Tag Archives: exterior

Angles and Curves on A Barcelona Museum

We’re back to coverage from Spain for today’s photo of the day which was taken in front of MACBA — the Museum of Contemporary Barcelona Art.
 

People sitting atop & walking by a low wall in front of MACBA, a contemporary art museum in Barcelona, Spain.


 

This museum is right in the middle of the University of Barcelona district, so it is draped with young people every single day. I’ll have another variation of this museum front facade in a very different kind of mood tomorrow!

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Eggs, Anyone? Dali Can Help!

Walking up the streets of Figueres, Spain on a clear and sunny winter’s day, we came around a corner and were only half way down the block when I saw huge eggs atop a the upper edges of a pinkish-orange building. I laughed and said to Mark, “That has to be the Dali Museum!”

The photos below show the striking and crayon-strong colours of the building and sky on that day. This is the side of the museum where you enter the Dali Jewels Museum.
 

Huge decorative egg shapes alternate with golden statues on pedestals atop the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.


 

Huge decorative egg shapes alternate with golden statues on pedestals atop the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.


 

Closer view of the huge decorative egg shapes & golden statues on pedestals atop the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.


 

Huge decorative egg shapes atop the round tower of the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.


 
I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time I was taking these photos. The whole building just gives off an energy of amusement! And how wonderfully flamboyant are those Academy Award style statues which alternate with the eggs? Genius!

Eggs are a favourite repeating motif of Salvadore Dali. “The egg is another common Dalíesque image. He connects the egg to the prenatal and intrauterine, thus using it to symbolize hope and love.”

The courtyard side below is the main entry into the 6 level (yes, you read that correctly) Dali Theatre Museum. And isn’t the soft colour palette of this more classical facade an interesting contrast to the other side of the building.

Inside the museum there are stairs, some quite steep and circular, and no elevators. So this is definitely not a place for anyone with mobility issues. It was a fascinating place to visit, but after hours and hours of trekking up and down flights of stairs, I have to admit that I was quite exhausted.
 

Front entry of the Salvadore Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.


 

This church tower is directly opposite the Dali Museum entry that you see above. It was the Dali family’s church, Salvadore Dali was baptised here, and it has been reconstructed following severe damage during the Spanish Civil War.

 

St. Pere Church (10th-14th Century) tower directly across from the Salvadore Dali Museum entrance in Figueres, Spain. This was Dali’s family church and he was baptised here.


 

My next post will show you some of the glorious things inside the museum — so come back soon.

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Days Out In Barcelona: Gaudi’s Casa Mila aka La Pedrera – Part 2

Constructed between 1905 to 1910, Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, is an interesting mix of almost futuristic exterior, as seen in yesterday’s rooftop sculptures post, and the very traditional interiors that certainly reflect the time in which the house was built.
 

Mark on the fascinating sculptural rooftop of Casa Mila — La Pedrera.

An example of the custom furniture Antoni Gaudi made is seen in this settee on display in the Casa Mila — La Pedrera.


 
The slide show below may be a surprise to some people who think of Gaudi as an architect of the fantastic and futuristic.

We need to remember that this was a commission for a family home and that the family surrounded themselves with the type of furniture, fabrics, and accessories that would have felt familiar and comfortable in the early years of the 1900s. You even get a tiny peek at the work spaces for the family’s housemaid.

One additional thing to note, this is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and should be high on the list of places to visit in Barcelona for anyone who is interested in the history of architecture.

The pictures begin in the amazing vaulted brick-tile attic space where there are displays of Gaudi’s building miniatures, discussions of his methodology in film segments, and exhibits of his unique furniture and hardware designs.

Enjoy!
 

 


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Barcelona Days Out: Gaudi’s Casa Mila aka La Pedrera

You know you have arrived at one of the more popular tourism sites for art and architecture in Barcelona, Spain when the Barcelona Bus Turistic is parked outside.
 

The Barcelona Bus Turistic parked outside the very popular Casa Mila, better known as La Pedrera, in Barcelona, Spain.


