Photo Essay: Colors of Monumetal Importance
Our nations capital is full of statues, memorials, and buildings that are designed to preserve the history associated with them. Whether it is one of the massive monuments dedicated to a war or a president, or just a small house or building where a very important event took place, there is always much thought put into the design, and display of something so as to influence the way we are meant to remember it. The colors chosen to use at the monuments is Washington DC play a major role in the way we feel, and are meant to remember what ever it is that that memorial is meant to commemorate. Whether it is the pure black of the Vietnam Wall, the light colors of the Lincoln Memorial, or the striking lack of color at the Korean War Memorial, the people who designed the memorials put a lot of thought into how color should be used.
The first memorial I visited in DC was the Vietnam War memorial. The first thing that strikes you while visiting this memorial is the magnitude of people that were lost in this war. The wall is enormous in size, and completely covered in names of those that served and were lost in the war. The second thing that I noticed was the darkness around the Vietnam Wall. It was probably only about one or two o’clock when I was there, but standing up close to the wall you get a sensation of darkness. One reason for this is the fact the the wall is made of black granite, and casts a shadow on those standing close to it. The reason for the choice of such dark colors, in my opinion, is to remind us all that this is something that isn’t meant to be taken lightly. The wall contains the names of all those who either died, or were lost in combat and didn’t return home. I read somewhere that there are over 58,000 names on the wall. The use of black creates a similar atmosphere as when you attend a funeral, because this is a very serious monument to commemorate those who did not return alive.
The next memorial i visited was the Lincoln Memorial. Upon entering it was very clear that this memorial was a complete contrast to the last one i was at. At the Lincoln Memorial everything is done in very light, earthen colors. The ceiling off to either side of Lincoln is covered in yellowish-brown glass, which causes the light passing through it to create a very warm, almost up lifting feeling in the room. Lincoln is portrayed in solid white from head to toe, and the chair he is sitting in is also white. This, and the large Greek style pillars on either side of Lincoln make him appear almost god-like as he sits on his throne, and watches out over our nations capital. Also throughout history, white has been the color of purity, so by portraying Lincoln in nothing but white seems to portray him as an entirely pure being, and suggests that he was the savior of our country during his time as president.
The final monument I visited on this day was the Korean War Memorial. As I walked around this memorial I noticed very little color present. In fact the two predominate colors here are gray and black. The gray statues of soldiers almost seem to imply that these men are almost forgotten in history, and at the same time creates a mood similar to that of the Vietnam War Memorial. It is a very serious place to be. The whole monument seems more about preserving the memory of the soldiers that fought in this war, rather then celebrating it. In my opinion the most ominous part of this memorial is the black wall that runs the entire length of it. On the wall are engravings of portraits of soldiers, I’m not sure if these are actual people or simply random portraits, from the Korean War. The part about it that is almost spooky in nature is that as you are looking at the faces of these people, you can see your own reflection in the wall. In a sense its like looking at yourself on the wall, and seems to be almost a warning that if we forget this event, then something similar is doomed to happen again.
In conclusion, those who design memorials of great importance must put a lot of thought into what defining characteristics to use, in order to create the right kind of memory of an event or person. Color plays a major role in this by establishing an overall feel, and atmosphere at a memorial, and can even be used to hint at greater characteristics of something.