Art Deco is the incarnation of civilizational energy—the spirit of Achilles and Tesla in architectural form.
The ultimate style for high civilization...
Kenneth Clarke said:
“Vigour, energy, vitality: all the civilizations—or civilizing epochs—have had a weight of energy behind them.”
Art Deco embodies this vitality.
He claimed civilization had 3 enemies:
"First of all fear — fear of war, fear of invasion, fear of plague and famine, that make it simply not worthwhile constructing things, or planting trees or even planning next year’s crops."
Does this look fearful to you?
Art Deco often features exotic materials, such as ebony and ivory, and exquisite craftsmanship.
The fruits of a culture unafraid to try new things.
The next enemy is a lack of self-confidence. A culture regrets its past, stifling its ability to progress.
Art Deco's blocky, muscular designs show a civilization secure yet determined. Its aura is simultaneously ancient and futuristic.
A timeless spirit of crushing grandeur.
So many Art Deco designs look like they could be 5,000 years old. It's an artistic style that appreciates a civilization's past.
Finally Clarke warns against exhaustion:
"the feeling of hopelessness which can overtake people even with a high degree of material prosperity."
Art Deco's imagery is all about vitalism. God-like men, exalted maidens, mythical beasts—dreams of a civilization with a vision.
Art Deco embodies faith in social and technological progress.
It fosters a belief that the best is yet to come.
We need to be Art-Deco-maxing as a civilization.
It's the architectural style of a people who've triumphed—and aren't done yet.
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Before GPS, navigating the open ocean was a dangerous, uncertain adventure that often ended in disaster.
Yet early explorers sailed the ocean blue long before modern technology made it easy—how did they do it?
Early navigation was crude and borderline divination.
In Indo-Pacific island chains, short migratory voyages relied on the bird signs, tell-tale ocean swells, and positions of heavenly bodies. Songs, stories, and star charts stored navigational knowledge for the next generation
Navigation of open waters increased one’s power in trade and war. If you could move farther and faster, you could not only grow your coffers, but also strike your enemies in places previously impossible.
Mastery of the open ocean was a strategic advantage.
The design of a cathedral is theologically based and instructive in the faith. Though beautiful, its construction is not arbitrary—it wasn’t arranged simply to look pretty.
The layout, artwork, statues, and stained glass windows all serve an edifying purpose🧵
The plan of a cathedral is cruciform in shape and is usually oriented eastward—ad orientum. Worshippers face the rising sun, a daily reminder of Christ’s resurrection.
The north and south transepts or “arms” represent Christ’s right and left hands on the cross.
The entrance at the West end corresponds with His feet; one enters at the foot of the cross and proceeds upward as they approach the altar.
The layout is divided into three parts: the narthex/vestibule for catechumens, the nave for laymen, and the sanctuary for clergy.
In the 19th-century, America believed it had a divine mission to expand westward.
Rooted in American exceptionalism, this idea was known as Manifest Destiny.
It inspired settlers—and soldiers—to "spread democracy" to the ends of the earth🧵
The term “manifest destiny” first appeared in an article by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan in 1845.
O'Sullivan, described as "always full of grand and world-embracing schemes," used the phrase in the midst of the ongoing Oregon boundary dispute with Britain.
He wrote it was America’s destiny to control North America:
“And that claim is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty…”
Christianity conquered Rome—not only spiritually and politically, but architecturally, too. Some of the most iconic churches in the world used to be pagan temples.
Here’s how they were transformed🧵 (thread)
In the early centuries after Christ, Christianity rapidly expanded throughout the Roman empire. Paganism receded, leaving temples without a clear purpose.
At the end of the 4th century, Theodosius I closed them by decree.
Though Christians often chose locations of martyrs’ deaths for their churches like "Saint Paul Outside the Walls," the empty temples of Rome’s defeated pantheon were prime real estate for prospective church builders.
Alexander Hamilton argued in 1787 that the United States should resemble an elective monarchy.
It might sound like heresy to modern Americans, but his idea had some merit.
Here’s how it would’ve worked🧵
Hamilton gave a long and impassioned speech at the constitutional convention in favor of his position, nevertheless it was resoundingly voted down in favor of the presidential system the US has today.
But what did Hamilton advocate for exactly?
A Revolutionary army captain who fought fiercely against the British, Hamilton was actually sympathetic to the British system of government.
Specifically, he admired its strong monarch, and his proposed system was likely influenced by his understanding of Britain’s government.
Zoom in on this map—what parts of the world can you identify?
(hint: it’s upside down)
It’s called the Fra Mauro Map, and it shows the entire world according to a 15th-century monk.
It was a huge leap forward in western cartography, changing how map-making was done…🧵
The history of maps goes way back to the Paleolithic era.
One of the earliest known maps is a carved mammoth tusk thought to depict a mountain, river, and travel routes in modern-day Czech Republic. It dates to about 25,000 BC.
But it’s not very detailed or clear is it?
In ancient Babylonia, cartography techniques were greatly improved with the introduction of surveying techniques.
One map from the 13th century BC shows walls and buildings in the holy city of Nippur. This map is clear and usable.