In an age when we can digitize everything, do you think it is still important to preserve physical art and artifacts in times of war?
I think they should be preserved regardless of war. That’s history not only of that country, but sometimes of the whole world, and if it’s lost, what do we have?
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Yes. It is important to our history and heritage. Art is for everyone to enjoy and reflect on our ancestors and history. Without art ,we are wiping out a part of our collective history. Digitization is not the same, in my opinion.
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While digitizing is an amazing educational tool, it cannot replace a piece of art. Art serves to root humanity in the culture. It honors our past by enriching the present.
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… not to mention that when the Zombie Apocalypse happens and we don’t have electricity we won’t have access to digitized records. (Kidding about the zombies, but you know what I mean…)
There is nothing like the real thing. I recently want to Norman Rockwell’s museum and was so engrossed in a painting that I reached out to touch the subject’s shirt. I couldn’t help myself. I had to know if the shirt felt like it looked in the painting. Just like a woolen, plaid shirt! Amazing. No digital image would capture that.
Absolutely. There is something almost sacred about a work of art. While digitalization allows art to be viewed by many more people, it cannot replace the original.
Definitely. Statues and art are part of our history. We are trying to rewrite history when we remove statues from public areas.
Absolutely we need to preserve art, books, and physical objects. I worry about history that is being destroyed in current wars. And what will come after digitalization?
I think about this probably more than I need to. I think we need to preserve physical copies. When the lights go out, when the rare earth supply is depleted, when some unimaginable catastrophe occurs, we will still have the masterpieces that inspire us.
Absolutely! There is nothing quite like seeing physical art and artifacts in real life, in times of war and in peace.
Yes, definitely! Seeing the real object somehow gives the reviewer a sense of awe that it could have been created. If it is paintings, the brushstrokes are meaningful and can’t be captured by digitization. Also, can you imagine only seeing a photo of “David” and not seeing the real statue. I can’t. Seeing it person is breathtaking. Art is amazing. It allows the viewer to transcend some how and imagine the artist at work. I can understand how people in museums worked hard to preserve their artifacts. They realized these artifacts are important now and to future generations.
It is important to preserve physical art, music, literature, etc. at all times, not just times of war. Those items tell our history, exemplifying thoughts, beliefs, culture, and events from which future generations learn. There is no substitute for original works. Digitization is a valuable tool, but it is not a viable or acceptable replacement for the actual items. Can you imagine if we only had digitized versions of all the works of art in all of the museums in the world? Or only photocopies of important documents like the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, or books? What a horrifying prospect.
Yeah, it breaks my heart that we lost so much art during WWII. In some cases we have photos but obviously it’s not the same thing.
I am thrilled this question was raised. As far as in time of War I have the six books that Churchill wrote about WWII.
However my house is full of old literature books. I have books that my great aunt had when she received her masters in literature in 1919. Her classics from Tennyson’s Poetical Works, Bryant’s Homer’s Iliad (copywrite 1876), and The Complete Works of Shakespeare.
Also from my paternal grandmother I have 8X13 beautifully illustrated Mother Goose, Nursery Friends from France, Tales Told in Holland all in copyright in 1918. My favorite is an illustrated LA CIVILITE’ by Puerile et Honnete all written in French.
I’m sure they are not first editions but I know my father read these as a child.
I also have the complete series of The Little Colonel books my grandmother passed on to my mother. However in today’s society they are probably are not worth much.
MY concern is what will happen to these books when I die. My son is a big minimalist so I already know my inherited antique furniture will be on EBAY.
Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of seeing an original piece of art would agree that a two dimensional representation will never capture the way light plays with an original oil painting or the nuances of a beautiful sculpture when viewed from various angles. Preserving art is crucial.
Yes! There is no substitute for physical art, vs. NFTs. To be able to look at the work of the great masters and appreciate that type of craftsmanship for the time in which they lived is priceless. These works also give us an idea of what it was like to live back then, what their culture was like, and preserving these cultural items is critical to moving forward as humans, and often affects how we react to future events. As we know, history tends to repeat itself!