How does this artwork elucidate its Historical information?
The Four Seasons murals were created as part of the 1914 City Hospital Mural Project in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1911, Indianapolis City Hospital expanded by adding two dedicated patient buildings, the Burdsal Units. St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild, a local women’s volunteer group dedicated to supporting the City Hospital, donated money for decoration of the new wards, which resulted in the world's first large-scale mural project in a public hospital. Sixteen of Indiana’s “finest and most promising” artists, including Steele, were invited to contribute to the mural project. Despite the limited budget, Steele and the other artists committed to completing the project for the wages of a union house painter, approximately $75–100 per month.While the majority of artists worked on-site at the hospital, Steele painted the Four Seasons murals at his home, "The House of the Singing Winds," in Brown County, Indiana. Because the canvases and frameworks were so large, and his existing studio could not accommodate the space required, Steele painted the murals in his living room. In late 1914, before they were installed in the hospital, the Four Seasons murals were exhibited at the Herron Art Institute. Upon arrival at City Hospital, the four canvases were mounted to patient ward walls using a mixture of white lead and damar varnish. Once hung, the adhesive was further secured by covering the completed murals with thick layers of varnish.
Indianapolis City Hospital Brown County, Indiana Indianapolis Indianapolis, Indiana 1914 City Hospital Mural Project Indiana The House of the Singing Winds Herron Art Institute Mural mural