Tags
a Civil engineer, an architect, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, The Capitol, the Golden Ratio, the Golden Section, The National Mall, Videos
- The National Mall was the centerpiece of the McMillan Plan.
Pleasure & Reality
As I was writing my post entitled Designing Washington, DC: Pierre-Charles L’Enfant, I looked for a suitable video.
There was a perfectly adequate video, but the “pleasure principle” took over. The term “pleasure principle” was coined by Sigmund Freud (6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) to describe our need to find pleasure. Its other half is the “reality principle.” So, there I was, writing and editing, but I did not want to put an informative video at the end my post. I got carried away by the “pleasure principle” and inserted videos featuring music.
To correct matters, I am now embedding the appropriate video at the foot of this post.
The Golden Section or Ratio
Pierre-Charles L’Enfant (9 August 1754 – 14 June 1825) designed the National Mall in Washington. That is Washington as we know it. Have you noticed that the design of the mall is a good example of the use of the Golden Section or Ratio. The Golden Ratio, features off-centered lines, vertical and horizontal, usually intersecting. Inside this Golden Section, to the left, there are two off-centered vertical and horizontal lines (blue)? Consequently, although it may conceal Masonic symbols, the design of the National Mall is, first and foremost, consistent with the Greek Golden Section or Golden Ratio.
Conclusion
Therefore, we could say that French-born Pierre-Charles L’Enfant‘s design of the National Mall in Washington, DC is no more yet no less than the work of an architect and civil engineer practicing his art as conscientiously as he could.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Designing Washington, DC: Pierre-Charles L’Enfant (23 May 2014)
- Americans in Paris: George Washington (22 May 2014)
- Americans in Paris: Thomas Jefferson (17 May 2014)
- Americans in Paris: Benjamin Franklin (14 May 2014)
Pierre-Charles L’Enfant (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Ideally off-centered”, rather than “off-center”. And there is no contradiction between the golden ratio and the pleasure principle. What a shame, what a disgrace that young men die in unnecessary wars and need to be buried in such numbers and then commemorated for their sacrifice.
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Bumba,
I will edit my text using your comments. These are precious comments as English is not my mother tongue. In fact, I never studied English
A surprisingly large number of artists, including architects, use the golden ratio instinctively.
Many thanks,
Micheline
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Yes. that’s what I meant by ideally off centered.
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Thank you Bumba,
Micheline
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Reblogged this on Ace History2Research News 2014 and commented:
#AH2RN2014
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It’s quite a story.
Thank you and best regards,
Micheline
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A correction to my previous comments: burials at Arlington number at dozens, not thousands a day, and we apologize for the unintended mistake. Given conditions in the world today, however, the fact that we even have a steady daily flow of burials at all, is already an outrage. And for families involved, one is one too many, of course. Thanks
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It didn’t help L’Enfant to be buried at Arlington. He was dead. Far too many people die needlessly. As for those who survive inferno, they have nevertheless been killed. Imagine losing all four limbs. The number of veterans who commit suicide is staggering. Best Wesley, Micheline
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Having properly visited for the first time the capital, last month, taking my son along with it, I concur to its grandiosity in a most meaningful way, as well as its general sense of purpose: all its monuments — and it’s become a city of monuments — tell the overall history of the republic. As tomorrow is the busiest day of the year for visitors of the National Arlington Cemetery, for instance, I just imagine how many will be also visiting it for the first time. While there, visiting the graves of JFK and his family, the crews of the Space Shuttles, and so many distinguished figures of U.S. history, we were told that, even in a slow day, burials number in the thousands, a sobering fact no amount of political meandering and manipulation can hide: the staggering number of people we’re still sending to die for the country, and the enormity of their sacrifice, even when none of the current wars and conflicts the U.S. is involved comes near to those it fought in the past in defense of its Constitution. Thanks for this (and the previous) timely posts, Micheline.
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