Art
Utah author Elaine Cannon wrote in 1976 about a childhood memory of eating lunch nestled in the cement paws of one of the lion sculptures guarding an entrance of the Capitol. Today, two newly sculpted symbolic guardians sit at the east entrance awaiting the arrival of their counterparts, two more lions who have not yet arrived. The originals, made in 1915 by Gavin Jack, were repaired in 1977 by local artist Ralphael Plescia. Following a thorough examination during the beginnings of the restoration project, it was concluded that weather had deteriorated the creatures enough to require commissioning new sculptures. Although the original lions had been restored once before, a second restoration was not feasible.
The new lions were sculpted in Italian marble by Nick Fairplay, master carver. Italian marble, a very durable medium, was chosen in order to extend the life of the Capitol’s new lions. The originals were sculpted in cement, a medium much more conducive to corrosion. These lions have been given names symbolic of the virtues they represent. The arriving lions are called Fortitude and Integrity. Their counterparts, named Honor and Patience, will join them when they are placed at the west entrance sometime this autumn. In addition to the symbolism of their names, each lion represents a different stage of life.
Portrait of Capitol Commission
In recognition of the effort of the first Capitol Commission, the 1915 Utah Legislature directed John Willard Clawson to “paint a portraiture of the members . . . for the sum of $7,500.” Clawson, a native son of considerable international reputation, was nearly sixty years old. Organized in 1907 by Governor William Spry, the Capitol Commission directed the design and construction of Kletting’s Capitol through nearly a decade of debate, selection and at times controversy. The painting shows the commissioners at nearly life size.
Tradition dictates at the close of his or her administration, the governor commissions an official portrait. At one point in the Capitol’s history, the portraits were hung on the polished marble walls of the atrium vaults flanking the Rotunda. Today, visitors can see the portraits and learn about all of the state’s distinguished leaders in the newly restored first floor Hall of Governors.
View the Hall of Governor's Photo Album >>
The ceiling mural in the State Reception Room, titled "Children at Play," was painted in the Beaux Arts-style by artist Lewis Shettle. The mural depicts, as the title suggests, a group of cherubic children playing together. The paintings frame also includes chreubs in its molding.
View the State Reception Room's Photo Album >>
This monumental bronze of Utah’s first territorial Governor Brigham Young was sculpted by Utah artist Kraig Varner who chose an image of the more youthful church president, colonizer, and civic leader. U.S. President Millard Fillmore appointed Young, at the age 50, as the first territorial governor in 1851. In larger-than-life portrait, Varner captures the personality of the man historians often refer to as the “American Moses.”
The most significant additions to the Rotunda in the restored Capitol are the 11-foot bronze sculpture groups created by artists Eugene Daub, Robert Firmin, and Jonah Hendrickson. The original Capitol Commission report of 1915-1916 included the recommendation from artists of the era that when budgets allowed for additional art in and on the building, themes were to be classical allegorical. The new sculptures feature an adult figure in each niche who gently mentors a youthful companion. Symbols proliferate each sculpture group as all the figures are designed to inspire future generations. They are collectively called by their creators “The Great Utahs.”
Arts & Education
This composition focuses on artistic and intellectual development in Utah - past, present, and future. The adult muse is committed to offering educational guidance to the younger girl, representing the youth of Utah. The older spirit cradles a lyre, an ancient symbol for music, poetry, and the arts in general. The young girl’s countenance implies pure intellectual absorption and she wears a wreath, the symbol of virtue in knowledge and creativity. She is offered the opportunity to learn as she peers into a book full of names of great authors of the Western world. The book, titled Literature, features a picture of a gryphon, a mythical creature embodying the strength of the lion and the eagle. It is meant to guard the honor and integrity of Utah’s arts and education. A scroll of sheet music extends over the front of the base and offers the girl her next learning opportunity. In preparation for her next lesson, the girl holds an aulos, an ancient Greek flute. The unfinished wreath in her right hand symbolizes the girl’s as-of-yet unrealized potential. The two large volumes lying at the girl’s feet symbolize the unlimited knowledge and stimulation available to those who read for sustenance. The lower book, entitled Civilization, metaphorically contains all human knowledge to be conveyed from all past generations. The book on top of this is open to a list of fundamental categories of inquiry.
Science and Technology
This composition, based on the symbiotic relationship of science and technology, reminds us of the importance of past, present, and future scientific and technologic development in Utah. Science is the adult mentor in this sculpture group because science ultimately provides technology with its most basic knowledge. Science inspires the curious youth, representing technology, with the spirit of discovery. The boy is seen taking a break from his labors to see what science is discovering with his telescope. The symbols of innovation used in the sculpture were selected for their universal and timeless recognition. Science’s telescope is similar to the kind Galileo would have used. The boy is seen with a wheel - derived from ancient Greek chariot designs, an aqueduct of the type commonly found in ancient Rome, and compass, his design instrument.
