Schets voor een monument 1800 - 1900

Eugène Lacomblé sculpted this clay sketch for a monument. The unfinished quality of the piece allows us to see how it reflects the era of nation-building and military expansion. The figure, in military garb, is a symbol of power and authority, yet the missing arms could suggest vulnerability or the incompleteness of any such representation. It makes me think about the historical and cultural context in which this work was made. How do we memorialize individuals, and who gets remembered? How do traditional representations of power intersect with the realities of human experience? Monuments are of course supposed to remind us, teach us, but do they? This sketch invites us to question traditional narratives and to consider the emotional weight of history. What does it mean to monumentalize a figure, especially within a history marked by conflict and inequality?