Robert Graham gone

Robert Graham, who designed the Great Bronze Doors at the Queen of Angels Cathedral, died yesterday. Graham's obituary is here, along with the Times' collection of photos of both him and his work.

This is my own photo; not too artsy. The Cathedral website says that the Great Bronze Doors took five years to construct. Graham designed them, but 150 other artists took part in their construction. Their symbolism is explained at the site, but Graham started at the bottom with forty pre-Christian symbols from varied lands (20 on each door--that's what those smaller squares are). The bottom left figure here is the Chumash man, and to the right of it is a turtle. Griffin, crane, bee, a hand, and other symbols are all there too.

This is topped by blocks showing the different artistic and spiritual versions of the Blessed Virgin from Europe and America. I think in this picture you can see the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Virgin of the Rosary of Chinchinquira (for which Graham used his mother's rosary), and bottom--the Virgin appearing to the souls in purgatory.