Portraits of IU’s past presidents hang in Presidents Hall, a large room in Franklin Hall. One painting in particular that usually catches people’s eyes is the “Lux et Veritas,” or “Light and Truth," by professor Bonnie Sklarski, professor emerita at the IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
The “Lux et Veritas” painting was inspired by the Hubble Space telescope image of Earth at the bottom of the painting. The sky takes up most of the canvas to represent light with colors such as light blue, purple, green and orange.
The painting includes philosophers such as Socrates, Confucius and Plato to represent truth. Mythological figures such as Athena, Apollo and Aphrodite represent light, which fits with the cosmic idea and to show the spirit people have. There are more than 60 figures in “Lux et Veritas”.
Sklarski’s friends and coworkers helped and guided her through the painting process.
“It was an interesting process of learning how to put such a big idea together through many stages,” Sklarski said.
The phrase “lux et veritas” is IU’s motto.
The painting was revealed earlier this year on Founders Day, which is Jan. 20, as part of the IU Bicentennial celebration. IU President Michael McRobbie commissioned Sklarski for the painting because of a portrait she had done for IU that he admired, according to David Brenneman, director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art.
“Art humanizes us,” Brenneman said. “It helps us share who we are as humanity, it reminds us what us as human beings are capable of."
The painting took Sklarski two and a half years to complete.
Sklarski said she learned many new ideas and things about herself by doing this project. Though she has done a few murals, “Lux et Veritas” was the biggest painting she's ever made so far in her career.
Sherry Rouse, the curator of campus art at the Eskenazi Museum of Art, said art will always influence our lives.
“It’s part of the educational process,” Rouse said about human interaction with art. “It’s just so many kinds of arts to learn about, people who make art."
Even though some projects are on hold because of the pandemic, Rouse and Sklarski suggested in an interview there will be more projects similar to “Light and Truth” in the future.
“There are some projects that are being worked on now that will be a surprise for later,” Rouse said. “The only thing I can say now is that it’s going to be about African American women, paintings for the medical school and women of IU."
Sklarski said she wants art students to remember art is a whole picture of a person in a specific moment – something that time goes into another dimension. It's a way to tell stories through visuals, Sklarski said.
“When people realize art isn’t just a glorified photograph, it talks about what people think, about how they aspire to greatness,” Sklarski said.
CORRECTIONS: A previous version of this article misstated the purpose of Sklarski's painting, a series of renovations in Franklin Hall and the artist of the mural in Wright Dining Hall. The mural in Wright Dining hall was painted by IU professor Caleb Weintraub, not Sklarski. The IDS regrets these errors.
