Gabriela Linares Prof.

Tomas Burke Scholar: Beauty & Cultures 21 November 2010 Pride for Your Cultures Very Own Tourist Attraction or Not? If youre going to Sydney, Australia you must see the Sydney Opera House. If you go to New York City, dont forget to see the Statue of Liberty. When youre in China, you must visit the Great Wall.

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All of these cultural sites are popular tourist attractions because a vast majority of people deem them interesting and beautiful. Tourists are fascinated by the history and aesthetics of sites like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal, and the London Bridge. They admire the architecture and craftsmanship. They enjoy the detail and precision. And because these popular sites attract so much attention, they are often the pride of the countries and cultures they are derived from. The Statue of Liberty is an iconic symbol of New York City and the United States. The London Clock Tower is depicted on souvenirs everywhere. However, there are some tourist attractions that are not always enjoyed by its people. Similarly, sometimes the theories introduced by Anne Sheppard in her book Aesthetics: An Introduction into the Philosophy of Art and Peter Zumthors Thinking Architecture are not always proved when looking at such tourist sites. To explain this concept I will use the Roman Coliseum of Italy and the Golden Pavilion of Kyoto, Japan. The history and architecture of the Roman Coliseum contribute vastly to its popularity and beauty. Although the original architect is unknown, it is fairly well accepted that the Roman Coliseums architecture is one of the best construction in Italy, if not all of Europe. The concept

of its achievement is remarkable, in that it was completed nearly two thousand years ago, without todays innovative tools and machinery. The Coliseum is of classic Roman architecture with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian style and detail. It was also built with a combination of materials including, concrete foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades, tufa infill for the lower floors, brick faced concrete for the upper floors, and wood (Colosseum). Below the wooden floors were a set of complex passageways and rooms for the gladiators to rest before their performance and to hold the wild animals they would battle. Eighty walls surround the Coliseum floor in the shape of a large ellipse (Colosseum). It had four original floors with many staircases, archways and tall doors (Pillai). Originally named the Flavian Amphitheater, the Coliseum is also admired for its extreme efficiency. It is said that the all the 50,000 seats could be emptied in a matter of five minutes through the staircases and ramps (Colosseum and Pillai). The arrangement of seats was separated by class and social standing. For example, the poor, single women and servants sat in the lower levels with wooden seats. Royalty, couples, men, and the rich sat in the higher comfortable seats. However, no view was ever obstructed. (History). The Coliseum was built for many reasons. First, to demonstrate the Roman Empires wealth after its conquering expansion. Secondly, to provide entertainment for the Roman people, of all classes, and keep them satisfied with the rulers self-spending habits. Lastly, it was created to honor the gods and the Romans idea of honorable death with the gladiator games. (Pillai). Unfortunately, stones from the Coliseum were taken for new, more necessary building later on.

Despite being half-present, the Coliseum is a major tourist attraction and pride of the Roman people. The Roman Coliseum was the pride of Roman Empire during the gladiator games. It was purposefully built in the center of the city (at the time) and constructed as the biggest and tallest building in the city (Pillai). Nearly 5 million people visit the Roman Coliseum every year (Visiting). Many take tours inside, to view the chambers, seats, ramps and all. Thousands gather to learn the history. It is also still a symbol of pride for the Italian, and even entire European people. The Coliseum is imprinted on the five-cent Euro coin (Pillai). It is still considered one of the greatest architectural feats of Italy, Europe and the World as well. The Roman Coliseum fits into a number of Sheppardian and Zumthorian theories. The first of which is Sheppards theory of form. According to Sheppard we admire works of art, including architecture because they follow a common and accepted form. The Roman Coliseum is the essence of most architecture today. Because it follows classical Roman architecture, which is the basis of many forms of modern architecture, it established the form of classical architecture. The Roman Coliseum was the first example of an amphitheater and stadium, and therefore the inspiration for many sports arenas and stadiums. Another on of Sheppards theories that applies to the Coliseum is the theory of intentions and expectations. The amphitheater was created to provide entertainment for all the people of Rome. Although seats were separated by class all classes were able to attend and none had an constructed view of the entertainment. In the same way, Zumthors theory of a buildings purpose can also apply. Zumthor believed that the most beautiful buildings fulfilled a specific purpose and were efficient. All 50,000 seats

