The Monument Men and Secrets of the Soul

    

Seeing the Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child sculpture as one of the central pieces saved by the Monuments Men in the movie of the same title thrilled me to death since I did see a similar sculpture, The Pieta,  in my mid twenties when I toured Europe.  

Sacrifices were made by the Monuments Men, including that by Donald Jeffries who died saving this sculpture from the Nazi Colonel Wegner.  Realizing how much they loved the arts as to die for them made me more appreciate this magnificent piece of art and any art I see now when I visit museums.  

Aside from Jeffries, another life was lost in the quest of  the Monument Men to save precious pieces of art that would have been otherwise destroyed by Hitler during WW II.  When asked if Jeffries would have thought his sacrifice was all worth it, George Clooney’s character, Stokes, unequivocally said yes.  Perhaps the quote in the poster above which I found in singing duo Alex and Sierra’s Facebook page can more aptly express why Stokes would have felt passionately so.