 
Casa Mila — which is also known as La Pedrera — is one of Antoni Gaudi’s most beloved architectural creations. Built as a private residence for the Mila family, there was strong objection to Gaudi’s designs and overt religious symbolism at the time of construction and many of the details had to be scaled back to comply with what the governing board deemed acceptable.

We were lucky enough to tour the rooftop area during one of the two ‘golden light’ periods of the day, just before dusk. Although we were jostled constantly by other tourists, I did manage to get several good shots that weren’t cluttered with people.

 


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A visual link to Gaudi’s masterpiece church, the Sagrada Familia, is available from the rooftop view from Casa Mila – La Pedrera in Barcelona.


 

My next article will be on the interior of the building including the period furnishings that are in place and the architectural details that Gaudi designed. This building is still lived in on several floors, so although the museum floors of the Casa Mila are open to the paying public, many other places are private and only for the use of the residents.

Hope you are enjoying these glimpses of Barcelona!

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Amazing Architectural Details in Barcelona

Jostled by fast moving lunch-time pedestrians, I felt compelled to ignore the annoyed stares of people walking by and simply stand my ground for a tiny minute as I shot these photos. These carvings were around the entry door of the urban gothic style Casa Amatller, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. This elegant building is right next door to Gaudi’s Casa Batlli (photo essay coming up in another article) on Passeig de Gràcia in the district of Barcelona known as Eixample. This particular block is also known as Illa de la Discòrdia — a reference to the radically different and, at the time, quite controversial style of Modernista architecture.
 

Sculptural element on front facade of Casa Amatller in Barcelona, Spain


 

Sculptural element on front facade of Casa Amatller in Barcelona, Spain


 

Sculptural element on front facade of Casa Amatller in Barcelona, Spain


 

This is a particularly stunning part of Barcelona and should be high on the list of ‘must see’ locations when visiting this vibrant and diverse city.

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Picture Of The Day: What Is This Person?

Is it an allusion to a medieval woman with one of those pointed hats and trailing veil that they wore during those times? Is it an alien with a pointy head? Or is it simply some kind of tribal artwork?

The statue below was spotted in the cobblestone square ringed by shops that lies directly opposite the massive fortified chateau (castle) in Fougeres in northern France. It stood over 6 feet tall and, unfortunately, the shop that was selling it was closed for the day. I guess they trusted that no one would just carry it away overnight.

 

Curious wooden sculpture in a square in Fougeres in northern France.

 

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Posted on 21 June 2011

Sunless Edinburgh Sunday

The semi-permanent gray of the Edinburgh skies merged with the soot-tinged stone buildings that comprise much of the city and formed a subdued winter palette for my photography. Some find the colour tones of this city to be too somber for their taste. I find it soothing. And when there is a bright spot, whether it is provided by nature or the paintbrush, it stands out all the more against the blackened stone.

Leith street scene

The dinosaurs were waiting at the end of Constitution Street. Three hulking cranes, long abandoned and now a residence for pigeons, stood with arms raised high into the slate-gray skies. We had followed the sound of seagulls until we discovered the less prosperous part of the harbour and the detritus of its former glory days.

Abandoned cranes at Leith waterside

On we went, hoping for more inspirational things to view than that particularly derelict harbour area and our patience was rewarded. A mere few blocks on we discovered a canalside area with former industrial buildings turned into apartments, restaurants and pubs, open-air sculpture, and scenes reminiscent of Amsterdam with canal boats pulled up alongside the walkway and bicycles chained out front. Charming!

Canalside in Leith

We had walked for hours and a light, misty rain began to touch our cheeks. Time for a restorative tea break! And after peeking into window after window on our stroll back up Constitution Street toward the house, we chose a cafe named Rock Salt and settled in to rest our legs and warm our bodies.

Rock Salt Cafe interior

Time to end for now and edit some photos for GreenWorks. I’m hoping to have a sneak peek at the promotional artwork that I am designing for them in the next day or so. Bye for now!

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