Society has drifted from an important lesson of ancient Greece. César Daly brings it to attention again:
The public monument, the monument which addresses itself to everybody, which belongs to the nation . . . needs to satisfy the general, national sentiment of beauty. . . . Finally, beauty, as everyone conceives it, must shine on the face of our public buildings, like glory on our army, holiness on our religion, loyalty on all acts of national life. . . . The beauty of a public monument ought to be a dazzling and direct emanation of the living genius of society, a profession of aesthetic faith by the race. (From page 291 of The City As A Work Of Art, by Donald J. Olsen. Yale University Press. 1986.)
For a brief biography of César Daly, click here.
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