Discovery Art&History Presents: Barcelona

in #discovery-it5 years ago (edited)

Discovery-it Art&History


#5
07/11/2018 | edited by @Discovery-it Art&History

Barcelona


Dear readers and friends, here we are now at the fifth edition of the section Art & History of Discovery-it.
One week from the time travel back to the first Gothic cathedrals construction, with this release we arranged an interesting day trip to the enchanted Catalan metropolis, the beautiful and modernist Barcelona!
Today renowned for mundane life and for one of the best football teams on the planet, this city has been, but still is, the cradle of intense cultural activity, already become history and forge of amazing architectural styles, which every day leave breathless thousands of tourists.
You will discover a basilica built by the fourteenth-century Barcelonese dockers hands, the famous and unfinished Sagrada Familia, Neo-Gothic cathedral rich in Masonic symbolism that has become the city's emblem, as well as the luxurious public and private buildings created by the brilliant minds of leading local architects, among which the famous Antoni Gaudì, who make Barcelona unique in its kind.
You will be guided by an exceptional trio of girls, who will take you by the hand through the streets of a (non) capital to be discovered.
What are you waiting for then, let's go! VAMOS, Indeed!
Or better yet ... ANEM!
Let’s cross Catalonia gates…



Catalan modernism and the Hospital of Sant Pau

At the beginning of 1900 the city of Barcelona had an exceptional period of economic and cultural flowering that radically changed the socio-economic position of the bourgeoisie, that become the ruling class. On an artistic level this caused a wave of patronage aimed at financing various kinds of art, urban and private architecture, giving rise, among the other things, to the birth of numerous projects for the construction of homes that are a real work of art. It is the period of Art Nouveau and Modernism; the Catalan architects did not remain immune to the charm of the main European currents, from which they drew inspiration in favour of the Catalan movement of the Noucentisme, competing in the development of refined and noble-looking buildings, decorated with floral facades, stained glass windows and wrought iron in Art Nouveau style. In the city of Barcelona it is possible to admire most of these houses simply walking through the Eixample, one of the largest and most important neighbourhoods of the city (Barrio).
In addition, the so-called "Quadrat d'or of the Eixample", a veritable open-air museum that winds its way through the elegant streets of the district, where you can see the works of famous artists, first of all Antoni Gaudì, creator of the spectacular “Casa Batllò” and “Casa Milà” (la Pedrera), a short distance from each other along the Passeig de Gràcia. Although partly obscured by the genius of Gaudi, other artists tried to design buildings that embellish the streets of the Eixample, including Lluís Domenech i Montaner (Casa Lleó Morera); Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Casa Amatller), Antoni Gallissà y Domenech (Taller de El Castell dels Tres Dragons). Moreover, the architects of Catalan modernism did not limit themselves to creating the structural part of the building, but designed every element of the dwellings: furniture, decorations, glasses, tiles, ceramic, wood or wrought iron work, bringing these workers to astonishing levels of excellence and achieving a fantastic integration of the arts.
Inside the Eixample, on the border with Guinardò, in front of the Sagrada Familia and connected to it by the Avvinguda de Gaudì, there is one of the most important works of Catalan modernism in Barcelona: the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau. This masterpiece, designed by the genius of architect Lluís Domenech i Montaner and declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, was born as an hospital complex and remained in operation until 2009, when the sanitary unit was transferred to another building.
The Recinte, still under renovation and restoration, is partially open to visitors and leaves open-mouthed for the quantity and beauty of its decorations, mosaics, ceramics, sculptures and for the colourful and oriental style similar to the style of Palau of Mùsica Catalana, a daughter of Domenech i Montaner. The main principle of the Catalan architect was to build a structure not only functional, but also able to offer relief to the patient surrounding him with beauty, colours, nature and peace. The hospital complex, in fact, consists of 27 pavilions, partly dedicated to the departments and partly to the administrative offices, all surrounded by large gardens.
The communication between them is guaranteed by an underground network of corridors of 2 km that allowed the movement of patients and staff, without exposing them to the external space. Domenèch i Montaner was particularly innovative not only for introducing the artistic aspect into a health facility, unique in its kind, but also for having conceived a project adhering to the principles of hygiene that had been carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century: separate services in order to limit the spread and spread of diseases, favour natural light, open spaces, air exchange and make patients' convalescence less unpleasant.

