After my last post on Building 1# I thought I would go the opposite way and try a building that has zero personal connection to me, defined very broadly. What better way to do this than a random selection of some kind?
I picked a number at random (17) and then googled ‘List of famous buildings’. I suppose I could have tried ‘List of buildings’ or just ‘buildings’, nonetheless the list I found had 33 entries around the globe and entry number 17 was a great random choice.
If you haven’t yet looked at the list then let me give you a clue. This is a famous building I’ve never visited but is instantly recognisable to most people as it typifies the country where it’s located. It is a creation of rare beauty that commemorates a great love between two people. That might be enough for you.
While I don’t have a personal connection with the building, I did once have a strong link to the country. Many years ago I was born in one of its cities. I didn’t stay very long as my parents moved to a different country when I was two. I’ve never been back, which I realise is an omission I hope to rectify one day. Apart from visiting this famous building, it would be good to see other historical examples of both local and imported architecture - in the latter case, ‘modern’ (for their time) administrative buildings by the British architect Lutyens in the national capital and the French architect Le Corbusier in a regional capital.
The building is of course the Taj Mahal in India (image in the public domain).
What strikes me about this building from just looking at this picture? Firstly its colouring - a pure shade of white, you might say typical of many monumental buildings around the world. But you can also sense a delicate pattern within that colouring and it makes you ask questions about the materials and how they were used. What were they, where did they come from, how were they crafted for this purpose? Secondly I think the symmetry stands out - simple but elegant. You could draw a line down the middle and use a mirror to reflect either half and one assumes do this from three other perspectives as you progress around it. Thirdly for me is the varied elevation of the interplaying components - there is a long high base, six towers of different heights and many sizes of arch, including that produced by the profile of the central dome. This complicates the symmetry, but seemingly not too much - I wonder how it looks when you are lined up with a corner of the base? That’s probably enough for now as my next step would be to visit the site and observe the building from a range of distances and angles - which makes the setting for it important, as well the intricate details of the workmanship once you get very close to it or go inside.
I haven’t provided any historical or socio-economic context for the building, but in my mind it’s already interesting enough to want to see it in person. Of course my choice isn’t really random as I’ve seen many images of the Taj Mahal during my life, including from family who have visited it, and I realise from sheer mass popularity that it’s a special monument. So while the selection process was pure chance, there was an element of serendipity in picking Building 2#.
I love to find buildings I’ve genuinely never seen before and gradually realise how much I appreciate them for their structure or aesthetics or both - I’m lucky that my research has allowed me do this a number of times.
Can I possibly do it for Building 3#?