The Past Inevitably Influences the Future

If you have been attending class (hopefully this is true), you should undoubtedly notice the repeated theme that art from the past LARGELY affects art in the present. Recently, Professor Wang has been discussing Greek art and the strong influence it has carried into Western culture—and many others as well. But why is their art so special? I believe it is due to the fact that the Greeks took pride in their artwork and the time necessary to craft pieces that would inevitably stand the test of time. If you walk around any city with buildings (pretty much all of them), you may notice some structures—normally important buildings—have varying styles of columns. I believe it is safe to say that the majority of columns in modern architecture reflect that of the Greek culture. For instance, if you look at any Google Image of the White House, it is easy to see that the columns are of the Ionic order—meaning that the capital (topmost section of the column) is scrolled. No architect in their right mind would take someone's idea and apply it to one of the most important buildings in the nation without making sure that it effectively communicated the right message to the public; the message being that the man who resides here is to be respected and will do what is necessary to lead this nation in the direction it needs to go. This has been a friendly reminder to realize that the past inevitably influences the future. See for yourself!