On the second floor of Mexico City's Supreme Court building, the harsh hand of José Clemente Orozco, famed Mexican muralist, could be seen all over the walls. Artists liked what they saw, but several Supreme Court Justices did not: they were angered by an Orozco panel showing blindfolded Justice in a compromising position (see cut). They demanded that the murals be removed.
In Mexico, where art is taken almost as seriously as politics, removing Orozco's frescoes was out of the question. The Government arrived at a curious compromise. It commissioned U.S. Painter George Biddle (brother of ex-Attorney General Francis) to do another...