Gezicht op de faculteit voor geneeskunde van de universiteit van Barcelona before 1890

Hauser y Menet’s photograph captures the imposing facade of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Barcelona. The building's design, dominated by neoclassical columns, speaks to a lineage of power and knowledge harking back to ancient Greece and Rome. These columns, in their stoic formation, are not merely architectural; they echo the temples of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. Columns have been a recurring motif through different eras, each time mirroring an aspiration to connect the present with a revered past. Consider the Renaissance, where columns were revived to symbolize a rebirth of classical ideals. The enduring presence of these forms in various contexts illustrates how collective memory uses visual symbols to bridge temporal gaps. The image, therefore, stirs a complex web of associations linked to health, learning, and historical continuity, engaging viewers with the weight of history. The cyclical journey of this symbol underscores its adaptive resilience, perpetually adopting new meanings while retaining echoes of its origins.