Robert Edsel wrote The Monuments Men book in an attempt to capture the determination of a group of individuals to salvage the finest art in Europe during the Second World War. They aimed at keeping it away from destruction and confiscation by Hitler and his Nazi fanatics. Though the name suggests that only men were involved, the narrative captures the contribution by women. This was a race where every minute counted.
There were no maps to indicate where the treasures would be found. Each person developed an own map from records recovered from bombed museums and cathedrals, secret notes and journals that were written by Rosa Valland. Rosa was an employee of the French museum who made a personal commitment to track the plunder in secret. She followed the hints from the rail yards to anything useful source. One of them was a given by a dentist during root canal.
Salvaging the artifacts in the prevailing conditions required a lot of sacrifice. The middle aged team abandoned their families for the sake of cultural treasure. The pieces of art were by such fellows as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Van Eycks and other European painters. The art produced by these fellows was phenomenal.
While risking their lives during combat, the group had a single mission. They were to save as much culture as possible from destruction or pillaging by the army. It would have been a great loss if the treasures were to disappear during the war. They display understanding of the threat posed by the loss and are ready to do something to save the situation. They were trained curators, art scholars, educators, museum directors, architects and archivists.
Support for the mission came from President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower. However, they were not provided with gasoline, typewriters, vehicles or necessary authority. This would make their mission very difficult and only possible with determination and good will. The original mission was to ensure that essential structures were not bombed. This would change because they did not determine the course of combat. They shifted to rescuing items after bombing.
The character of each individual involved in the mission acts as a driving force to overcome difficulty. Their lives are young but their passion and dedication for art keep them in the mission. It is a huge sacrifice that goes to the extent of death.
It is worth noting that Hitler wanted to construct the largest museum in the world by collecting the best works during war. Immediately he invaded Poland, he began an attack on churches, private art collections and museums. This is how he got the finest art and hid it in remote castles and secret mines waiting for the war to end. He wanted to show that Aryan artists were superior to Jewish artists.
The monuments men book captures a different dimension of the Second World War different from the combat and destruction that is common in history. It is a story of personal sacrifice and determination for nationhood. It has since been made into a movie that was released in December 2013.
There were no maps to indicate where the treasures would be found. Each person developed an own map from records recovered from bombed museums and cathedrals, secret notes and journals that were written by Rosa Valland. Rosa was an employee of the French museum who made a personal commitment to track the plunder in secret. She followed the hints from the rail yards to anything useful source. One of them was a given by a dentist during root canal.
Salvaging the artifacts in the prevailing conditions required a lot of sacrifice. The middle aged team abandoned their families for the sake of cultural treasure. The pieces of art were by such fellows as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Van Eycks and other European painters. The art produced by these fellows was phenomenal.
While risking their lives during combat, the group had a single mission. They were to save as much culture as possible from destruction or pillaging by the army. It would have been a great loss if the treasures were to disappear during the war. They display understanding of the threat posed by the loss and are ready to do something to save the situation. They were trained curators, art scholars, educators, museum directors, architects and archivists.
Support for the mission came from President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower. However, they were not provided with gasoline, typewriters, vehicles or necessary authority. This would make their mission very difficult and only possible with determination and good will. The original mission was to ensure that essential structures were not bombed. This would change because they did not determine the course of combat. They shifted to rescuing items after bombing.
The character of each individual involved in the mission acts as a driving force to overcome difficulty. Their lives are young but their passion and dedication for art keep them in the mission. It is a huge sacrifice that goes to the extent of death.
It is worth noting that Hitler wanted to construct the largest museum in the world by collecting the best works during war. Immediately he invaded Poland, he began an attack on churches, private art collections and museums. This is how he got the finest art and hid it in remote castles and secret mines waiting for the war to end. He wanted to show that Aryan artists were superior to Jewish artists.
The monuments men book captures a different dimension of the Second World War different from the combat and destruction that is common in history. It is a story of personal sacrifice and determination for nationhood. It has since been made into a movie that was released in December 2013.
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