Monuments Men History

1201 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of heritage sites

Monuments Men (both the movie and the actual historical event) is set during World War 2, when the Nazi’s are stealing countless peices of precious artwork and hiding them away in secret locations. For this reason, a group of 345 men and women from 13 nations who are all historians, architects, and experts on the topic of art, are gathered together to recover stolen artworks. Since Hitler ordered the artwork be destroyed, the men and women must work together as fast as possible in order to save as many pieces in the time allowed. When art is discussed, either in context to the Monuments Men group or not, it is referred to as the basis of the culture of our society. Art illuminates our inner lives and enriches our emotional world. The value …show more content…

Without out art people would not understand the past and be able to learn from their mistakes. As stated by Frank Stokes in the Monuments Men movie, “You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it's as if they never existed. That's what Hitler wants and that's exactly what we are fighting for,” (Stokes). By allowing people to understand just how precious art is, they are able to see the significance and how without it they would not be here today. The excerpt also shows that you can take away everything from people and they can still manage to rebuild and live one, but without art it's like they never existed. This journey that the Monuments Men went on in 1943, was crucial in the development of culture in Europe. Some of the artwork that was stolen included The Ghent Altarpiece and The Bruges Madonna, created by two of the greatest artists of the Renaissance; Hubert and Michelangelo. These world renowned pieces would have been destroyed if it were not for the perilous journey of the Monuments Men. These artworks helped to shape the culture of Europe and the United States into what it is today. The artwork recovered was invaluable, making the cost of it worth more than a human life, proved in the paramount expedition of the Monuments

Show More
Related

  • Statuette Of Youthful Dionysos Analysis

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    factors that made the work look as it is today. Most sculptures were seen as symbols of politics

    Read More

  • Permanent Collection Sparknotes

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    The art represented more than just sculpture. The art represented the social issue of racism by not having “black art” in a “white museum”. History shows us that black or African-American people have had a hard time fitting into this society because of the older days were black people were considered to be inferior to the “white

    Read More

  • Andy Goldsworthy's Dandelions And Hole

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the modern era sculpture was monumental; it had an unspoken meaning. Sculptures of this time were commissioned to commemorate a person or an event. They were eternal, designed to last and make people remember a legacy. When the modern era arrived there came a shift, the concept of sculpture became broader. They were still permanent but no longer site specific or placed of a pedestal; they became nomadic. Flash forward to the postmodern era and sculpture is the space it inhabits, as the site changes so does the meaning. They convey the human experience and become something broader than just a monument as Krauss puts it the realm of sculpture has become “infinitely malleable ”.

    Read More

  • Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

    2462 Words  | 5 Pages

    Everyone had a reason, to do whatever was needed. The value of art is to render the extraordinary brilliance of peoples’ lives; to relate to the lives of others in the society. The unique purpose of art is to provide an exhilarating touch of love, sorrow, warmth, depth, and happiness to the soul and heart. The value of art, both personal and monetary; the hard work of great art is very self- rewarding and gives a great sense of accomplishment. Monetarily speaking, an artist such as Vermeer must paint in order to make a living and support his family of 11 children, “And there were other debts.”

    Read More

  • Rape Of Europa Essay

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Often art is lost or destroyed through out the many dangers of time. Art is sometimes used to convey thoughts or ideas of a time or people. If works are lost or destroyed we may lose important information from this time or the people who created the art. This matter is shown best in the movie titled The Rape of Europa.

    Read More

  • Crafting Monuments: Considerations and Controversies

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    A monument is used to memorialize events or people, whether it is used to honor moments of great achievement or to pay tribute to deep sacrifice. Several factors are considered when creating a monument or a memorial; materials, design, and location. Each factor needs to be carefully considered to make a monument memorable and intriguing.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On 9/11 Memorial

    1992 Words  | 4 Pages

    According an operator of a popular art website, art has five characteristics that make it art. The characteristics he talks about are beauty, skill, meaning, uniqueness, and fulfilled intent. The 9/11 memorial fits these characteristics perfectly. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, most people would agree that the 9/11 memorial is stunningly beautiful. The use of the trees that are a strong green in the summer and colorful in the winter adds to the contrast of the black reflecting pools. Art must also have skill and technique. The amount of skill that it took to create the 9/11 memorial is amazing. The two architects working it have experience and skill that they gained through the years. They applied their knowledge from the years to create a unique memorial. Art is also supposed to have a meaning. Dan stated, “Art it powerful, not just for beauty or the talent needed for its creation, but because it can cause emotion…”. The 9/11 memorial has many meanings with the reflecting pools, trees, and the survivor tree. Just looking at the memorial one could see that it is unique. The dark reflecting pools with the names of the survivors surrounded by the trees is one of a kind. It is even more unique that it is the roof for the museum underneath. Art must have fulfilled intent and this memorial has accomplished its intent. The intent of the memorial is to honor those who died. It allows people to see the names of those who died and inside the museum it allows people to freely learn about the people that

