Le Mont Palatin 1958

Charles Lapicque painted “Le Mont Palatin” with oil on canvas. What strikes me most are the columns: ancient symbols of power, law, and beauty. Consider the columns of ancient Greece, supporting temples to the gods, or the triumphal columns erected by Roman emperors to celebrate their victories. In both cases, the column is a symbol of order and civilization. Yet, these forms are always changing. The columns here, abstracted and rendered in unconventional colors, evoke a sense of the past while simultaneously challenging our traditional notions of classical beauty. This artistic dance is much like our own memories – constantly shifting and evolving, influenced by both conscious thought and subconscious desires. The image of the column, therefore, is a powerful mnemonic device, a potent symbol that engages us on a deep psychological level. It whispers to us of past glories and forgotten empires, of the cyclical nature of history. And so the column resurfaces, transformed yet familiar, in the works of Lapicque, bearing witness to the enduring power of symbols to shape our understanding of the world.