Land and Community
In this composition, youth is represented by a Rocky Mountain Elk calf - the Utah state animal. The healthy calf beams with confidence as it is watched over by the spirit of an older man, the symbol of wisdom in the community. The man is wearing a wreath to denote such wisdom. He also carries a beehive, the state’s unique symbol for industrious living. The interaction of the two figures beside an aspen tree on a mountainside reminds us of the heavy responsibility that Utah’s community has as stewards over the bounteous land that they inhabit. The composition suggests that a community filled with the strength of the values of industry and wisdom will be up to the task.
Immigration and Settlement
This sculpture symbolizes the value that Utah’s community sees in welcoming new citizens from all kinds of backgrounds. Blowing from the past, a breeze moves the adult spirit’s robes toward Utah’s future. She leads the next generation, represented by a small girl holding the Earth - the complete potential source of immigration. The spirit barely touches the girl’s shoulder, providing loving encouragement but leaving the girl to decide for herself if she will settle inside Utah’s borders. The hollow globe suggests that the weight of the Earth’s troubles should not deter future generations from finding a place to freely develop and express their ideas. Utah and the Great Salt Lake appear on the globe in the direction toward which the girl is walking. The girl marches into the future filled with excitement, trust, and expectation.
View the Rotunda Niches Photo Album >>
The Pendentives
The three-dimensional triangles of the Rotunda piers offer the beautiful spaces for artwork. The Capitol's pendentive murals, designed by Lee Greene Richards (Richards’ other work in the Capitol includes portraits of three early Utah governors and one of the landscapes in the Senate Chamber) illustrate four early expeditions into the Great Basin, each leaving lasting contributions to Utah's geographic and cultural heritage: Father Escalante and other Spanish priests who explored Utah's southern counties; John C. Fremont who mapped the great rivers and lakes of the territory; Brigham Young and the beginnings of Mormon immigration and settlement; Peter Skene Ogden and other trappers and tradesmen of northern Utah.
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The Cyclorama
The Rotunda was left unfinished for nearly 20 years until the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded art projects for the Capitol. These impressive scenes from 19th Century Utah life contain over 100 figures, many of which are more than ten feet tall. Eight scenes (Irrigation by Pioneers, Driving the Golden Spike, General Connor Inaugurates Mining, Gulls Save the Wheat Fields, Naming of Ensign Peak, Peace with the Indians, Pony Express and Stagecoach, and a Social Gathering at the Old Bowery) were designed by Lee Greene Richards.
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The original and unknown artists of the dome painted a scene specified by the Philip Dern Decorating Company. Their 1914 proposal to the Capitol Commission – the letterhead advertises the company as specialists in “artistic wall decorations” – calls for the “ceiling of the rotunda” to be painted “to obtain clouds and sky with the suggestion of sea gulls flying” 165 feet above the floor below. The bird, they added, was “very characteristic of Utah and a very interesting effect [could] be obtained.” In 1969 Alfred E. Lippold & Co. made repairs in the fresco and as part of the 2006 restoration, the entire ceiling was repaired and conserved by artists working with Evergreen Painters.
View the Rotunda and Atria Photo Album >>
The first commissioned works of art in the Capitol were installed in the arches at the ends of the atrium vaults. The east mural is referred to as the Madonna of the Covered Wagon. This tribute to the early pioneers who crossed the 
American plains to eventually settle in Utah was officially titled The Arrival of the Pioneers in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The west mural is most often called The Passing of the Wagons; the official title was listed in the Capitol Commission Report of 1916 as Reclaiming the Desert by Irrigation. The paintings are signed by Girard Hale and Gilbert White.
View the Rotunda and Atria Photo Album >>
The first two House murals were painted by two New York artists. Italian immigrant Vincent Aderente’s mural in the west cove, called The Dream of Brigham Young. On the east cove is A. E. Forringer’s Discovery of the Great Salt Lake. Forringer painted Brigham Young in discussion with trapper Jim Bridger. Logan, Utah painter David Koch was commissioned to interpret historic events for two new murals in the Chamber: Seraph Young, becomes the first woman to vote in the United States; the Engen brothers build their first ski jump, a signal that outdoor recreation became the primary economic engine of the state.
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The Senate Chamber features three murals, one commissioned as part of the original building decoration and two recently completed. On the north wall, is a landscape by A.B. Wright and Lee Greene Richards showing central Utah’s largest lake. Logan, Utah artists Keith Bond was commissioned in 2006 to paint landscapes of northern Utah, "Orchards along the Foothills," of the Wasatch Mountains and the stunning red rocks and ancient ruins of the southern Utah deserts, "Ancestral Home."
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In 1916, mining magnate Colonel Edwin F. Holmes donated three paintings by H. L. A. Culmer specifically to the Utah State Capitol. Two of the paintings were recent works by “Harry” Culmer, a personal friend of Holmes, created after the two led a party to the newly created Natural Bridges National Monument in Southern Utah. The largest of the three paintings, Caroline Bridge, is the backdrop for the Supreme Court Chamber on the third floor of the Capitol.
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The original galleries, located on the fourth floor, were converted into office space over the years. Now reclaimed according to Kletting’s original plans, the galleries feature rotating exhibitions about Utah’s history and heritage.