The artists
As we ventured into the city of Barcelona on our first day, we came upon this beautiful plaza. I was snapping pictures when Jim said one of the things he'd seen on the internet were some lampposts designed by a famous architect and he thought these might be them.
Turned out, we were standing on the answer.
If you know anything about Barcelona, and frankly, I didn't, you know about Antoni Gaudi. Or at least you've heard of him.
In the late 1870's, Gaudi received a commission from the City of Barcelona to design new candelabras (lampposts) to light the streets of Barcelona. In June 1878, Gaudi presented his plan and these lampposts were eventually placed on the Pla de Paulau and the Placa Reial (pictured above).
I asked Jan to take our picture in front of the lamppost. I didn't realize until later that the entire lamppost wasn't in the photo . . .
so here's the whole thing.
Antoni Placid Guillem Gaudi i Cornet (25 June 1852 - 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect. Although he worked during the Art Nouveau period, he became famous for his unique designs that went beyond modernism.
His work is prominent throughout Barcelona and this won't be the last time I mention Gaudi in my posts on Barcelona.
I suspect you have probably used this word from time to time . . . gaudy.
gaudy (pronounced: gaw-dee)
1. brilliantly or excessively showy
2. cheaply showy in a tasteless way; flashy
3. ostentatiously ornamented; garish
That's right. That word comes from the name of this architect. Those lampposts above don't give a hint of his most famous works for which we use this common word. More on that later.
Casa Mila' (aka La Pedrera meaning "quarry")
It was built for married couple Rosario Segimon and Pere Mila'. Rosario was the wealthy widow of Jose' Guardioloa, an Indiano, a local term for Catalans returning from the American colonies with tremendous wealth. Her second husband Pere Mila', who commissioned Gaudi to design the house, was ridiculed by residents of Barcelona for his flamboyance and love of money.
Some parts of the house are privately owned, but most of it can be toured. There was a line a mile long so we passed on the tour.
You can see nature in these balcony railings - some of those are insects.
You may have also heard of Joan Miro. Joan Miro i Ferra (20 April 1893 - 25 December 1983) was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. His work has been interpreted as "Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconcious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride". He expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society. I'd said he's pretty unconventional.
Perhaps his most famous painting - Harlequin's Carnival.
This is a mosaic by Joan Miro on the famous street La Rambla.
Dona i Ocell
(Woman and Bird)
This huge imposing sculpture by Joan Miro is in a park dedicated to this artist. I always think of a park as having trees, but in this park, there are no trees.
The Head is a sculpture by American graphic artist Roy Lichtenstein. Just thought it was interesting. Similar theme - American pop artist - in Barcelona. Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) may be most famous for his works in DC Comics.
This painting Whaam! is said to be his most famous.
It's on display at Tate Modern in London.
And in 2005, this Lichtenstein painting, In the Car, sold for $16.2 million. Dhaam!
So, as you can see, Barcelona is quite colorful and showy. Some might even call it . . . gaudy.
No comments:
Post a Comment