About two weekends ago, I found myself at one of my favorite museums, The Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta. I’ve been there a few times, I love it there, so much history, so many stories, and they are told through the artifacts. It never gets old . . . pun intended. Just recently I found myself meditating on why we even have museums. Why do we preserve our history? What is it about these objects that fascinates generations?
It was on that Saturday, I was looking in the Near-East section of the Museum. It was from Babylon and Ur and Sumeria that Civilization first flourished, where writing was invented and stories, myths, were first told. It was with this in the back of my mind that a particular object caught my eye. Beside other arrowheads and weapon fragments was this Bronze Age, Assyrian (or Akadian- I can’t fully recall) dagger, perfectly preserved through the ages. Near the hilt there was even an inscription in Cuneiform , which is thought to be the earliest form of writing. While looking at this dagger, I came upon two thoughts. Formed by a smithy with the utmost precision and skill, by hand, sweat, and hammer alone - this dagger had seen over thousands years, probably countless battles, known several bearers , and has survived the test of time to the point it is now admired by myself and others- that in itself is amazing! And second there is also the deeper element, the human element. We will probably never know who pounded the bronze to form the dagger, let alone who wielded it. But somehow their story, and the story of their time, has been etched into the metal itself. It is interesting that the Samurai of feudal Japan hold their own swords with immense respect and look upon it as a thing of beauty as well as a tool of war. They believed that the blade itself houses their soul and the souls of their ancestors who wielded it before them. In kind, this can also be said for other various artifacts in a manner of speaking.
Whether it be an ancient dagger or a family heirloom, objects do matter. They do have the power to tell great stories, even if it is just stretching one’s mind back to a past time. What is very powerful about artifacts, and really objects in general, is that they are made by us. They contain one of the greatest aspects of our humanity: our desire to create beautiful things. Whether it be the thousands of Greek amphorae and other pottery that decorate various museums or Michelangelo’s The David, we look at them and no matter our age or nationality we all find ourselves just completely taken with these marvels. Like any artwork the artifact is an expression the creator’s inner-self. This is the way I feel with the written word, but the physical object invites a different admiration, after all the beauty is right in front of one’s eyes. Yet even artifacts of no particular beauty, or of a more grim nature, they too are windows to human nature, our history. I believe that museums are so fascinating because they contain all these untold, unwritten stories. Their creators may have no name, no face, but it is through these artifacts that people are touched with another’s vision, even from thousands of years ago. Such is the power of beauty and man’s passion that drives him to create for others, and to express himself in the form of a physical object.
Again I invite all comments, stories, thoughts, share of your own artifact. The Shield Hall is open. I also highly suggest that you all check out the excellent response blog on my latest post, What About Heroes. My good friend Nick expresses his own thoughts on heroes and approaches the subject from a particularly Catholic viewpoint. It is an excellent piece and the kind of which I hope to provoke in any of my readers!
This is a refreshing intake reminding us to stop and take a look at things. How often do we just rush through things taking something for granted. I find it interesting because I know often times I have gone through the High Museum of Art in Atlanta simply and merely looking at something for its aesthetic value (because of the lustful ways that man is), forgetting the rich story, tradition, and background behind not just what it is, but where it came from and why and who and just so much more.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting, do we do the original artist or creator justice by simply taking at face value or just glancing over it? As a Catholic, in the end, our souls will separate from our body, and this world will be no more. The things we have and do in this world are of no importance... to us. But it's interesting because though our bodies, our lives may not last forever, the things we create can. So often, I get caught in the selfish attitude of thinking about something in terms of its value for me, but our purpose and work in the world is not just for ourselves but for the world as well.
I guess we all have the opportunity to leave something behind in this world. It doesn't really matter to us unless pride and vanity is something we search for. But the things we leave behind are trails of our existence and what not. In the Catholic realm, we have a special respect for relics of our faith. But it's not just religious items, like you pointed out Eric, it can be a weapon. For others, it can be a book. And for others, it is just the impact we had on the people we came into contact with.
An interesting thing in the Catholic faith is that our relationship with God is not solely between us and God. But there is also the third dimension of the world in it as well. The world can help us grow towards or away from God. But that assumes the first person perspective. You look at it from another perspective, and you see that the world is the unpainted canvas - it is where we can change the world, paint our own picture on it; it is an opportunity. What good is a life if you become filled with great ideas or something truly radical that could change the world for the better or offer something new and you keep it to yourself?
I apologize for my lack of organization. Obviously my faith influences what I think. But also, I have been blessed to grow up around art. I have not only had a history of doing art, but have also studied it and let it influence me in ways. And not just physical art and art history, but reading James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" was a book that offered new light on my way to view things.
You have a point and bring up something that is overlooked in my life Eric, that is remembering the life and legacy of others. In Catholicism, we look to the Bible and saints for these things. But we live in a world that is multidimensional. We spend so much time learning and understanding history so that we can move forward, not making steps back or the same mistakes as done before. But there's so much more. From the lives of others, we can find inspiration. Though they say we are a lost generation, but in every generation you find people who lived lives of greatness. We all have a story to share - if only someone would lend an ear. We are so often so ignorant, so selfish, so foolish, but every man and woman has a voice, has a story, has a lesson, has something to share and contribute to the world.
Thank you for inspiring me and reminding me of this my friend