Final Thoughts

I have almost finished my carving, thanks to the snow day. Luis suggested yesterday that instead of sketching the gears myself, I should print them on blank pages from my book...genius. Now the images look like they were originally part of the book.

My final step is to incorporate words into the silhouette. As I have been carving away at the gears, I have been considering a few different options for how to do so. My favorite option is one that uses a quote by Gandhi. I have found two quotes that seem to suit the design.

"A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes."
This quote is pretty self explanatory. Andrew proved to have passion for finance, art, industry and business. His knowledge towards these fields helped him become a successful millionaire and generous donor.

"I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet."
This quote applies more specifically to the end of his life. FDR, who hated Mellon, requested an intense investigation of Mellon's tax returns. This was a pretty big deal as Mellon had just donated 15 million dollars to create the National Gallery of Art. However, Mellon was found to be not guilty two years after the investigation began. Unfortunately, he died just a few months before this decision.

I really like how both of these quotes apply to Mellon's life, as well as make references to the carved visual image of the brain. I am having a hard time picking one of these quotes, so my plan is to find the words to make up each quote and see what one lays out better in the silhouette.