Barcelona, Gaudi and Colour
October 22, 2011
This just illustrates how a bit of colour and imagination can make even the most mundane object interesting!
I went to Barcelona earlier this Autumn with some girlfriends, and was completely bowled over. I think I must be the last person I know to go, so forgive me if you know all about Gaudi, but he has had such an impact on me that I can't stop thinking about his creations. Every time I drive past the Surrey towers in Addlestone ( ugly tower blocks) I can't help thinking what a difference Gaudi would have made!!
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) is considered the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism and Art Nouveau in Europe. 'Madman or genius, time will tell' according to Rogent, historical architect. Genius as far as I am concerned.
Most of you will know of his Sagrada Familia, a 'church', the size of a football field with 18 towers, that he devoted 42 years of his life to, and it is still under construction now.
This is the Natvity facade which tells the story of Jesus' childhood and adolescence. I have got many more pictures of the Sagrada Familia but I am sure you all have them too.
Gaudi was a bit Da Vinci esque in that his architecture used all sorts of ingenious techniques to use natural resources to their best advantage. The Palace Guell has an early approach to net curtains - the wrought iron gates have an intricate design which allows you to see out from inside but you cannot see in, rooms are organised in the buildings so the rooms where you spend mornings are South facing and evenings are west facing, and in the Casa Batllo the attic fulfils the function of a thermal regulator.
What has influenced me most though is his use of colour.
These show his internal courtyard in the Casa Batllo. The tiles at the bottom are light blue and as they go up they get darker to reflect the fact that the light increases as you go further up. Also the windows on each floor get smaller as you go up as they do not want to let in too much light at the top whereas more light is needed further down.
His use of colourful mosaics is amazing.
Colourful chimneys on top of Casa Batllo
Embellishment at Pala Guell
Parc Guell.
Also I just love the stained glass windows he uses in all his buildings. I picked this one in particular because he seems to use all the colours of the rainbow which I too have used in my jewellery designs.
This is one of the spectacular windows in the Sagrada Familia.
I can make a necklace and earrings to go with this design. It has proved to be one of my most popular pieces.
Barcelona has everything you could want - spectacular architecture, great weather, a beach, great shops, an olympic stadium, numerous art galleries, paella and tapas. What more do you need? I have to say though I did struggle with the fact that I cannot speak any Spanish at all. I can at least make myself understood in French. I now have a well thumbed Spanish tourist guide with essential vocabulary at the back!!
The photographs in this blog were taken by one of my companions, Karen who is a budding David Bailey. Thanks Karen.
The following are more colourful pictures from the famous food market off Las Ramblas.
Posted by Gill Connolly.
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