Why was the Vietnam Memorial wall so controversial?
Why was the Vietnam Memorial wall so controversial?
Opposition to design and compromise The selected design was very controversial, in particular, its unconventional design, its black color and its lack of ornamentation. Some public officials voiced their displeasure, calling the wall “a black gash of shame.” Two prominent early supporters of the project, H.
What was the controversy with Maya Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial?
Vietnam veteran Tom Cathcart was among those objecting to the memorial’s black hue, which he said was “the universal color of shame and sorrow and degradation.” Other critics thought Lin’s V-shaped design was a subliminal anti-war message that imitated the two-finger peace sign flashed by Vietnam War protestors.
Why was the memorial controversial?
The design aroused a great deal of controversy, reflecting the lack of resolution of the national conflicts over the war as well as the lack of consensus over what constituted an appropriate memorial at the end of the 20th century.
How many soldiers are on the Vietnam Wall?
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America’s honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Inscribed on the black granite walls are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing.
How does the Vietnam War Memorial differ from previous war memorials?
While the wall points toward both the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, gently acknowledging past forms of memorial, the VVM is designed not with looming pillars of white granite, but instead “is not visible until one is almost upon it, and if approached from behind seems to disappear into the landscape” ( …
What was the controversy about the Vietnam Wall?
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial The controversy about the wall reflected America’s feelings at that time regarding our involvement in Vietnam.
Why is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial so controversial?
It’s the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and since 1982, it has commemorated military personnel who died or were declared missing in action during their Vietnam War service. The moment plans for the memorial were unveiled, it was clear the structure would be immediately recognizable—and controversial.
Who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?
This 21-Year-Old College Student Designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Maya Lin won a design competition—and sparked a national controversy. You’ve probably seen it: the simple black walls that emerge from the peaceful Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C., the more than 58,000 half-inch-high names inscribed on the granite.
What does the Vietnam Veterans Memorial look like?
By now, we are so accustomed to its visual rhetoric—the polished black granite, the lists of names, the horizontal positioning—that to think of these components as anything but standard practice takes an act of real imagination. Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1981–82. Washington, D.C. Aerial view.
