ABOUT THE LIBRARY
Artist Torluemke Reads Between the Lines in His Epic Mural
December 5, 2008
Building upon the impressive precedents of painted murals in libraries and public buildings across the United States, northwest Indiana artist Tom Torluemke has taken on a task that he views as the opportunity of a lifetime.
Torluemke used the written word as inspiration for his new mural, "The Book of Life: The people we know, the experiences we have and the conditions under which we live," for the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. The recently-installed mural, located in the Nina Mason Pulliam Indianapolis Special Collections Room on the 6th floor of Central Library, was loosely inspired by the novel, The Magnificent Ambersons, written by Indiana author Booth Tarkington, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this work in 1919.
The mural chronicles the social and economic development of Indianapolis, the lives of some of its prominent citizens and their families, and many of the trials and tribulations they experienced.
Torluemke, a versatile artist and prolific painter, has been selected for numerous high profile commissions in recent years. He attributes his success to a commitment to his work, his willingness to please the client, and his ability to make his work accessible to all who view it, while keeping it relevant and contemporary.
"When asked and given the opportunity to create a mural for a public space such as a library, the bar gets raised," said Torluemke. "One thinks back historically to great mural artists like Thomas Hart Benton, John Singer Sargent and Diego Rivera who have created murals for libraries and other prominent public spaces. Their creations inspire one to try to do the very best they can in hopes that they can only come close," he added.
The mural, commissioned by the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, is 8 x 128 ft., painted in acrylic on canvas. Including the conception of the piece, it took 3,650 hours to complete. Jim McKern & Linda Dorman assisted Torluemke. The mural was painted on 8 panels of canvas and installed on site by Bill Lawrence Company installers, Bob Duke and Ritchie Townsend.
The mural is available for public viewing during regular hours of Central Library, located downtown at One Library Square, 40 E. St. Clair Street.
