Thursday, July 4, 2013

Barcelona: You Took my Breath Away

You can't go to Barcelona without running into the work of the architect, Antoni Gaudí. In design terms, he was definitely at the mad scientist end of the spectrum.

If you wanted something Neo-classical with crisp, straight lines, he was not the guy to ask. He specialised in wonky.  Here are  a couple of apartment blocks he designed.





He also designed a housing park called Park Güell, that was a big flop during his time but now is a little too popular for my liking.

The shapes are like something out of the Flintstones.





I'm not the first person to discover this place.
















He also designed a delightful little chapel called the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. The Sagrada Familia is one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen.

It's hard to photograph, because it's so massive it won't fit in the image.



Begun in 1882, it remains incomplete (bloody unions!). Construction was halfway complete in 2010.



For the interior, Gaudi used natural shapes. The light is beautiful.



















3 comments:

Mary said...

Fantastic photos - brings back memories. Also, you covered a lot of ground in three days!

Grant said...

Wow - stunning pics Jim - don't see that sort of architecture in little ol Christchurch...

Aud N Brian said...

James, your blog is a work of art. I love it! Aud