Architectural symbology

I was sorting through my snapshots from Europe, Paris specifically, and something caught my attention. It's amazing how many the various architectural feats of the city represent the power of different aspects of culture and humanity.


Notre Dame (or any cathedral in Europe for that matter); the power of religion (or maybe just belief in a higher being) to drive people to build such enormous, such detailed structures, literally for generations. With no safety nets. Or in many cases electricity.


The Eiffel Tower; the power of science and engineering, and a good dose of pride and ambition to blatantly show off at the World Fair. Imagine building such an enormous structure, with the intent of it only being temporary.


The Statue of Liberty (the smaller version in Paris made me think of the one gifted by the French that now stands in New York); the power of the drive and desire for freedom from oppression. The power of possibility.


The Louvre; this is perhaps the most intriguing. The building itself, with it's old stone and new glass, it has always been a battle. The current generation of traditional Parisians claim that the pyramids are, "a scar on the face of Paris." That's the same thing people said about the gargoyles a hundred years ago. Perhaps this one is the power of innovation. Of imagination. Of art. So much space, and so many beautiful buildings, dedicated to the preservation and presentation of art. Histories told (and mis-told) through the expression of individuals. The power of those willing to express, to push boundaries, to record.