Religion Mural in Lunette from the Family and Education Series 1896

Charles Sprague Pearce created this mural as part of the Family and Education series in the Library of Congress. Pearce, who painted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was working during a time of rapid change in the United States. This particular mural is called Religion. You’ll notice a man kneeling, head in hands and seeming to cower before a woman. She is also kneeling, with the kind of serene expression that suggests she is in communion with something beyond herself. In front of her is a pillar with what looks like a burning flame. The image evokes both power and submission. What I mean is that Pearce presents a traditional, and perhaps gendered, approach to the dynamic between religion and the individual. It's clear that the man is in awe of this woman and the fire beside her. The mural asks us to consider religion as something which is both enlightening and overwhelming. What kind of emotional experience does this mural provoke in you?