Mankind's Struggle for Lasting Peace (detail) 1953

Editor: This detail from Vela Zanetti’s 1953 mural, "Mankind's Struggle for Lasting Peace," strikes me as powerfully geometric and quite tense. All those figures seem to be laboring intensely, but toward what end? What symbols and historical context do you see at play here? Curator: It’s interesting that you feel the tension, I sense that too. The geometric shapes contribute to that feeling but also symbolize a planned and constructed future, built through human effort. The workers’ bodies, almost architectural in their muscularity, support the symbolism, echoing Soviet-era and Mexican mural painting aesthetics, styles loaded with meaning after both World Wars. Editor: It looks like one figure is holding a plumb bob—I suppose to ensure levelness, and another appears to be setting something on a compass. It's all about precision. Curator: Exactly! The plumb bob isn't just about levelness. Consider its historical association with divine judgment and truth, especially since medieval times. It evokes an idea of earthly actions and accountability but also precision. Notice also the compass held by the figure above -- these tools resonate with masonic symbolism and concepts of social and personal guidance and stability. Does the overall message resonate differently with you, recognizing that connection between the figures above and below, Editor? Editor: That’s fascinating, adding both a human element and also something deeper and somewhat spiritual… bringing a more human and nuanced feel to such rigid forms. It seems Zanetti infused hope and precision together in the wake of historical and political upheaval. Curator: Precisely. The mural's details reveal so much about the era’s search for structure and meaning amid chaos. I will now see those geometric figures differently. Thank you for your insight.