could be emptied in a matter of five minutes, a feat rarely accomplished in modern day arenas. This extreme efficiency would be very pleasing to Zumthor. On the other hand, Zumthor also explains that a beautiful building is one that fits into its surroundings. This massive building however does not. It was created to show the wealth of the Roman Empire and was originally in the center of the city. Therefore, it was perfectly intended to not fit-in. Yet it is still widely considered beautiful. Although perhaps not as widely iconic, the Japanese Golden Temple of Kyoto, also known as Kitaymaden, is also a popular tourist destination due to its interesting history and beauty. In the 1220s the Golden Pavilion was a retirement villa for a wealthy noble. Later a Shogun acquired it and attempted to make the entire Pavilion incredibly beautiful and breathtaking by creating the entire second and third floor walls covered in Gold Leaf. When the Shogun died, he left explicit instruction that the Golden Pavilion be turned into a Zen temple (Pavilion). The first floor, the Chamber of Dharma, I s constructed in the original palace-style design. Originally, the large room and veranda were used by the Shogun as a reception hall. The second floor,floor is known as the Hall of Roaring Waves, is built in the Buke-zukuri style, which is common in Samurai houses. This floor was used private appointments with dignitaries. The smaller third floor, the Firament Top, was influenced by Chinese Zen temples. This floor was used for the Shoguns tea ceremonies and to entertain friends (Kinkakuji). Unfortunately, not all of Japans people were thrilled by the elaborate construction of the Golden Temple. In July of 1950, a young monk and university student burned the original

temple to the ground because it was too beautiful. Fortunately, it was rebuilt in 1955 in even grander splendor (Fantastic). Now, the top two floors are covered in 105 pounds of gold leaf, both inside and out (Kinkakuji). Although it is difficult to argue that the Golden Temple is not beautiful, there is some merit in the young monks actions. Japanese culture, especially Buddhist culture in which the temple is used for, simplicity is key. Additionally, the argument that the temple will eventually reach sabi, or rust and age, is strongly debated since its glamorous exterior would take many years to even begin to rust. On the other hand however, the Golden temple does adhere to other Japanese and Buddhist ideals. For example, the concept of selfcultivation, or ways of (tea, painting, dancing, etc.) are exhibited by the temple si nce it was built for prayer, tea ceremonies, religious meetings, meditation and more. Most importantly, the primary concept of constant change is highly valued. This unique Japanese construction was a change in Japanese architecture. Therefore, in accordance to his teachings, the young monk could have just accepted the temples unique beauty.
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The Golden Temple can also be applied to some of Sheppard and Zumthors theories of beauty. Sheppards theory of expression is most notably applied to the purpose of creating the temple. The shogun wanted the temple to symbolize the essence of the Buddhist religion and be ideal for Buddhist ceremonies and practices. In this same way, Zumthors theory of purpose can be applied to the three separate floors. Each floor has a designated purpose with the necessary space and equipment inside. Each floor was created and arranged to fulfill specific tasks, ceremonies and practices according to the Buddhist faith. On the other hand however, the fact that some disagree with the buildings elaborate construction applies to Sheppards idea of critics, interpretation and evaluation. It is within this that Sheppard allows for the concept of beauty to

be most subjective. She explains that although someone considered in high regard or expertise may deem something beautiful not everyone will agree. This is most obvious in the story of the monk, who after learning the ideals of Buddhism saw the elaborate temple as too beautiful and not suitable to the Buddhist traditional beauty. Additionally, another one of Zumthors theories explains that a building is most beautiful when it fits in naturally with its surroundings. However, the elaborate gold leaf makes the Golden temple completely stand out from its completely natural surroundings. All of this however can still be considered beautiful. The idea that these two buildings are popular cannot be questioned. Thousands of tourists come to see both buildings every year. They are considered quite beautiful. Although this may not solely be evaluated according to Zumthors or Sheppards theories they are still considered remarkable sites. Their history adds to their beauty and they are considered timeless representations of their cultures. Most importantly, their history, construction and moral value demonstrate the concept of beautys subjectivity. Additionally, an analysis of the two building shows the similarities and differences in the two cultures. Therefore demonstrating that architecture, art and overall beauty are universal.

Works Cited Golden Pavillion. Japanese Lifestyle. Japanese Lifestyle, October 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010 Japanese Aesthetics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Graham Parkes, 2005. Web. 19 Nov. 2010 Kinkakuji. Destination 360. Destination 360, 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010 Pillai, Maya. Roman Coliseum Facts. Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Roman Colosseum. Great Buildings. Architecture Week, 1994-2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Roman Colosseum. UNRV History. United Nation of Roma Victrix, 2003-2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Sheppard, Anne. Aesthetics: An Introductory to the Philosophy of Art. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. 1987 The Golden Pavillion: Ancient Japan Meets Goldfinger. Fantastic Japan:Travel and Vacation Guide. Fantastic Japan, 2009-2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010 Visiting the Roman Colosseum. Roman Empire and Colosseum. Roman Colosseum, 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2010 Zumthor, Peter. Thinking Architecture. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser Verlag G. 2006.