Essay on Supreme Court Visual Analysis

It’s fascinating how much influence Greek and Roman architecture still has in the modern era. The Supreme Court building is a prime example of how Ancient Greek and Roman architecture is still being implemented in today’s modern era to symbolize power, order and authority. Seeing as how our system of government is loosely based off of the Greek Republic System, it is not surprising that our “building of law,” was created in the image of Greek architecture.
Due to its outlandish location, which is found behind the entrance of the building, tourists often mistakenly miss the East Facade. The East Facade presents four cylindrical columns in the middle and two rectangular columns on either side. At the top of each column lays the signature acanthus leaves of a Corinthian column. Above the columns is the frieze where we see some assorted fruits and an inscription reading, "Justice The Guardian of Liberty." Above the inscription is the pediment, which contains an array of figures that are positioned to face the center of the pediment.

At the focal point of the pediment is Moses. Placed upon a throne with the Ten Commandments at hand, he emanates power and authority. (“Pediment Figures.”) Moses, seemingly a central figure in the building of the Supreme Court is a lawgiver. Surrounding Moses is Confucius and Solon, both famed for being figures of law and justice, also very fitting for the building. The outer most figures are from the fable the, “Tortoise and the Hare.” The remaining figures on the pediments are symbols for the judicial system – from mercy to enforcement of the law.

There are two prominent statues in front of the west façade: A woman on the left and a man on the right. The left statue depicts a woman with a book in her left hand – a book of law – and in her right hand is a smaller figure, Lady Justice herself. Justice is shown embracing a scale – a symbol of just law – and is blindfolded, which is a symbol of impartiality. (“West Facade Statues.”) The right statue is of the enforcer of law. A man is depicted holding a book with law written in Latin on the cover and a sheathed sword behind it to symbolize authority and enforcement. (“West Facade Statues.”) These symbolic figures appear to be created in the image and style of many Greek and Roman sculptures.

The type of sculptures we see on and around the Supreme Court building would certainly be seen in the ancient Greek and Roman world. Statues and monuments were put up to show appreciation, devotion, and as tribute to gods and significant figures of their time period. Even the style of the sculpture looks very similar to the ancient sculptures. Their very naturalistic form reflects heavily on the classical Greek sculptures. Symbolism is a key component in both the Supreme Court Building sculptures and ancient sculptures. For example, the breastplate of Augustus was littered with symbolism for his propagandistic messages. These symbols depict him as a military victor, a just ruler, just an overall winner in a sense. The Supreme Court Building is also seemingly tied to another architectural marvel, the Parthenon.

One cannot help but see the reflection of the Parthenon in the Supreme Court Building. There is no question that the architects had the Parthenon in their minds when building this majestic work of art. The Parthenon was built in the classical period of Greece. The Greeks integrated an Ionic and Doric style of columns into the Parthenon, which was almost completely built out of marble. (“Greek Columns.”) The monument according to historians was beautifully painted with color in ancient days. Their ingenuity came into play with their use of entasis, a slight curve on the columns created an illusion of straight columns for anyone viewing the monument from far away. The real work of art was the pediment of the Parthenon. It depicted wonderful and detailed stories of gods, but sadly most of the pediment has been

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