Power and Authority in Architectural Structures

Power and Authority in Architectural Structures

By

Christina L. Feldbauer

11/23/2013

Art 100: Introduction to Art History

Professor Serena Potter

Architecture is a unique aspect to art, which can tell us about when it was built or designed from looking at its design of the building. Architectural structures cannot convey power and authority within a culture, but the decorative design that is used on the buildings is what conveys power and authority. An analysis of two well-known works of architectural structures from different cultures can show us if they do symbolize power and authority. I think that the architectural structures are built to house the people who have the power and authority. To understand how power and authority can be conveyed in the architectural work of culture, we have to explore each culture and it history to understand how they symbolize power and authority, analyze the design of the structure and what was the purpose of the structure within each culture. The architectural structures that will be looked at are the Palace of Versailles, also known as the Chateau de Versailles, and the Taj Mahal.

During the 16th and 17th centuries there is a divide between the different levels of society in France. Most French families would try to keep power or gain power by marrying into other families that had more power than they did. Nobles are able to have a coat of arms while commoners are not. In France, both nobles and commoners could have works of art or beautiful design elements that could show how much power the family had. This is similar to how the architectural design of a building can show about the age of a building and its design elements can tell us if there were nobles or commoners that resided there. The Palace Versailles is a well-known architectural structure that can be found in France. It was the hunting ground for Louis XIII, and when Louis XIV took over he wanted to move the government to Versailles. The Palace of...