Links:

  1. Museo Reina Sofia
  2. Modernisme, neocentisme, racionalisme i eclecticisme
  3. Cataluña
  4. Hospital de Sant Pau
  5. L'Hospital modernista

a cura di @piumadoro



Sagrada Familia

The Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona has been recently the talk of the town for curious news: it has ceased to be an illegal construction after 133 years since the start of its construction. After all, the consecration to minor basilica took place only in November 2010 with Benedict XVI.
Let's take a step back to quickly recap the genesis of this monumental work: a Bible carved in stone.
Everyone knows it as Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece, but in reality the Barcelona artist took over from the first architect, Francisco Paula del Villar.
The Sagrada Familia was for forty three years, of which the last fifteen in an exclusive way, the purpose of his existence, so much to push it to work and live inside that building. After his mysterious death in 1926 (he was hit by a tram and, since he was not recognized, taken to the hospital where he received rudimentary care as a pauper), he was buried in the Holy Virgin of Mount Caramel chapel inside the crypt.
Gaudì revolutionized the initial style of the temple passing from traditional Gothic to neo-Gothic, in fact the structure follows the shapes of nature: the roof is supported by vaults placed at 60 meters high that, resting on columns in the shape of trunks, representing a spiritual wood.
At a height of 20 meters, hidden from the street, a stone garden was recently completed, representing the place where Jesus Christ was buried after Joseph of Arimathea redeemed his body from Pontius Pilate. On the background, leaning against the pyramid-shaped façade, we find the piled stones, that is the abandoned quarry, while in front the builders planted real Mediterranean plants that represent life beyond death.
It’s quite curious the presence of Masonic symbols scattered in several points of the temple. Many questioned what prompted Gaudì to include them, for some they are the result of his youth political acquaintances, for others they are a reference to elements typical of Gothic style that often incorporates pre-Christian and pagan references.
The most famous symbol is surely the magic square composed of numbers that adding up on any side always give as a result 33: Jesus Year or the Freemason's degree initiation? We need to remember the two land and sea turtles that support the great columns of Solomon; not to mention the alpha and the omega, respectively the compass and the apocalyptic fire; the initiatory labyrinth on one of the facades that refers, among other things, to the classic myth of Dedalo in Crete; the first six signs of the zodiac and finally the eye of Providence.
For years this work was an example of incompleteness. The reasons why you have not seen the end are basically three. During the civil war the church was set on fire and Gaudí's study was devastated. At the beginning the subsequent builders mainly worked on the cataloging of drawings and models fragments . In more recent times, thanks to the use of modeling software of different origins (from the aeronautical to the automotive sector, because only those of architecture do not include the avant-garde forms of Gaudì) the missing parts of the project are being reconstructed. La Sagrada Familia, moreover, is a expiatory temple, which means that it is financed solely by private donations. Lately, however, the arrival of millions of tourists (4.5 million in 2017) - which made the Sagrada Familia the most visited attraction in the city - has meant that the project found a new impulse: from about 80 million euros of annual revenues, in fact, 50 are allocated to works. Finally, we should not forget that construction techniques have accelerated only recently thanks to the use of technology such as motorized cranes, scaffolding, tracking systems. Now also the processing of materials, stone, wood glass, takes place mechanically. In this context stands out the futuristic technique applied to the construction of the tower of Jesus Christ: machines make blocks of 31 tons each in the shape of M and W that are embedded with millimeter precision, as if they were pieces of lego, which go to form 12 paraboloid-shaped levels with triangular windows.
Once completed the tower, which will be more impressive than the other 17 (dedicated to the 4 evangelists, the 12 apostles and the Virgin Mary), the church will be the tallest in the world with its 172.5 meters.
In the city, however, it will not exceed Montjuïc, the promontory south of Barcelona, ​​in order not to offend the Creator.

