June 9, 2009

Monday was Gaudi day and we got to see some of the most amazing architecture I have ever seen in my life. I took some video of both Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia because I felt it would help put things into a better perspective.

Gaudi and Casa Mila

Here is a street view of Casa Mila.

Gaudi was born in Reus (Tarragona), Spain and became known as the leading exponent of Catalan Modernisme. According to Williams, he was inspired by a nationalistic search for a romantic medieval past and his work for his time was supremely original.

Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera (the Stone Quarry), is considered Gaudi’s greatest contribution to Barcelona’s architecture, and is his last work before he dedicated himself to the Sagrada Familia. Casa Mila was built from 1906 to 1910. This eight floor apartment is designed around two circular courtyards and features the city’s first underground car park. There are no straight walls anywhere in the building.

Here is what the roof of Casa Mila looks like.

In the tour for Casa Mila you get to see the attic which houses exhibits about how Gaudi constructed Casa Mila and some of his other work. The tour also includes exclusive access to the roof where you can see the various designs used for the chimneys. On another floor you get to see the layout of the apartment rooms. There is also an art gallery on the second floor. This is a must see tour.

Sagrada Familia

This is the Sagrada Familia from a park.

Another work of Gaudi’s is the Sagrada Familia, which is considered Europe’s most unconventional church. It is full of symbolism inspired by nature and is completely original. Gaudi developed the foundation of the church like that of a tree in which the trunk supports the rest of the building. Inside the columns are built to represent trees and when the stained glass is finished, the light is supposed to enter the church like it does through the limbs of the trees in a rain forest.

The Sagrada Familia was started in the 1880s and to this day is still not finished. It became Gaudi’s life’s work and according to Williams, Gaudi lived like a recluse on the site for 16 years. Gaudi was killed by a tram in 1926. Only one tower on the Nativity façade had been completed (15 percent of the building) before he died, but work has resumed and the architecture has so far been finished to match Gaudi’s original plans. Gaudi’s body rests in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia.

Sagrada Familia means Sacred Family, a name chosen for the people. The church’s construction relies on donations from visitors and citizens of Barcelona. Right now the church is only 60 percent complete, but it is expected to have the interior completed and provide the first mass at the end of the year 2010. The expected year to have the entire church completed is 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death. As of now eight bell towers are installed and 10 more are expected to be completed for the final construction. The highest tower is expected to reach 170 meters (sorry, I don’t have a conversion formula with me).

This is the Nativity side of Sagrada Familia.

The Nativity side of the church is all about the birth of Jesus and the Passion side of the church shows the death of Jesus. The Glory side is still under construction. The Sagrada Familia will be a Catholic church once it is finished, but regardless of your faith, this building is a must see. On the tour you get to walk all sides of the building on the outside. Then you are taken into the church’s basement where all the exhibits are. This is also how you get from one side of the church to the other where you are able to walk inside to see what has been completed. Finally, for 2.50 euros you are able to take an elevator up one of the towers and take pictures at the top. It is an adventure climbing down the narrow staircases, which is the only way down.

Overall, this week has been pretty good. We had class Tuesday, in which we talk about our cultural experiences and participate in discussions presented by the graduate students. Each lesson from the graduate students has helped us learn more about our culture and the culture of Barcelona. The first lesson was about self image in Barcelona versus the U.S. and the past lesson was about nonverbal communication. I will log some of my observations from class in a later journal. Only 10 more days until we head home!