Basic Elements of Memorial Design Monument Builders of North America
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Basic Elements of Memorial Design America Monument Builders of North Monument Builders of North America, Inc. 136 South Keowee Street Dayton, OH 45402 (800) 233-4472 | [email protected] Preface JOHN RUSKIN, an English author of the Nineteenth Century and a professor of Fine Arts at Oxford University wrote: "He is the greatest artist who has embodied in the sum of his works the greatest number of ideas." One might paraphrase that to apply to salesmanship, "He is the greatest salesman who has embodied in his work the greatest number of ideas." The greatest objective in becoming a successful salesman is developing the ability to cultivate ideas. This requires intelligent reading, a constant search for materials, and the effective use of these materials to cultivate ideas that will interest the prospective customer. The study of design and art as applied to memorialization is a part of the information needed by a successful salesman. It is often neglected because of the lack of material specifically applicable to the subject. It often requires research through countless pages of books to find a small amount of material on art, design, and symbolism usable in designing or selling a monument. Realizing the need for material on the subject which could be presented in a condensed form and be understandable to the layman, I searched for someone to write the articles. It was only natural for me nto tur to someone who had worked with me in Sales Institutes and other educational programs in the discussion of this subject. As a result of the presentations made by this nationally‐known designer, J. B. Hill, I requested him to write some articles for MONUMENT BUILDER NEWS. These articles, "Good Design and You," were so well accepted by the readers that many requests were received for a complete set that would be available for study by salesmen and other interested people. i | Page Mr. Hill taught art in the Vocational Department of Georgia Tech. His choice of words puts force and life into his writing on a subject often considered dry and uninteresting. A study of these articles and the application of the knowledge available will help the reader to cultivate more ideas and result in the sale of better memorials that will beautify our cemeteries and elevate the salesman in the esteem of his customers and the industry. We are all very grateful to Mr. Hill for sharing his time, effort and knowledge in the effort to create more interest in better memorialization. ‐A. L. Green, Executive Vice President Monument Builders of North America, Inc. Evanston, Illinois ii | Page Table of Contents Preface iii Table of Contents v Introduction vii Chapter I. Composition 1 II. Proportion 5 III. Form 15 IV. Ornament 20 The History of Ornament – 23 Byzantine Ornament – 43 Types of Ornament – 26 Romanesque Ornament – 46 Egyptian Ornament – 28 Gothic Ornament – 47 Greek Ornament – 32 Renaissance Ornament – 54 Roman Ornament – 38 Ornamental Moldings – 59 Early Christian Ornament – 42 Ornamental Vases and Urns 64 V. Memorial Types 72 Tablets – 76 The Cross – 80 o Latin Cross – 81 o Eastern Cross – 86 o Crucifix – 84 o Celtic Cross – 87 o Greek Cross – 84 o Cross Botonnee – 87 o Tau Cross – 84 o Maltese Cross – 88 o St. Andrew's Cross – 85 The Obelisk – 88 The Sarcophagus – 92 Screens and Balustrades – 95 Garden Types – 96 Columnar Designs – 98 o Greek Orders – 100 o Roman Orders – 103 o Intercolumniation – 105 o Mausoleums – 106 iii | Page VI. Symbolism 114 VII. Use of Color in Memorialization 123 About the Author 129 iv | Page Introduction THIS BOOK OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS of memorialization has been written with the belief that there is a need for a simple and practical presentation of information which is essential in memorial sales efforts. It is written mainly for the retail memorial dealer and his salesmen with the desire to make some contribution to better and more complete knowledge of memorial design. Good design, in form or ornamentation, invariably has historic derivation which can be traced. It has greater significance if its origin and the structural and artistic reasons for its use can be explained and understood. In every industry the dealers and their salesmen are feeling the need of a more thorough knowledge of correct design as a part of their sales equipment. In no industry is this more keenly felt than in the monument industry. In recent years there has been a general improvement in public appreciation of art. This comes in part from the increase in wealth with the resulting leisure and opportunity for travel, and in part from the increased commercial activity and cultural exchanges with other nations. The American of today makes his purchases with a keener appreciation of true beauty and good design. To tell him that∙ a design