ASTRAEA'S BEAM

1991,  bronze /granite, 55"h x72"w x18"d

ASTRAEA   -   Daughter of Zeus and Themis and the Roman goddess of justice, lived on earth during the Golden Age but the wickedness and impiety of humankind during the Brazen and Iron ages drove her to heaven, where she was placed among the constellations of the zodiac under the name of Libra

ASTRAEA's BEAM combines several important aspects of Van Alstine's work; balance, tools and the use of myth to convey or comment on contemporary issues. Astraea's beam or scale's is much like Libra's but her scale is unnaturally askew - the heavy end is up, the lighter or smaller stone down. This aberration is meant as a poignant reminder to us that we must be ever vigilant as stewards of one of our most basic democratic principals - the rule of law and its fair (blind) and          un-basis administration.