Interior Decorator

Muralist Santiago Martinez Delgado has an artist's feeling for form and color, an expert's taste for whiskey. Last week, the two concerns were closely connected. In a salon of the National Capitol in Bogota, Martinez was busily slapping strong blues and rich reds on a 30-ft. expanse of wall (see cut). His mural will depict the inauguration of Liberators Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Paula Santander at Rosario de Cucuta in 1821. If he finished on time there would be a bonus: two jugs of whiskey.

The whiskey was a bet between Martinez and mustachioed Engineer Hernando Gonzalez Varona, who will use almost any means to get the Capitol ready for the Inter-American Conference in March. At week's end, with a few minor figures still to paint, Martinez knew he would not make the deadline. Thereupon, Engineer Gonzalez extended it to Christmas Eve. "I want to lose," he said. "Those two jugs are just a starter for the celebration."

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