[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 101 (Friday, July 22, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S8764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S8764]]
          HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CONSTANTINO BRUMIDI

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 205, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 205) honoring the life and legacy of 
     Constantino Brumidi and recognizing his contributions to the 
     United States on the 200th anniversary of his birth.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 205) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 205

       Whereas Constantino Brumidi was born in Rome, Italy, on 
     July 26, 1805, to an Italian mother and a Greek father who 
     inspired his lifelong love of liberty and freedom of 
     expression;
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi emigrated to the United States 
     from Rome in 1852 and became a naturalized citizen in 1857;
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi established a reputation for 
     excellence in his craft that led to him being known as the 
     ``Michelangelo of the Capitol'';
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi represents the many immigrant 
     artists and craftsmen who have contributed over the years to 
     the design and decoration of the United States Capitol;
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi painted murals and other 
     outstanding artworks in the United States Capitol over the 
     last third of his life, between 1855 and 1880, including the 
     first fresco painted in the United States, in what is today 
     the House Appropriations Committee Room, the famous ``Brumidi 
     Corridor'' on the Senate side of the Capitol, and the 
     paintings in the President's Room (S-216);
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi painted ``The Apotheosis of 
     George Washington'' and began the frieze of American history 
     on the interior of the dome above the Rotunda at the center 
     of the United States Capitol, but died while working on 
     sketches for the frieze;
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi succeeded in his effort to 
     encourage the use of the Capitol as a living testament to the 
     past, present, and glorious future of the United States of 
     America with his artwork, especially with his murals; and
       Whereas Constantino Brumidi's celebration of the liberty he 
     found in America can be seen in his signature on his painting 
     that he was an Artist Citizen of the United States and in his 
     statement on being hired for his first Capitol commission 
     that, ``I no longer have any desire for fame or fortune. My 
     one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long 
     enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on 
     earth in which there is liberty.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate, on behalf of the American 
     people, honors the life and legacy of Constantino Brumidi, 
     artist and patriot, and recognizes his many contributions to 
     the world of art as well as the legacy of the United States 
     as reflected in the building that houses Congress, the United 
     States Capitol Building.

                          ____________________