Saturday, April 07, 2007
Barcelona, Spain, 31 Aug - 7 Sep 2006: La Sagrada Familia
Gaudi Gothic
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| Antonio Gaudi dedicated the last years of his life to building La Sagrada Familia, his towering vision of the Holy Family and the Apostles in concrete. Eighty years after his death, Gaudi's masterpiece is still very much a work in progress. Construction of the central nave continues apace -the finished nave but a model in the underground Gaudi Museum - as awed visitors tread the grounds of the Church, solemnly tracing the Modernista pilgrim trail. |
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| The Nativity Facade is a signature Gaudi original. Hate it ("wedding-cake-in-the-rain") or love it, the facade overwhelms with its grand scale and undulating surfaces dripping with foliate ornaments and myriad details - Gaudi's evocation of the rococco. |
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| In contrast, the modern Passion Facade is angular and spare, but nevertheless powerful. The Glory Facade, soon to be finished, will add to the apparent disparateness of the Church, yet strangely augmenting the whole. |
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| Unifying the different styles are the models on which Gaudi based his designs. Using curves, arches and hyperboloids, he conceived a new universe of pure geometric building forms - transcendent gaudiness that underscores the architectural genius and legacy of the man. |
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Labels: architecture, art, Barcelona, museum, religious site, Spain
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Barcelona, Spain, 31 Aug - 7 Sep 2006: Sardana
Catalan Circle Dance
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| A world removed from Spanish flamenco, Sardana - Catalonia's languorous folk dance - is the political symbol of Catalan solidarity and pride. On weekends, Sardana aficionados gather at Barcelona's Barri Gotic, eagerly waiting as the cobla, an amateur orchestra of usual brass as well as some other unusual instruments, gets ready. The cobla leader, a feisty silver-bearded gentleman, plays the piccolo-like flaviol to signal the start of the dance. |
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| As the music swells, dancers link hands to form circles. These gradually enlarge as more people join in. Feet point, hop and skip in tandem to the repetitive shrill declamations from the band, responding with gusto and inborn instinct to the music's abrupt rhythmic punctuations. Deceptively simple, the dance steps can be tricky for the uninitiated. Notice the series of short steps, then a big sidestep to the left, and the long steps after the thematic transition. |
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| At the periphery of the main ring, dance connoisseurs form exclusive tight rings. Brows knitted, eyes closed, foreheads uplifted and toes pointed, they celebrate the apotheosis of the Sardana spirit, dancing beautifully in perfect unison. For them, Sardana is religion. Novices are brusquely brushed off. Be warned. |
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Labels: Barcelona, dance, music, people, religious site, Spain
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These are the 30 countries that I have ever set foot on. Airport stopovers don't count!
