Picasso Museum

 

Before we left Barcelona, we made sure to stop by the Picasso Museum. 

I was duly impressed with his work ethic. He was a very prolific artist. I also gained a better appreciation for his artistic journey and how his life experiences shaped his art. 

When you first walk in, you are met by an entire wall filled with his sketches. Horse spotted!

There were several landscapes

and even some portrait work.

many sketches, which showed an excellent understanding of the
human form and gesture

his subject matter was more diverse than I realized!

sketch of a horse

so much emotion in his pieces

There was a film playing of a dance that had been recorded.
You can see the Picasso mask on the horse pretty well in this shot. 
Picasso may have done the set or the costumes or both, sorry I don't recall!

 

The pigeon series were some of my favorites!

 

his later work is the style he is most recognized for

Barcelona

In addition to the La Familia Sagrada cathedral, there are several other works of Gaudí in Barcelona. Not appreciating the cathedral was at the bottom of Barcelona and Park Güell was at the top, we set off walking! Park Güell is an enormous garden with distinct architectural elements designed by the renowned Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudí.

We came across an Aldi on our walk. 
Their shopping carts still require a coin, but they're much cuter!
To be fair, I think these are the kids carts.

One of the main structures at Park Güell
Distinctly gingerbread-style if you ask me!

So much charming whimsy!

Lots of checkerboards

and lots of broken pottery

make up the features of Park Guell.

We also found the Plaza de Catalunya, which had some lovely sculptures.
I didn't forget you came to the blog to see horses!

La Familia Sagrada

 

If you've been following the recent blog posts, you'll notice that Audrey and I started our trip in Dublin, where she had been studying for the semester. After a couple days in Ireland, we spent a couple days in Italy, followed by a couple days in Spain, which is where we start this post. 

Kudos to my amazing daughter who planned the trip for us. My only request was that we had private sleeping accommodations. Best travel buddy ever! I have waited decades to visit Europe and she did not disappoint! 

This post is all about La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Antoni Gaudí was a notable Catalan architect. In 1883, Gaudí was charged with the construction of the Barcelona cathedral. Gaudí completely changed the design, marking it with his own distinctive style. He worked on it for more than 40 years but died tragically before its completion. In fact, the basilica is still not completed to this day. 

Others who have worked on it have also left their stylistic mark. So much so that one side of the basilica is so different in style that if you were looking at pictures alone, you would never suspect they were part of the same building. 

Cranes still working on construction!

What the finished cathedral will look like. The orange parts still need to be built.

Angels overlooking the nativity.

Flight into Egypt

So many intricate carvings!

Nativity, I love the donkey face!

Just WOW, definitely my favorite side

Another look at that cute donkey face and the nativity

Check out the Chickens!

Glimpse of the stained glass behind these darling angels.
This is my favorite picture.

Just inside one of the alcoves.

My beautiful Audrey in front of this lovely carved door. I think it may be brass?

Giant tortoise supporting the base of a large pillar

The interior is designed with pillars representing trees in a forest.
It is very open, which works perfectly will all the stained glass on every side. 

Looking up!

Now on the other side, which focuses on the crucifixion.

Roman solider.
You can see the very different sculptural style on this side. 

Love this quote.

Symbolism is in every element of this impressive edifice.