Cahén’s nature-derived, curvilinear design for three sections of wall and posts directly contrasts with the grey building’s mercenary International Modern structure with its even grid of windows. Intended to enliven this space of leisure, Cahén’s barb and crescent forms interact playfully with wide fields of pastel and vivid colours. The motif of a sun brightens the dim middle of the vast, proportionally low-ceilinged room. Critic Robert Fulford opined that Cahén “provided by far the most human touch to the new Imperial Oil building . . . it’s one of the best Canadian murals I’ve seen and it may be the best work of Cahén’s career.” Harold Town (1924–1990) thought that the mural broke with Cahén’s previous influences and “placed him, for the first time, in an arena which was entirely his own.”

Two of the mural sections were saved in 1979 before impending renovations and now await conservation; the third large mural and smaller sections on posts are presumed lost.

This Spotlight is excerpted from Oscar Cahén: Life & Work by Jaleen Grove.