North Wall Automotive Panel
Click on the image to see a full view of the north wall.
The largest panel of the north wall represents important operations in the manufacture of the engine and transmission of the 1932 Ford V8.
The process begins in the top center of the panel where a blast furnace is being tapped. A large ladle beneath the blast furnace pours molten steel into the open-hearth furnace. The steel-making processes continue in the small predella panels below the main section.
Other sections of the large panel are devoted to the foundry operations, shown in the sequence in which they occur. In the upper left, molds for the engine block are constructed and loaded onto a conveyer. On the right side of the panel the molds are filled with molten steel. In the center of the panel, flanked by two rows of giant spindles, is the assembly of the finished engine.
The workers in the automotive panel represent the multiracial work force of the Rouge, and some in the foreground are actually portraits of Rivera's assistants and Detroit acquaintances.
