The straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God
– Antoni Gaudi
Love it or hate it, you’ve got to admit that the Casa Batlló in Barcelona conveys the imagination and philosophy of Antoni Gaudi in the most unique, unequivocal manner. Some impressions from the visit there last December.
A view of the Casa Batllo from across the street. (Dec. 2014)
The Casa Batllo is considered one of Gaudi’s masterpieces. Antoni Gaudi was best known for his architectural style of Catalan Modernism, which emphasized curves instead of straight lines. Gaudi also drew a lot of inspiration from nature (where one is more likely to find curves instead of straight lines). (Dec. 2014)
Throughout the tour, one sees and is reminded of how Gaudi worked with light, ensuring natural light found its way in through skylights, lightwells, and broad windows. (Dec. 2014)
Up the staircase and in to the first room. This was the study of the owner, the textile merchant Josep Batllo. To the left of the entrance is a secluded mushroom-shaped fireplace with two seats. One seat is narrower than the other. The audio guide says that the larger seat was meant for young couples and the smaller seat was meant for the chaperon. Huh?!! (Dec. 2014)
The stained glass on the windows in the main hall (on the first floor) changes colour with the intensity of the light falling on it. Again the designs on the stained glass, the colour of the glass, and the curved shape of the windows is all meant to remind one of the sea. (Dec. 2014)
The main inspiration for the Casa Batllo is said to be the sea and sealife. The walls and ceilings have a mosiac-like pattern which actually looks like scales (in a way). The ceiling of the main hall facing the Passeig de Gracia seems to resemble an eddy in the seas with its swirling design. A view also of the irregularly shaped doors & windows with stained glass in the main hall. (Dec. 2014)
The ceiling in the room with the terrace. There seems no agreement on how to interpret this… is this another feature reflecting the nature of the seas or whether this was more an expression of Gaudi’s sense of eroticism? No kidding – that is what the audio guide said. So, another big huh?!! (Dec. 2014)
The room again has no corners as such.. just curved walls with a doorway in them. (Dec. 2014)
The terrace has some really colourful mosaic art like this one forming a pool outside on the terrace – on either side of the entrance to the terrace. (Dec. 2014)
The other end of the terrace, opposite the entrance, has a wall partially covered in mosaic, which reminded of flowers sprouting out of concrete. (Dec. 2014)
The two lightwells in the Casa Batllo are covered with blue glazed tiles — lighter ones at the bottom (where less light was available) and darker ones at the top. You cannot make that out in this photo since I’m clicking against the light.
This shot from top shows the different shades of blue in the light well – darker colors at the top, lighter shades at the bottom. (Dec. 2014)
The last stretch of the tour took us to the attic. Here the narrow thin arches made the narrow passage look bigger or taller than it was. The slitted walls, the arches, and the whitewashed walls made the attic look like a fun place – so unlike what attics are usually made out to be. (Dec. 2014)
Finally on the roof – the front facade with its curved roof and the cross. One common interpretation: the curved roof is similar to the back of the dragon. with the cross being the sword of St. George piercing it – looks more like cloves of garlic. (Dec. 2014)
It was late evening when the fascinating tour came to an end… I think we spent about 3 hours in there… The Casa Batllo was illuminated from outside. After taking the tour, I was looking at the front facade with new eyes. I could now see why the alternative name of Casa Batllo was “House of Bones”. (Dec. 2014)
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Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar
Categories: Architecture, Art, Music & Literature, Nature, People, Personalities, Quotes, Sea, Spain, Travel
i love barcelona, super photos
Thank you, Sue! You too will be heading to a lovely place soon.. 🙂
very true. I cannot wait. Plus I am planning a ladies weekend in Barcelona once i get there 🙂