Flags and Architecture from Vexillology

Abstract

The contemporary expansion of flags to various uses and on various supports has generated new challenges to legal instruments and to vexillology, a relatively recent scientific discipline. Giant images of national flags painted over buildings surfaces and sculptures have been quite questionable. The present work had as objectives, to elucidate, from vexillology, the relevance of stamping permanent images of national flags on buildings, and the conflict when using them as artistic criteria in architectural forms and sculptural works. Theoretical methods of bibliographic searches and historical analysis of previous cases were used. Research results have revealed that there are not vexillological rules, nor legal requirements, to govern the use of national flags images over solid supports. It is concluded that appropriate regulations should be elaborated to avoid undesirable results in architecture and other solid surfaces.