4: The Mural’s Form………………………………... ……………………..28 CHAPTER 5: Lazzell and the Preliminary Sketches for the Mural ….……...……….....37 CHAPTER 6: The Close of the PWAP Project in Morgantown……………...………....43 EPILOGUE………………………………………………………………………………45 APPENDIX I: Lazzell’s PWAP Letters…...……….……………………...……..…...…47 APPENDIX II: Lazzell’s Wood Block Tools……….…………………………………...53 ILLUSTRATIONS.……………………………………………………………………...57 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………103 v ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE PAGE (1.1): Painting VII, 1927, oil on canvas, 40x27 7/8 inches……………………………..57 (1.2): Painting VIII, 1927, oil on canvas, 36 1/4x28 inches…………………………….58 (1.3): Provincetown Church Tower, 1922, color wood-block, 14x11 3/4 inches……….59 (1.4): The Monongahela, 1919, color wood-block, 12 1/4 x12 1/8 inches……………...60 (2.4): Thomas Hart Benton, Art of the West, 1932, tempera with oil glaze on linen mounted on panel………………………………………………………………...61 (2.5): Diego Rivera, Imperialism, 1933, panel for the New Workers School in New York City……………………………………………………………………………….62 (3.1): Lazzell’s Finished Mural for the Monongalia County Courthouse, 1934, oil on canvas…………………………………………………………………………….63 (3.2): Preliminary sketch showing dimensions of the space behind the judge’s bench….64 (3.3): Preliminary sketch showing measurements of the columns on either side of the mural……………………………………………………………………………..65 (3.4): Left side portion of Courthouse Mural featuring Stewart Hall, 1934, oil on canvas…………………………………………………………………………….66 (3.5): Middle section of Courthouse Mural featuring the First Methodist Episcopal Church, 1934, oil on canvas……………………………………………………...67 (3.6): City Map of Downtown Morgantown……………………………………………..68 (3.7): Photographic post card taken prior to the mid-1940s of Wesley Methodist Church prior to renovation………………………………………………………………..69 (3.8): Right side of Courthouse Mural featuring Morgantown Glass Works, 1934, oil on canvas…………………………………………………………………………….70 (3.9): Photograph of the Morgantown Glass Works taken in 1902………………...……71 (3.10): Photograph from 1950s to1960s with Seneca Glass Company at the bottom right, Morgantown Glass Works in the center, and The Beaumont Glass Company in the upper right corner………………………………………………………………...72 vi (3.11): Photograph from 1902 with the Morgantown Brick Company far left, Seneca Glass Company center, and Morgantown Glass Works on the far right…...……73 (3.12): Preliminary sketch of the glass factory…………………………………………..74 (3.13): Photograph of The Morgantown Brick Company in 1902………….....…………75 (3.14): Maidsville located above the spire of Stewart Hall in Courthouse Mural, 1934, oil on canvas…………………………………………………………………………76 (3.15): Photograph of Lazzell’s family home in Maidsville……………………………..77 (3.16): Preliminary sketch of Lazzell’s home……………………………………………78 (3.17): Detail Hanging scale of justice in Courthouse Mural, 1934, oil on canvas……...79 (3.18): Lazzell’s name lower left corner of Courthouse Mural, 1934, oil on canvas……80 (3.19): Lazzell’s name center back side of the Courthouse Mural, 1934, oil on canvas……………………………………………………………..……………..81 (4.1): Paul Cézanne, L’Estaque, 1882-1885, oil on canvas……………………………………82 (4.2): Google Earth map that shows the First Methodist Episcopal Church in relation to Maidsville……………………………………………………………………......83 (4.3): Albert Gleizes, Le Dépiquage des moissons, 1912, oil on canvas………………..84 (4.4): Diagram showing Gleizes’ technique of using translation and rotation in one composition……………………………………………………………………...85 (4.5): Stewart Hall, 2012………………………………………………………………...86 (4.6): Paul Cézanne, House and Farm at Jas de Bouffan, 1885-1887, oil on canvas…...87 (4.7): The Monongahela at Morgantown, 1934, color wood-block print, 12x14 inches…………………………………………………………………………….88 (4.8): The Campus, W. Va University, Morgantown, 1934, color wood-block print, 12x14 inches…………………………………………………………………………….89 (4.9): Waitman T. Willey House, 1934, color wood-block print, 12x13 7/8 inches……..90 (5.1): Lazzell’s Preliminary Sketch for the Monongalia County Courthouse titled This One, 1934, graphite on paper…………………………………………………….91 vii (5.2): Lazzell’s Preliminary Sketch for the Monongalia County Courthouse Mural, 1934, light graphite on paper………………………………………………………...…92 (5.3): Lazzell’s Preliminary Sketch for the Monongalia County Courthouse Mural, 1934, heavy graphite on paper………………………………………………………….93 (5.4): Lazzell’s likely final Preliminary Sketch for the Monongalia County Courthouse Mural, 1934, graphite on paper………………………………………………….94 (5.5): Lazzell’s Preliminary Color Study Sketch for the Monongalia County Courthouse Mural, 1934, paint on board……………………………………………………..95 (5.6): Back of Lazzell’s Preliminary Color Study Sketch for the Monongalia County Courthouse Mural, 1934, pen on board………………………………………....96 (5.7): Final Color Study of Monongalia County Courthouse Mural, 1934, oil on paper, 23 ½ x 36 inches…………………………………………………………………....97 (E.1): December 2011 conservation