Here is the ancient story of Lazarus told with the modern veneer of a poor crippled man at the foot of a 20th century robber baron. An African American man serves the sumptuous feast, unable to look his employer in the eye. This is one the few murals that Vanka publicly commented on, acknowledging his depiction of the Black man’s subjugated status in American Society.
Overhead, the Angel of Death refuses to look, but when we turn our heads, we can assume the rich man will be quickly snatched up by the skeletal hand snaking closer from the right.
– MURAL REFLECTION: DAVID BENNETT, DOCENT
