Light is an imperative component, which provided symbolic and physical sense in Egypt, gothic France, and the 20th-century architecture. From the Amiens cathedral and the Notre Dame Du Haut the symbolic essence of light is illustrated through the various architectural illustration of the renown buildings. Apart from the 20tth century France and the gothic era, ancient Egypt relied on the depiction of light as a fundamental component, which highlighted essential symbols of the Egyptians. Given the broader importance of light in the three different styles and eras of art, an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of light is essential in understanding the underlying meanings of the various signs, symbols, and representations.
The ancient Egyptians bestowed reverence and respect for the light, an aspect that contributed to their worship of the sun. Given the importance of light within the Egyptian society, the construction of buildings adhered to the stipulated design, which would necessitate an adequate amount of light to penetrate halls and residential buildings within their architectural designs (Shaltout & Belmonte, 2005). In the view, ancient Egyptians considered the presence of light as a sign and symbol of peace, happiness, and harmonious living. For example, the large spacing between pillars to provide a passage for light in the temple of Amon is an invitation of the importance of light as a symbol of peace and harmony.
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"The Symbolic Importance of Light".
Apart from the ancient architectural design of the Egyptian buildings to necessity, the passage of light the Notre Dame du Haut is another building with an architectural structure that depicts the importance of light as both a sign and a symbol. For example, the building has a huge curve made of concrete roofs with hidden columns supporting the main base. Strategically, the architects of the building placed a gap beneath the roof through which a ray of light penetrated into the interior of the main building (Fangi & Pierdicca, 2012). Consequently, eh penetration of light into the main building has provided an expansive scope of lighting within the Notre Dame du Haut.
Apart from the Notre Dame du Haut, the construction of the Amiens Cathedral and the Le Corbusier depict the importance of light, especially in the development of massive hallways. For example, the north stained class and transept provided a broader passage for extensive rays of light to illuminate the main building (Cosgrove, 2012). Similar to the temple of among in Egypt, the illumination within the main hall of the Amiens cathedral and the Le Corbusier affirms the sign and symbolic aspects of light as an aspect of peace, happiness, and harmony.
In conclusion, the architectural designs during ancient Egypt, the gothic era and the 20th century reflects the symbolic importance of light. Specifically the three different periods of structural construction underscore the essence of light as a symbol of peace, harmony, and happiness.
- Cosgrove, D. (2012). Geography and vision: Seeing, imagining, and representing the world (Vol. 12). IB Tauris.
- Fangi, G., & Pierdicca, R. (2012). Notre Dame du Haut by spherical photogrammetry integrated by point clouds generated by multi-view software. International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era, 1(3), 461-479.
- Shaltout, M., & Belmonte, J. A. (2005). On the orientation of ancient Egyptian temples:(1) Upper Egypt and Lower Nubia. Journal for the History of Astronomy, 36(3), 273-298.