    Read More

  • The Washington Memorial and its Reconstruction

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    hiatus. Plans for a national monument began as early as 1783 when Congress proposed that an

    Read More

  • The Roman Empire

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ed in times of good fortunes, and expansion. While during times of instability the artistic ingenuity would stagnate. Finally at the end of the empire, the art quality would decrease as the empire was deteriorating. This deterioration in art quality would continue for decades until the Renaissance would bring back an art quality on the level of that of ancient Rome under the Antonines. The type of art being created could be used as a very good indicator of what the political scene in Rome looked like at the time.

    Read More

  • The Visit Of The Metropolitan Museum

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    The trip to the metropolitan museum was a great trip to learn and to study art. What is art you may ask, well art is an expression you use to show a visual picture. It can be through painting or through sculptures. Some other example of art is music, literature and dancing. For today 's paper we will be talking about art as a sculpture. The two sculptures in this photo are King Sahure and a Nome God and Marble Statue of Dionysos leaning on archaistic female figure (Hope Dionysos). You can find these statues in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. King Sahure and a Nome God is an Egyptian art that was made in 2458-2446 BCE. The artist is unknown. It was during the 5th dynasty and it also belong to the old kingdom. The Marble statue of Dionysos Leaning in the archaistic female figure is a Greco-Roman art. Belonging to the Roman imperial period of the late first century A.D. Augustan or Julio-Claudian period 27 B.C., to 68 AD. It is classified as a stone sculpture and it is made out of marble. The height of the statues is 82 ¾ inches. There is no evidence who was the original artist.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Stolen Art

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    "You can wipe out an entire generation, you burn their homes to the ground and somehow they will still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it as if they never existed"(Cambell,2014). During World War II the Nazis would go through the countries they occupied. The art they took was either put in their own museums or they burned them. The Nazis stole millions of pieces of art, mostly pieces that were made from the end of the of the 18th century up until the 1900 's. Hitler ordered his soldiers to steal the art to gain power over other cultures. At the end of the war, the Allies were on a hunt to find all the missing and stolen art the Nazis hid at the end of the war. The big debate today is if the stolen art should go back to their rightful owners. Over a span of six years, the Nazis stole millions of paintings the trails to get those back to their rightful owners has had a lasting impression on today 's world.

    Read More

  • Art in the Italian Renaissance

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...reat talents of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and many more. We don’t see the type of art that was done during the Renaissance in today’s world. Art has given us the opportunity to almost go back in time, to see people’s emotions and feelings and how events happening in the world just by looking at an artists masterpiece.

    Read More

  • Yoruba Art and Culture

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    ?Any work of art owes its existence to the people and culture from which it has emerged. It has a functional and historical relationship with that culture.? Michael W. Conner, PhD#

    Read More

  • Prehistoric Art: Devotional or Decorative?

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    For thousands of years human beings have created art. Whether it takes the form of pictures, sculptures, or other any other type of object, it has always been something thought to be particularly beautiful by the people of the culture that created it. However, for much of history these items were also meant to serve a practical purpose. From decorative bowls and clothing to illuminated manuscripts and illustrative murals, much early art was meant to serve a utilitarian as well as aesthetic purpose, feeding, clothing and educating those privileged enough to use it. As late as the middle ages painters were considered craftsmen, similar to those of any other trade, and in fact in some cultures this trend continues even today. It was not until the Renaissance that the idea of "art for arts sake" became acceptable in most Western creative circles.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Art

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the ages art has played a crucial role in life. Art is universal and because art is everywhere, we experience it on a daily basis. From the houses we live in (architecture) to the movies we see (theatre) to the books that we read (literature). Even in ancient culture art has played a crucial role. In prehistoric times cave dwellers drew on the wall of caves to record history. In biblical times paintings recorded the life and death of Christ. Throughout time art has recorded history. Most art is created for a specific reason or purpose, it has a way of expressing ideas and beliefs, and it can record the experiences of all people.

    Read More

More about Monuments Men History

Open Document