Barcelona Inspires

It was amazing to be in the presence of Gaudi’s magnificent work, and witness how his work still influences the city of Barcelona after life. Although I was familiar with his work, the pictures on textbooks do not do him justice! Entering the beautiful cathedral of La Sagrada Familia was such a life changing experience. You could feel the presence and power of faith. His usage of mosaics and vibrant colors created a joyful atmosphere. The abundance of colors was compensated with the cool
toned stone that surrounded the entire structure.

Gaudi did a great job incorporating old architectural techniques with his artistic flare. Gaudi has a distinct architectural design style.  When in the presence of his work you immediately know it is his. While exploring the city of Barcelona I had the chance to see more of his work such as Parc Guell, Casa Batllo, and La Pedrera.

Another artist whose influence still resonates until this day is the work of Pablo Picasso. The museum dedicated to his craft was well organized and took you through the journey of his artistic evolution. You began the tour with his early work, which was greatly influenced by his academic studies. As you move on and travel through his life timeline you begin to understand his perspective on art. He was greatly influenced by other artists who broke boundaries and created his unique style of cubism. To many people it seems like an abstract way of putting different shapes together to make an image. Those who have studied his work know and understand that his method is meant to view one image from multiple angles. To understand how his method works, imagine taking a picture and tearing it into pieces and then putting those pieces back together in a random order. That may not be exactly how his method works but it allows you to view the same image from various angles/perspectives.

I probably could go on and on about art and my experience in Spain, but this is a blog and not a novel.  Aside from the art and beautiful scenery I was so happy to be able to speak Spanish to the locals (I tried to speak Spanish as much as possible!). I loved the delicious food and most of all I enjoyed experiencing it all with a great group of friends!