Have you ever taken a sincere look at the thousands of panels that surround the school? Panels of much variety – from biblical allusions to messages to the future to detailed carvings of a vivid scene – all wait for students to ascertain their meaning. A myriad of intricately designed panels, each with a story behind it, fill the halls of our campus. Yet, a perplexing question arises: what are the best panels that feature a marine setting? How about the best panels with poetry? In this article, we will go over the overall best-looking panels that have been carved throughout the years. Through evaluating the meaning behind each panel, its difficulty to create, and how attention-getting it is, the Panel has ranked the best carvings in the school. Read along to find out the Panel’s top 5:
In the fifth spot is R.D. Young Jr. ‘80’s panel prize-winning carving of Lord of the Ring’s character Bilbo Baggins in Rivendell writing on a desk. What stands out so much in this design is Young’s ability to carve out an abundance of detail; from the spires and scrolls in the background to Bilbo’s face and body, the amount of effort that went into this carving is apparent. Another impressive aspect of the panel is its three-dimensional shape, which magnifies the detail of the overall carving.
In fourth place is Sinclair Weeks II ‘71’s carving of a scuba diver hunting a shark in the depths of the ocean. The panel, which won the panel prize, shows an attention-grabbing scene that draws viewers in. Looking more closely, bystanders can see the details of the surrounding seaweed and sea life. The carving also features a fish with its tail sticking out of the frame to create a 3D-like effect. The design also includes details on the two subjects of the panel – the scuba diver and the shark – which bolsters the action that is included in the panel.
The third-best panel was last year’s panel prize-winner Scott Black, who depicted a group of whale hunters chasing after the fin of a whale – an allusion to the famous novel Moby Dick. The most impressive feature of this panel is the individual waves; nearly every single current and ripple is visible through careful precision. Scott manages to make the ocean seem like it is right in front of them by adding over 100 little incisions. Furthermore, his background is completely empty – which makes the panel surprisingly clean and demonstrates how the combination of simplicity and complexity can pair nicely with each other.
J.T. DeBurlo ‘77’s carving falls as the second-best panel on campus. The carving, which takes up the space that two panels normally would, has both a visual illustration and an inscription. The illustration pictures an old man in a cloak speaking to a young child. Next to them are some flowers and a bell. The beard alone of the old man could make a compelling case for landing in such a high spot on our rankings, as DeBurlo makes it seem like nearly every strand of hair is visible. Another reason why this panel is listed so high is the poem below it, which is from the famed author J.R.R. Tolkien. The poem contains advice like “All that is gold does not glitter,” and “deep roots are not reached by the frost.” While the fact that an entire poem was able to be carved out onto a panel is admirable enough, the fact that the message is profound and thought-provoking makes it remarkable enough to land on this list.
Finally, the best panel carving on campus is Eric Woodward ‘71’s 3D carving of blocks sticking out from the panel. Oppositely to the previous panel, which holds a great amount of profound meaning and significance, this carving is highlighted by the physical features that appear on it. The blocks, which can most closely be described as a 3-dimensional version of Legos, stick out almost 6 inches away from the panel. The carving grabs the attention of students and faculty alike because of how much it sticks out from its nearby carvings, appearing as if it’s an outlier. Ultimately, this panel took home the crown as the best design in the school because of how remarkable its visual appearance is.