The Cambridge Union Murals
Over the summer of 2024, Connor Phillips completed a set of murals in the historic building of the Cambridge Union. They are located in the Hawking room, which is used as a member's space and to host drinks receptions for many of the Union's esteemed guests.Â
The mural, painted in oils on the gesso-primed wall, depicts the succession of life, from creation to existence to death. It takes place across three panels, following the traditional Renaissance triptych composition of two figures on either side, usually saints, and a scene in the middle. In the first panel, the Mesopotamian deity Lilith embodies the creator, giving her ribs to incite life upon earth. In the upper middle panel, life within the earthly realm is busy, chaotic, lustful, beautiful and ecstatic. In the third panel, life has left its material attachments and returns to a universe indifferent to the moral framework of human society.