International House -- 3. West Entrance
(This is the third of three postings focused on International House. See the others at East Entrance and South Facade.)
The west entrance to I-House opens on to Dorchester Avenue, just north of 59th Street. This photo was taken from across Dorchester Avenue.
This relief is positioned above the door for the west entrance. Its background is provided by a globe that is more-or-less centered on the Atlantic Ocean, with a steam ship travelling westward. Seven figures kneel on their left knees in the foreground.
All face toward the left -- or toward the west in relationship to the background. The left hand of each of the last six is placed on the right shoulder of the figure in front. The right hand of each figure holds (protectively?) what appears to be a brightly shining oil-type lamp.
The hair, headdresses and clothes may be intended to suggest origins. For example, the second, fourth and sixth figures appear to be wearing robes. Beyond that it's difficult to define, with any degree of confidence, the geographic origin of all the figures, but these seven figures seem to be intended to depict the great diversity of the peoples of this earlth.
West Entrance Arch -- Details
Similar to the east entrance, the arch above the west entrance door has sculpted figures, but there are a total of nine figures on the west, and two of those are larger and are set at the right and left bases of the arch.
1. The figure (above) at the lower left base of the arch appears to represent a "cave man," or, at any rate, a primitive human, with club in hand and wearing a covering -- perhaps an animal skin -- draped over his shoulders.
2. Moving up and to the right, we find the depiction of a figure making a fire by rubbing sticks together. The plume of smoke arises to the left, behind his right hand.
3. Moving, again, up and to the right we find a hunter checking an arrow, with a bow behind him and, perhaps, a stone axe and quiver beside his knee.
4. Moving, once more, up and to the right, we see a scribe, who may be using a stylus to write on a clay tablet. Some of the marks in the frame above his head suggest cuneiform characters.
5. At the apex of the arch, serving as a keystone, is a figure, with arms raised in awe, worship or fear, toward the sun. Whatever its intended purpose, this carving has been placed at the central point in the left-to-right progression of these nine figures.
6. Descending, now, to the right, we come upon a figure whose function is not readily apparent. Perhaps this is a depiction of a farmer. If that is the case, his left arm may be wrapped around a sheaf of grain, and the upright pattern behind his feet could represent the stubble remaining after harvest. Following this line of thought further, the partial circle seen between his calves and over the stubble could be the setting sun. (Is that a lace-up running shoe on his left foot? Just kidding.)
7. Moving, again, down and to the right, we happen upon a printer in the process of 'pressing' the inked type onto paper.
An interesting, technical progression could be seen between this carving and that described in 4. (writing), above. A similar technical progression could be found between the figures in 3. (hunting) and 6. (farming).
8. Speaking of technical progress, this image of the mastery of the powers of steam and of electricity certainly dramatizes the technical distance humans have come since fire was first created by rubbing sticks together (2., above).
9. Finally, at the lower right base of the arch, we find a figure, with book in his lap, looking to the right -- the direction toward which progress apparently leads. He and the caveman (left base of the arch) serve as bookends for this little, seven-chapter story in stone.
