Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris c. 20th century

Curator: This delicate pencil drawing, housed here at Harvard, is Kenneth John Conant's study of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Editor: It’s breathtaking, but spectral. It feels more like a memory than a solid structure, especially knowing its more recent history. Curator: The towers dominate, emblems of faith reaching towards something beyond, an aspiration mirrored in countless cultural expressions across centuries. Editor: Right, and cathedrals like this are monuments to power, reflecting religious authority, and sometimes, oppression. The painstaking detail almost obscures that. Curator: Yet, the precision captures the enduring human drive to create meaning, to literally build our beliefs into the landscape. Editor: Perhaps. I see a fragility now, a reminder that even the most imposing structures can be vulnerable, and their symbolism can be complex, even contradictory. Curator: A poignant reminder of our shared history, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely, and of the stories we continue to project onto these architectural icons.