Vestingplattegrond van Pézenas 1638

This is an anonymous vesting map of Pézenas. The drawing is dominated by a fortress in striking pink, sharply contrasting with the softer, muted greens and blues of the surrounding landscape. The composition divides the world into zones—the structured, defended space of the city, opposed to the natural, flowing river and checkered fields. This juxtaposition isn’t merely descriptive; it stages a power dynamic. The vivid colour and sharp geometry of the city walls draw the eye, framing the city as a site of human control, ordered against the asymmetry of nature. The semiotic system at play here uses colour and line to communicate authority and order. The map isn't just representing space but defining it through its visual language, asserting a particular vision of power and control. Notice how the frame, with its careful delineation, reinforces this sense of containment and imposed order.