The July 1921 edition of Granite Marble and Bronze featured the Sharlow memorial. Each month this publication showcases several memorials the editorial staff believe provides a good example of this art form.
In the case of the Sharlow memorial, the author talks about “The Eloquence of Simplicity in Design” explaining further how the memorial contains two rosettes, the name and inscriptions and a field of unembellished granite.
“To be sure, we must remember the profile, the grace and interest of outline – and here we have the key which so many lose. It is not the enrichment, the elaboration which alone give design or studied beauty to a work of art. Form is the supreme avenue of expression in architecture and ornament is but a detail – a subordinate complement.”
The Sharlow memorial can be found in Woodlawn Cemetery, which is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City. Located in the Bronx, it’s designated a National Historic Landmark. Woodlawn first opened during the Civil War and is a notable resting place for some well-known figures including Otto Preminger, Duke Ellington, F.W. Woolworth, Rowland Hussey Macy, George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, and Miles Davis.
The page as it appeared in the July 1921 edition of Granite Marble and Bronze can be found here: Sharlow Memorial.