Sagrada Familia: Ceiling Detail

Here are a couple of images put together portraying details of the ceiling inside Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. There are many of these ornaments that remind me of royal seals or who knows, cava corks. Anyway,I just wanted to show you yet another beautiful spot of this magnificent masterpiece of art. I hope to recover my normal posting soon. I never find the right moment to find the strength to get into blogging again.

Crypt Pillars and Ceiling at Sagrada Familia Cathedral

Close your eyes and think about architecture, try to establish a pattern of what is something astonishingly beautiful for you and for people in general and I am sure that when you open them again you will hardly come even closer to what Antoni Gaudi should have had in his mind when he created these beautiful pillars and that odd ceiling for his Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Who would have thought of such daring strange shapes then, by the end of the XIX century and who can think of them right now unless you take a computer and use an advanced software to calculate mathematical possibilities for architectural impossibles.

Canopy and Crucifix, High Altar, Sagrada Familia

Above the High Altar at Sagrada Familia's temple, there is an Expressionist “Crucifixion of Christ”, a bronze version of a work by sculptor Carles Mani i Roig (1866-1911). The sculpture hangs from a beautiful canopy over a block of porphiry from Iran acting as a very austere table.

A Gaudian Sculpture Near Sagrada Familia Ceiling

As usual it is hard to crop Gaudi's work. I spotted this weird modernist sculpture near the ceiling at Sagrada Familia. Unlike the ones outside this one is black. I suppose it is some kind of allusion to the Black Virgin called La Moreneta, the patroness of Catalonia but this is just a suggestion of mine.

Gaudi Animals on Nativity Façade, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Weird creatures contemplate tourists from above while they visit Sagrada Familia cathedral. Animal sculptures, so common in Gaudi's art nouveau buildings, accentuate the mysterious halo around the temple mixing up Paganism and Christianity with unusual harmony according to my humble and lay appreciation of course.

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Detail of Faith Hallway or Entry in the Nativity Façade, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

This is a detail of the Faith hallway or entry located to the right of the Nativity façade in Sagrada Familia. It is an image of Jesus in his carpenter work bench. To get a better idea examine other sculptures from this façade featured in Barcelona Photoblog in the past: Turtle Holding Pillar, Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Herod's soldiers Slaying Children and Adoration of the Magi

Sagrada Familia Stained Glass

There is little margin sometimes to capture stained glass windows in Sagrada Familia due to lack of space and scaffolds that are in your way. This is the result of a very close take.

Sagrada Familia Cathedral: Stained Glass Window

The following four posts in a row deal with stained glass. In this case we here a view of one the imponent windows inside Sagrada Familia cathedral. As I want to slowly catch up in my posting with today's correct date, I am going to be brief.

Art With Exclamation Marks: Stained Glass at Sagrada Familia

In this picture I tried to isolate these three stained glass windows because of an unusual and reasonable resemblance with exclamations marks. Quality of the image is out of the question, that is, don't ask cause it is awful. I just wanted to highlight the punctuation marks and how they might be used as part of some publicity campaign or something to emphasize the work of Gaudi and his art, art with exclamation marks!!!

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View From Sagrada Familia Spires

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The Ceiling at Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona

This is a partial view of the impressive ceiling at Sagrada Familia cathedral by Gaudi. 

It is hard to capture new angles when it comes to frame these columns that resemble trees or those sort of stars and flowers that simulate the thick canopy of branches in a tropical jungle. 

The place is still under construction so it can be full of scaffolds but if you watch where you shoot, obstacles won't ruin your picture. 

There's no need to say that geometry plays an important part in the design of this ceiling. If you enlarge and examine details you will discover the mathematical perfection Gaudi obtained after prolonged sessions with scale models in his workshop. 

To make it look more surrealistic than it already is, I experimented a little with the picture and here is the result.

