Rainbow Swash facts for kids
The Rainbow Swash is a famous artwork by Corita Kent in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts. It's a colorful rainbow design painted on a giant gas storage tank. This artwork is 140-foot (43 m) tall!
The design was created in 1972. At the time, it was said to be the largest copyrighted artwork ever. Many people see it every day when they drive on Interstate 93. It's a well-known landmark in Boston, much like the famous Citgo sign.
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What is the Rainbow Swash?
A Colorful Landmark
The Rainbow Swash was first painted in 1971. It shows big streaks of rainbow colors on a natural gas storage tank. This tank is located near the water in Dorchester, about two miles (3 km) south of Downtown Boston.
The 140-foot (43 m) tall design is easy to see from the Southeast Expressway. Hundreds of thousands of people driving by see it every day. The original tank was taken down in 1992. But don't worry, the design was carefully moved and repainted on a different tank nearby!
How the Rainbow Swash Was Made
The Artist and Her Idea
In 1971, the president of the Boston Gas Company, Eli Goldston, asked artist Corita Kent to paint the Rainbow Swash. She painted the design on one of two large gas tanks that faced Boston's main highway.
Corita Kent first made a small model of her design, only 8 inches (20 cm) tall. Then, 20 painters worked together to copy her artwork onto the huge 140-foot (43 m) tall tank.
A Design with a Story
Since the 1970s, the Rainbow Swash has had some interesting discussions around it. Some people thought the blue stripe in the mural looked like the face of a Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh. Corita Kent was known for being a peace activist. Some believed she was quietly protesting the Vietnam War with her art. However, Corita Kent always said that she did not hide any faces in her design.
In 1992, the first tank with the rainbow was removed. Even with some people disagreeing, the Rainbow Swash was painted again on the tank next to it. In this new version, the blue stripe looks less like a face.
Changing Company Logos
Over the years, the company that owned the tank changed. In 2000, Boston Gas became part of a company called Keyspan. The Keyspan logo was then placed under the rainbow. Later, in September 2007, Keyspan joined with National Grid plc. So, the National Grid logo replaced the Keyspan logo on the tank.
