New Year's Greetings From the Merrymount Press c. 1930

Editor: This is "New Year's Greetings From the Merrymount Press" by Rudolph Ruzicka. It feels both cozy and a little lonely to me. What symbols jump out at you in this image? Curator: Note the Latin phrase "Rus in Urbe"—country in the city. It’s a longing for simpler times, for nature within the urban landscape. The golden dome, though beautiful, becomes a symbol of ambition. Do you see how the bare trees frame it? Editor: Yes, it’s like the trees are guarding a secret. Does the dome represent a specific place, or a more general ideal? Curator: Perhaps both. Ruzicka uses it to represent civic pride, but also the human desire for permanence amidst nature’s cycles of decay and rebirth. It is a powerful combination. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. Thanks, that’s a lot to consider.