The images in the Balmoral Art Gallery (the Wall of Wisdom) represent a small sampling of the treasures of western art.  Many of the images have a wrestling connection, although in some cases the curators had to wrestle with metaphors to make the connection. 

The following three well known masterpieces will introduce the educated wrestler (i.e. “you”) to the Wall of Wisdom.

Leonardo da Vinci - Vetruvian Man (1492)

This sketch was made by the always-inquisitive Leonardo in the year Columbus sailed the blue.   It is based on ideas about human proportions developed by a Roman architect named Vitruvius.  As wrestlers we look at the piece and see an athlete in a circle, and we recall that the referee will grant our opponent a point if we step outside the circle.    

Raphael - School of Athens (1510)

Paul Gauguin - Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? (1897)

Gauguin considered this piece to be his greatest masterpiece.   It is a wonderful piece, and educated wrestlers gotta love the title.   Suprisingly enough the answers to the title questions are quite simple:  

• Where do we come from?        You come from a long tradition of excellence on the North Shore and in particular at Balmoral. 
• What are we?                           You are wrestlers.  Educated wrestlers.
• Where are we going?               You are going on a pursuit of excellence, both on and off the mat.