California hills; "The Golden Fruit," the citrus fruits that are her
pride; "The Golden Metal" that called the world to her hill-sides, and
"The Golden Wheat," here shown, the treasure of her fields, borne high
in honor. These alternate with the sequence of the Golden Arts,
described on the succeeding page.



Oriental Art
Rotunda, Palace of Fine Arts



The great panels of the Golden Arts alternate, in the ceiling of the
Rotunda of Fine Arts, with the Four Golds of California. All of these
panels so tone their brilliancy into the great sweep of the ceiling that
the beholder gets a sense of the beauty of the whole rather than that of
any part. This arching, floating unity of the ceiling is an admirable
example of the self-control of the muralist. The Golden Arts are
interpreted by symbolic groups including a larger number of figures than
The Four Golds. They are entitled "Inspirations of All Art," "Ideals in
Art," "The Birth of European Art," and "Oriental Art," here illustrated
as typical. In this, against the soft but sparkling background of bright
sky and clouds that supports all of the panels, are set with much verve
the historical, legendary and romantic inspirations of Oriental art. The
group is dominated by a contest between an eagle and a knight mounted
upon a dragon - based upon a legend of the Ming dynasty. Fugi, the
sacred mountain, is in the distance; the sacred dog attends the Chinese
hero in the foreground. A beautiful Japanese woman - indicating the
inspiration of romance, East and West - sits among flowers. The space is