Abstract

The visual persuasiveness or impact of architecture is the consequence of the architect’s deliberate use of elements of design such as line, scale, site, color, ornament, acoustics, mass, and the like. Cathedrals in general, and English cathedrals in particular, offer good case studies to illustrate the use of elements of architecture to impact and influence viewers. This paper assesses the architecture of cathedrals at Salisbury, Bath, York, Durham, Oxford, London, and elsewhere as visual persuasion. It considers the discursive elements of visual persuasion, such as portal sculptures, as well as the nondiscursive elements such as light and site in this evaluation.