Jack Beal, “The Return of Spring/The Onset of Winter” (2001)

“When Beal was commissioned to create the pair of murals for the IRT Mezzanine, he decided to was to depict a modern interpretation of the Greek myth about Persephone, queen of the underworld.  The artist posed his friends, created an oil painting and shipped it off to Italy where it was fabricated into a 200 lb glass mosaic.  The entire process took about 10 years and was installed three days after September 11th.  Considered a symbol of hope, Beal was subsequently commissioned to create a companion mural, The Onset of Winter. In this update of the ancient story, Persephone fulfills her agreement to return to the underworld, thus signaling the start of the autumn and winter seasons. She ‘twists in agony at the top of the stairs, knowing that she must go but wishing that she could stay,’ explains the artist. ‘The event is being filmed with a group of spectators, who certainly would have materialized.’  Again Beal posed his friends for the artwork including his dog Scoo2er.”    –Culture Now

The mural can be seen on the mezzanine level of the 42nd St. Subway Station in Times Square. See more images at Culture Now.

Contributed by Steven Bartus (Bowdoin, ’08)