I came across this photo of the Genghis Khan memorial in Mongolia, about 30 miles outside the capital city of Ulan Bator. I’ve always been a sucker for statues of epic proportion and I had never heard of this particular one. It’s a pretty amazing image, with Genghis astride his sturdy horse atop a museum, and one can only wonder how it must appear in person in the vast open air of that Mongolian space.
I always am inspired when I see memorials such as this Genghis Khan statue. It makes me want to work on something epic in size or at least push the spirit of my work even harder forward, to think in a bigger way. Grander in thought. Perhaps that is the purpose of such memorials, to expand our horizons and broaden our vision. I know that when I think of some of the other monuments of this proportion, such as the World War II war memorial featuring a sword-wielding Mother Russia near Stalingrad or the Spring Temple Buddha in China (both shown below), that is the feeling that comes to mind. They push me beyond the smallness of my inner self where I often allow myself to retreat in my work. And that is exciting.
So, thanks for the inspiration, Genghis Khan. And you too, Mother Russia and Buddha. I’ll try to be a bigger person.
Redtree Times 