The Palace of Education has three Renaissance portals on the south
facade. These are more Spanish in feeling than those of the two palaces
just passed. The tympanum panel of the central doorway may be taken to
represent kindergarten teaching, instruction of boys and girls, and
self-education in young manhood. It is by Gustave Gerlach. The two
panels in the walls over the minor doorways treat very obviously of
educational subjects. They are flat in more senses than one, lacking the
life of the central tympanum group. They are by students of two American
art schools.
The west facade of the Palace of Education is dominated by an immense
half-dome, impressive in size and attractively decorated. The style of
architecture here is mainly Roman, to harmonize with the Fine Arts
Palace which it faces across the lagoon. There are two splendid
architectural fountains, under the half-dome here and under, that of the
Palace of Food Products.
Sculpture. Flanking the great arch are columns carrying the nude figure
of a man, with hands crossed, gazing fixedly in thought. In the official
list this is called "Philosophy" or "Thought," and from it the immense
portal is called "The Half-dome of Philosophy." But the same figure
occupies the corresponding position before the Food Products Palace, and
is there called "Physical Vigor." The truth is that the artist designed
the statue to suggest that finest of all unions of strength, the
physically powerful man thinking. Thus the figure is appropriate to both
a food products building and an education building. The figure is
strong, but is not so convincing or appealing as the same artist's "Man
with a Pick," in the Varied Industries portal. Within the half-dome is a
repeated figure with a scroll inscribed "Libris," by Albert Weinert.
The six niches in the west wall have two repeated statues by Charles R.
Harley, known as "The Triumph of the Field" and "Abundance." They are
simply repeated from the Food Products Palace to the north, where they
properly belong, and will be treated in the next chapter in connection
with that building.
On the north facade of the Palace of Education are duplicates of the
three south portals, with the same sculptured panels.