Nativity Portal at Sagrada Familia: Equilibrium and Chaos

I will be brief cause I am behind schedule in my daily posting. This is a detail of the Nativity Portal at Sagrada Familia. The façade as you know is full of sculptoric groups such as the one in the picture. Each of these groups is well balanced in composition and proportions but when you take some steps back and take a look at the whole building you face up with an authentic chaos of animals, saints and mythological beings. Maybe there is harmony in this chaos but if there isn't you never really care. The work of a genius sometimes is whimsical and hard to understand that's why we consider them unique.

Geometric Models by Gaudi: Polyhedron at Sagrada Familia Museum

Inside of Sagrada Familia Museum you can admire scale models which Gaudi used in the building of his cathedral. This polyhedron called my attention not only for the shape but for the small engravings, the texture and the pencil marks.

Sagrada Familia: Carrying the Cross

Once more I show you a scene from the Passion of Christ (not the film) at Sagrada Familia and one more time I am in a hurry. I am devoting more time to the pictures than to the post itself. As a matter of fact this is a photoblog not a journal or a diary. On the other hand, I know many of you are fed up with touristic pictures but some others can see beyond the obvious and admire the unrefutable beauty of Catalan patrimony. This picture is dedicated to architecture lovers. Are we daily bloggers carrying our own cross for the sake of others? That I leave up to you, but believe me sometimes it feels like redemption.

Remodeled Spires in Sagrada Familia

These are the spires of Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi showing off a brand new look after so many years of cranes and protective hoods. The cathedral was spectacular alright but those colorful tips are the cherry on top of the cake. Nice weekend everyone!

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Gaudi Animals: Snails in Sagrada Familia

Not too long ago I showed you the picture of two lizards by Gaudi on Sagrada Familia's cloister walls. 

To enhance this aspect of Gaudi's creation, that is the use of mythology and animals in his work I leave you with these snails that seem to crawl as slowly as my posts go appearing this week.

Remember that modernisme was very fond of nature elements, floral or animal. I cannot imagine the faces of Gaudi's fellow citizens looking at these snails feeding on a giant lettuce wall.

Nativity Façade Detail in Sagrada Familia

This is a detail of the Nativity Façade by Gaudi. An explosion of imagination, the artist at his most. 

I like those wingless angels blowing the trumpets. Did you know that Gaudi firmly believed that angels had no wings and so it goes that no angel in the basilica is represented as such?

Composed by Portal of Hope, Portal of Charity and Portal of Faith and with Joseph, Jesus and Mary as the center in each of them, Nativity façade  is my opinion much more attractive to the eye.

Gaudi: Lizards at Sagrada Familia

For those of you who are fond of gargoyles,mythological beings,gods or goddesses, serpents, unicorns, gryphs or lizards I let you catch a glimpse of Gaudi's work on the façade of Sagrada Familia facing the upper side of the city also known as mountain side. It is a part that we tend to ignore as it reminds us of some other average churches but if you take a closer look you discover strange creatures for a church or impossible spires multiplying by the dozen on top.

Passion Façade at Sagrada Familia: The Last Supper

I couldn't help resuming architecture pictures. I promise I will try to quit the habit. Here it goes: This is the Last Supper, a sculptural group or scene on the left hand corner of Passion Façade at Sagrada Familia.

The sculptures by artist Josep Maria Subirachs date back from 1987 when he moved to the cathedral to continue the master's colossal dream. I not only recommend reading his biography but also to discover his work.

Regarding the image, I only have to add that it was shot from behind the fence in the staff parking lot, thus the low angle and the few saints. I think it has been shot less from this side of the building.

Hmmm...how can I be so naive?!

Nativity Portal at Sagrada Familia: Three Wise Men

Gold, Incense and Myrrh in the Hands of Gaudi's Three Wise Men. 

A magic moment immortalized by the craftsmanship of this master of architecture. Notice how the figures seem to be carved out of the very stone and the capricious pleiade of ribbon-like protuberances or adornments on the cathedral's walls. 

The Nativity Façade or Nativity Portal has been covered in previous posts, so feel free to browse or search for Sagrada Familia or Gaudi in my photoblog. I have used Photoshop in this picture, specifically Fred Miranda's fantastic BW Workflow Pro plugin.