![]() The above-the-soil production is easy to see: it is the shades of green in the field, it is the growth of more and bigger leaves, it is the flowers that are pollinated and fertilized in order to produce fruit, and it is the harvest that feeds us, feeds animals, feeds our cars, and shelters and clothes us. The two anvils in the vertical plane represent crop production that we see above ground and crop production that is occurring below the soil surface. When I look at the Janus Agri Altar, what I see is not a reflection in a pool, but a reflection of above and below the soil surface. The description of the sculpture on the University Museums’ webpage, notes that, “ While representations of Janus are typically horizontal, Pepper created the sculpture on a vertical plane, reminiscent of an image reflected in a pool of water.” I can see the sculpture from my office suite. The Janus Agri Altar is self-reflective in this sense – both looking inward and focusing outward.įor the past 21 years I have walked past the Janus Agri Altar sculpture by Beverly Pepper in the Agronomy Courtyard twice per day, once on my way to my office and once as I am leaving to go home. An altar is a place where one refreshes the spirit and looks inside oneself. While representations of Janus are usually horizontal, I felt this altar had to be vertical – as if it was a mirror image created by standing in a still pool of water. Janus, one of the principal Roman gods, is typically represented with two bearded heads placed back to back so that he might look in all directions at once. One could not identify the sculpture as a farmer’s spade without some knowledge of this process. I focused on a farmer’s spade, and taking this simple form to its furthest extreme, the imagery was transformed. ![]() For this reason, I researched antique farm tools common to the area. Today’s tools are too sophisticated to engender any visual dialogue in the context of my work. ![]() Using the iconography of farm tools, Janus Agri Altar evolved into what I consider to be a seminal piece. ![]() When Iowa State University asked me to do a work on the site of the Agricultural Building, they suggested that the sculpture reflect the agricultural business in some way. In the Art on Campus Preparatory Studies and Maquette Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Janus Agri Altar Maquette, 1986 Beverly Pepper (American, 1922–2020) Bronze with wood base Commissioned from the artist by University Museums, Iowa Art in State Buildings Project for Agronomy Building. ![]()
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