“The Dawn of Law” Marble Bas-Relief in the New Jersey State House South Addition Lobby The marble bas-relief by John Goodyear in the New Jersey State House South Addition lobby, suggests that order and chaos be seen as dialectic rather than dichotomous. The artist's aim is to illustrate that just as too much order can lead to the oppression of authoritarian rule, our cherished concept of freedom resides perilously close to the edge of chaos. Goodyear writes, "Clearly the quest for artistic and civil liberty requires the ability to think the unthinkable, which over time, when it is safe to do so, can be accepted by others as rule of thumb." The work, entitled The Dawn of Law, displays the words "order" and "chaos" spelled out across five marble bas-relief panels. By reading up and down, each panel contains ostensibly meaningless letter combinations - OC, RH, DA, EO and RS. Yet, the letters connect to the subjects depicted - all Artist John Goodyear at the New Jersey State House. historical figures who made significant contributions to the field of law. The letters are found in the names of each subject rendered on the panels. In the first panel, OC designates Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher and teacher. The Babylonian emperor Hammurabi is depicted on the RH panel. DA stands for Draco, a lawmaker of ancient Greece. For EO, Moses represents religious traditions as the basis for laws. The RS panel contains Theodora and Justinian I, a Byzantine emperor who created the Justinian Code - a forerunner of many modern legal systems. Goodyear further unites opposite ideas by rendering these very traditional images in a post-conceptual art style. The 25-foot relief consists of five panels, each four by five feet and weighing 750 pounds. Carrara white marbel was chosen for its translucent white appearance and light grey streaking. The work was created at the Versiliese Workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, near Carrara, and then transported overseas by boat. The Dawn of Law was made possible through the Public Building Arts Inclusion Act of 1978*, which provides that up to 1.5% of construction costs on new or renovated state buildings may be allocated to fine artwork in the building. The goal of the Arts Inclusion program is to enhance the quality and aesthetic effect of state buildings by incorporating works of art into the architectural design. Artists are given unique opportunities to create visible and publicly accessible works. Goodyear, who resides in Lambertville, is a professor at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.He received bachelor's and master's degrees in design from the University of Michigan. Goodyear's works are exhibited throughout the United States and Europe. *Administered by the NJ State Council on the Arts, Department of State. Courtesy of the Office of Legislative Services, Office of Public Information. Back to Art top
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