Here is another simple image from inside Barcelona’s Casa Batlló. I love these irregular “organic” lines of the walls and molding that are found throughout the house, it’s as if the only rule they followed was there should be no right angles. Also, if you look closely you’ll notice the walls have a mosaic pattern reminiscent of scales.
The organic lines of the design and architecture of Casa Batlló
This is more than a house, it’s a study in the blending of art and design to create a habitat. Imagine if all homes were built as works of art, it would be a much more interesting world don’t you think?
This is another perspective of the central light well at Casa Batlló in Barcelona. Casa Batlló is a grand house designed by Antoni Gaudí which is now designated a world heritage site. It’s hard to describe the artistry of this house which brings to mind organic themes from somewhere deep in the human psyche. Gaudi pushed beyond the limits accepted design over a hundred years ago and has become a source of inspiration for generations of architects.
The genius of Gaudi must be experienced first hand, as for me it was an awakening of sorts. His designs resonate with me in a surprising way; I never thought I could be so moved by a house. He expanded the horizons of architecture and design a century ago and yet I suspect his work is still centuries ahead of its time.
Inspiration in whatever form is like a window into another world that can be glimpsed briefly, like hints of another world through a brief parting of the veil. Gaudi’s architecture, at least for me, is a premonition of a future that may one day exist, if not already in another world.
So these are some of the words I clumsily cobble together to describe my own experience and impressions of Antoni Gaudi’s work. Next time they might be completely different, but for this moment, they are for me a fleeting glimpse into another world.
This is the Casa Batlló Stairwell in Barcelona. This house is a work of priceless design by the famed architect and designer Antoni Gaudi. I took this while climbing the stairs to the roof. It’s a narrow courtyard of sorts with the house surrounding this central core. As I recall there were about five flights to the roof so on my way up I had plenty of opportunities to stop and gawk at the design.
This is a very big house, I could live comfortably on just one floor, even less. But if I did own the whole place I’d be sending texts to the kitchen to order meals, that would save a bunch of trips up and down the stairs. Then of course I’d need a Stair-master to get some exercise. I never said I was brilliant, if it was my house I really would have more money than brains.
I took a ton of pictures throughout the house, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Actually everyone takes pictures inside. There’s a nautical theme going on and it reminds me of a ship, or maybe something out of Jules Vern novel. When I Google other photos of this a few of them have an under water effect. Perhaps that was intended. In any case, here is a link to a search of stairwell photos from the house on Google: https://goo.gl/JW1jqj
Here are some more images from Barcelona: https://justenoughfocus.smugmug.com/keyword/barcelona/
This is a composite of the inside of two cathedrals in Barcelona. One is the gothic Cathedral of Barcelona and the other is the post gothic Sagrada Família which was designed by Antoni Gaudi. The two edifices could not be more different. The only thing they have in common is they are Roman Catholic. The architecture of the gothic is filled with repeating lines and arches and domes whereas Gaudi has created a masterwork of modern art and design that is both organic and audacious.
Big heavy words alert!!! 🙂
In both photos I was standing in the middle of the cathedral looking straight up. I since wondered what would happen if the two were merged, and this is one possible result. A clash of ideas, a combination of opposing forces.
To me this might highlight the idea of the duality and its fusion back into singularity. Simply put, duality is two halves of a whole. We see it in every aspect of life around us. But what happens if we merge back to a singular state rather than opposing perspectives. This quickly gets metaphysical and takes us into uncharted waters, but you get my drift. Its just a crazy idea I’ve had from time to time.
In effect, this image is an abstract thought exercise that imagines the re-combining of two ideas into one. Or, if you prefer, this is how I doodle and daydream.
