Macros, on 16 April 2019 - 05:26 AM, said:
Over the years passive restoration would have left it like Triggers broom
This. For one, it's not like we have lost the ability to create with our hands. But more importantly, most of what was lost was exterior, and the exterior of gothic cathedrals is highly susceptible to the elements, which is why you hardly ever see one without scaffolding around some part of it. As I already said, once you're done with one side, you usually can start right over on the other. The majority of the beautiful detail work on the outside has probably already been replaced at least once.
I am very sad that the so called timber forest in the ceiling has been lost, which was still the original one. But my sadness stems from my love of art and history, not any personal attachment to a building I've seen once in person. Most gothic cathedrals look pretty much the same if one wants to take selfies. Last night I was so tired of and angry at people making it all about themselves. We did not see this kind narcissism when the national museum in Brazil burned down last year. I guess it wasn't worth the sentimental bleeting when thousands of artifacts and historical documents were actually lost. And nobody was right away like "Thus haaaas to be terrorism".
Cause, on 16 April 2019 - 09:00 AM, said:
This is going to sound harsh, but I believe that a lot of the reactions are learned sentimentality. I would not think that hadn't I seen just as much ignorance about Notre Dame as I saw "me me me" tweets and posts. There are so many gothic cathedrals our there but this one has been shoved under our noses as this eternal symbol of romance (which it wasn't even in Hugo's book, btw) that this has become the only thing people know about it. Has anyone cared one dot about the Pieta? Well, I didn't see any tweets about that. It was all "oh mah feelz". My mother reacted the same way. People are mourning a symbol of what they think Notre Dame is, without any real emotional attachment to the building itself. Not everyone of course, I am just commenting on these particular kinds of reactions.