ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton played art critic Tuesday, questioning whether a stately meeting room in his office suite at the Capitol still needs five separate murals depicting Civil War battle scenes.

“I’m not an art historian and I’m not an art expert,” Dayton said after a meeting of the Capitol Preservation Commission, which is overseeing a multi-million-dollar renovation at the domed Capitol. While calling the painted murals “historically significant,” Dayton wondered if they put the state’s best foot forward.

“Should that be what dictates how we represent the Capitol to current Minnesotans, to future Minnesotans, to visitors for the next 50 to 100 years?” Dayton asked. “I think that’s a question we should be answering.”