Finally we come to the sore chapter, that of controversy.
For some, the work was supposed to end at the death of Gaudì, stopping at a quarter of the total because without the architect - and especially in the absence of his projects - it made no sense to continue. In fact, his successors, who have repeatedly been in charge of directing the works and filling the gaps, have, as normal, given a personal contribution which, according to some, would lead to a result different from that imagined by Gaudi.
He had also a profound religiosity and had conceived the work as a place where faithfuls could gather and pray. Difficult to imagine with all tourists around and with the construction site always open.
As we said, the relationship with the city has recently been regularized with the payment of 36 million euros in 10 years for the urbanization costs (transport, urban furniture, maintenance of public space) but the question concerning the demolition of a an isolated whole of 150 houses on the Mallorca street to build the access stairway to the Glory façade designed by Gaudì remains open. This argument for now is excluded from the agreement with the municipality.

In any case, the completion date is scheduled for 2026, 100 years after the death of Gaudì, and we will be the first generation to see it completed.

Links:

  1. Fine dell'abusivismo
  2. Nuove tecniche di costruzione
  3. El huerto: un año de vida en la fachada de la Pasión
  4. Storia Generale
  5. Sagrada Familia
  6. Sito ufficiale
  7. Massoneria
  8. Polemiche
  9. Uso del paraboloide

a cura di @roch66



Santa Maria del Mar “Church of The People “

Barcelona in the Middle age, the district “de La Ribeira” was living a rich economic period thanks to the intense mercantile activity of import and export of all kinds of goods, the whole area was populated by rich merchants, art bazars, workshops of master craftsman, warehouses and citizens from a humble background, longshoreman, builders, fisherman, the so-called Bastaixos who contributed with their manpower to the flourishing growth of the territory. With the advent of Christianity, the whole religious community was driven by the desire to build a place of worship where the entire population could gather to pray. The ecclesiastical authorities, King Pere III and the mercantile class agreed to the call of people’s need, authorizing and financing the excavations of Montjuic in order to extract the stone necessary for the building.
On 25 March 1329 the foundation stone, that designates the beginning of the construction of the new basilica, was laid. The basilica was a symbol of a common project for the celebration and devotion of the Virgin Mary protector of the sea and sailors: The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. A monumental work, considered the emblem of pure Catalan Gothic architecture, built in just 55 years, did not undergo any stylistic variation. In contrast to the other cathedrals that arose in the same period in the Iberian region requested and built by the clergy and high nobility, the basilica is considered parish church, "Church of the People", as it was precisely the bastaixos, humble, strong and courageous men who offered their arms and the sweat of their efforts to build it materially, coring every single stone from the quarry to the piazza, a testimony impressed on the gravestones on the sides of the portal. The last keystone was placed on 3 November 1384. In the following year 1384: the temple was consecrated. The building on the outside is distinguished by its light and elegant shape, characterized by three naves of the same height, with a development of the interior that tens more towards horizontal lines than upwards, while the bell towers, abandoned the usual spiers, end with terraces. However, inside there is the effect of a unique space, so that the visitor can contemplate the church integrally from any angle, thanks to slender octagonal pillars that separate the wide spans of the central nave and the absence of particular ornaments. The immense space that is perceived is also given by the numerous glazing and large windows, symmetrically arranged to frame the walls along the entire perimeter of the church and by a magnificent central rose window. Yesterday, as today, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar represents the fulcrum and identity of the city centre, and is the testimony of the popular tradition for all the sailors from Barcelona, who, before each trip by sea, take refuge in their church asking for a prayer of protection to the Madonna del mar.

Links:

  1. Collana a cura di S. Zuffi, Storia dell’Arte 5, il Gotico. Mondadori Electa, 2006, Milano
  2. La chiesa di Santa Maria del Mar, l’opera dei Bastaixos

a cura di @michelacinque


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Discovery-itArt&History

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