Thoughts on Memorials

Throughout the class I always tend to end up asking myself: “Why is a physical structure so important in memorialization?” From the class and specific memorials we have discussed I believe that in the western world, especially the United States, humans desire a physical monument. In eastern cultures, memorialization is far more spiritual. The idea and construction of large-scale memorials dates as far back ad the Greeks.

In the United States, I feel that people do not take the time to stop and read at memorials. On our class field trip to the Lincoln Memorial visitors often congregated in the center of the memorial, primarily focusing on the enormous statue of Lincoln. Many of the visitors never went to the left or right to read the large engraved texts; the Gettysburg address and Lincoln’s second presidential address. The memorial appears to focus more on the skill and workmanship of the Statue and memorial itself, rather than Lincoln, the focus of the memorialization.

Evidence, of a Building overwhelming its intended purpose appears in the history of art, one of the oldest examples: The Parthenon. The Parthenon was constructed in the 1^st century BC and was a building to the worship Athena. The idea behind the Parthenon is not that far from the Lincoln Memorial. The Parthenon, along with other pieces of Greco-Roman architecture, directly influences the Lincoln Memorial.  Also, The role of Athena is not that different than the role of Lincoln. Both the Lincoln Memorial, and the Parthenon both enclose an enormous statue of their object of memorialization or worship. Both have similar axis to access where an individual has to enter the space to fully see the sculpture.

The Greco-Roman style highly influences the United States’ practice of public memorialization. I find it interesting how the beauty of the white marble constitutes plays an enormous role in today’s sculptures, especially since in is now evident that Parthenon was once painted.

The western world should look to a more spiritual form of memorialization. First, there is a huge economic benefit. Next, No large sum of land is required to house a memorial. Finally, for memorials honoring the masses, there is no physical limit on how many people we can memorialize.

As a result of the class, I now find spiritual memorials more powerful than large physical structures.

-Chris