Homenatge a Catalunya

Just come home from Catalunya. I’ll get on to the politics and language issues in another blog but firstly I’ll tell you three things you must see in Barcelona.1) La Sagrada Familia.

Astonishing in conception, this remarkable building is as much a testament to the genius of Antoni Gaudi as a statement of faith by the Catalan nation.
Started in 1882 it is currently about 70% complete. As the Bishop said to Gaudi:
“Antoni, when will it be finished?”
Gaudi:
“My client didn’t set a deadline”
Gaudi’s wonderful connections with natural patterns of flora is one of the defining elements of the Cathedral’s design. An astonishing bloke, respected by many but whose style has not been followed by others despite it’s glory:

There was a church builder called Gaudi
Who thought “A cathedral? – that would be tidy”
He made a wonderful plan
but then fell under a tram
So it’ll be finished in 3003.

Gaudi’s Wiki and this is well worth a browse for examples of his work

2) The Joan Miro Museum

I quite like museums dedicated to one artist or concept – it’s easier to deal with than lots of different stuff. The Joan Miró Foundation does just that. The link above is worth a browse as is his Wiki and this collection of his work.

There once was an artist called Miro
who liked to use red, blue and yellow
painted a woman and bird
and all things absurd
but he’s ever so famous you know

3) I’ve been to quite a few of the finest museums in the world, MOMA, Tate Modern, The Louvre, Big Pit at Blaenafon but my favourite of all is the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. Again a dedicated museum it has nothing famous by Picasso but is a remarkable record of his development. Most of the works were donations by the artist or his wife. You go from self portraits as a 14 year old and religious work in the traditional Madonna and Child genre all the way through his life. Pretty good website
The highlight is wonderful:
Velasquez and Picasso – Velasquez’s “Las Meninas” at the Prado is a sudy of the court of Felipe the 4ths daughter Margarita – Read about it here. In 1957 Picasso spent six months recreating Las Meninas in 58 variations. Much of the workings of these variations are on display in Barcelona – and it’s an absolutely wonderful insight into the bloke’s mind and excellently presented. Brilliant and free on the first Sunday of every month.

There once was a painter called Pablo….

Diolch o galon i Gillian a’r teulu am eu croeso a charedigrwydd.

Categories Uncategorised

We are reader supported. Donate to keep Slugger lit!

For over 20 years, Slugger has been an independent place for debate and new ideas. We have published over 40,000 posts and over one and a half million comments on the site. Each month we have over 70,000 readers. All this we have accomplished with only volunteers we have never had any paid staff.

Slugger does not receive any funding, and we respect our readers, so we will never run intrusive ads or sponsored posts. Instead, we are reader-supported. Help us keep Slugger independent by becoming a friend of Slugger. While we run a tight ship and no one gets paid to write, we need money to help us cover our costs.

If you like what we do, we are asking you to consider giving a monthly donation of any amount, or you can give a one-off donation. Any amount is appreciated.