is good and rich in symbolism is not enough; he must have the reasons explained to him thoroughly. The purpose of this book is to illustrate and briefly explain some of those things which are so important in the retail selling of memorials. All of the information herein has a practical application to the memorial field and has been acquired over the years from study and experience. The public does not buy quarry blocks as memorials; therefore there are many facets and phases to our business of memorialization. There is more than quarrying‐there is more than cutting, carving, setting and bookkeeping. There 2 | Page must be sales before these things are needed, and to make sales, designs must be developed in a manner permitting effective presentation to the customer. If you would improve your office or accounting system, there must be sales. If you would improve your shop facilities, and display, there must be sales. Sales are made of designs. For this reason, it is imperative that we should know as much as possible about every design and be able to describe it to the complete satisfaction of the customer. Material, finishes, proportion, ornamentation and symbolism, as well as the lettering, are all important parts of the finished memorial. To be successful in presenting a design to a customer, the successful memorialist must know his product and must be able to describe each detail of the design to the customer's complete satisfaction. He should be able to intelligently discuss and explain finish, proportion, carving, symbolism and lettering‐he should be able to sell love, memories, and sentiment; and by his description be able to supply a proper memorial to fill the needs and desires of all people who want to be remembered and want their name recorded for posterity. Historically and traditionally people are well acquainted with memorials (monuments) and consider them as proper means of memorialization. Great expanses of green lawn, flowers, and beautiful trees, assets of the country club golf course do not constitute memorialization, and most people know it. Traditional memorialization is not an adverse influence on the American way of life. Ninety per cent of all people will agree that we need memorial art as a visible exponent of our civilization. The susceptibility to, the taste for, and the genius which enables people to enjoy and have pride of ownership of, fine art in memorials are the advantages the memorialist should be able to use to great advantage. Whether he does, however, depends upon his ability to properly present and describe memorial design and through his description, adapt the design to meet the requirements of his customer. The dealer and his salesman need not be creative designers or artists. Everyone in the memorial industry should have an appreciation for memorial art and should be able to paint word pictures giving a complete description of every design or every memorial he has in stock. In other words, the memorial‐the only "once‐in‐a‐lifetime" purchase the customer will ever make‐should not be sold by size, like a rug; nor by weight, like a sack of potatoes; but should be sold as tangible evidence of love of family, and respect for, and pride in, the family name. 3 | Page Our art is no innovation‐it is as old as civilization itself. Each age and each country has made its valuable contribution. What the ancient masters did with a chisel in days or weeks, we can now do in a matter of hours. Even so, the idea and the ideal of design must be present. While we are putting more and more dollars in better and faster machines, we must also put into every memorial the ideas of the designer‐artist and the ideals of fine craftsmanship, or we will not be worthy followers of our art. 4 | Page Chapter I Composition THE MONUMENT, while a tangible thing, is usually sold by the person who can best describe and illustrate its intangible qualities‐its sentiment and symbolism, its graceful lines and pleasing proportions and its adaptability to the customer's requirements. How best to evaluate the design and how best to effectively describe it, together make the prime object of every lecture or article on design. Ability to create designs or even to make thumbnail sketches is not a secret that nature has entrusted to a select few. It is as much a matter of persistent work as inherited ability. We study design to stimulate the imagination and to develop original ideas, to strengthen judgment, and above all to acquire power to express ourselves through the terms and materials used in a way that shall be clear, coherent and interesting. So, we must start at the beginning‐composition. An analysis of composition is generally negative. This results from the fact that while a design is not necessarily good because it complies with all of the generally accepted laws and practices of construction and ornamentation, it surely will be "faulty" if it contradicts them.