Preview

Analysis of the Sagrada Familia Barcelona

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
307 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis of the Sagrada Familia Barcelona
Sagrada Familia
4:05! And we were explicitly told to be on time; hopefully the class will not leave without me. I arrive to Main Campus and don’t see a classmate in sight. Do you in fact not have a field trip today? Ahhh…let me run to COACB to try not to miss too much class. On my way there, I run into my Professor Aridiana. That’s interesting…its 4:11 and my professor is not in class. Clearly there was some miscommunication in Spanish Art. By the time we were able to coordinate with out entire class where to meet and where we were going, it was 4:30 and we only had an hour to walk to and see the Sagrada Familia. Fortunately, I had already seen the Gaudi’s historic Roman Catholic Church twice as it is arguably Barcelona’s most notable tourist destination. I do always enjoy our class field trips though, gives us an opportunity to spend time with our classmates outside COACB. I must say however, that as the cover page for all of Barcelona’s guidebooks, it is kind of disappointing and anti-climactic. The outside of the building is phenomenal with its intricate and ornate architecture. The 18 spindle shaped towers grace the Barcelona skyline and stand out for miles. Upon entering the actual cathedral, it resembles more of a construction site than the last great sanctuary to Christendom. I understand that this was Gaudi’s last and most important architectural masterpiece, and the reason worked stopped on the church was because of the Spanish Civil War of 1936. Simply put, I think that the excessive amount of scaffolding and workmen don’t do the impressive church the justice it deserves. I look forward to returning to Barcelona in 2050 and seeing the finished

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Upon Antoni Gaudi’s graduation, he initially began working in the same Victorian style of his predecessors, but it was not long until he began to develop his own unique style with Art Nouveau. Gaudi is actually the one who led this movement in architecture in Spain. He used what he called nature’s organic shapes, the parabolic arch, or catenary curve. Gaudi did admire some Gothic architecture of the time, but he would call buttresses “architectural crutches.” It was that kind of thinking that helped him to create the parabolic arch that was so greatly used in the construction of the Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, also just known as La Sagrada…

    • 115 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    While although Pope Leo X eventually cancelled the San Lorenzo project, Michelangelo’s labors are the labors of countless others who risked life and limb to get the marble out of the ground and transport it across land and water is truly worth noting. We rightly marvel at the great works of architecture from the pre-industrial world. We extol their design, their ingenuity in construction, and their durability. Perhaps we ought to marvel more that they even got any stone to the…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The church was designed in such a beautiful way that people come just to see the decorated chapels. There are two of these chapels - the lower chapel and the upper chapel. The lower chapel is highly decorated, and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. During the reign of King Louis IX, this area of the cathedral was reserved for palace staff. The architecture in this chapel is stunning; the ceiling is painted to appear a starry sky, the walls hold representations of the Apostles, and even the floor holds tombstones of reverends and treasurers of the Sainte-Chapelle. The one negative thing about the lower chapel is that it is quite dark. This is a contrast to the upper chapel. The upper chapel is light and full of color, and is known as the “Highlight of the Monument.” The decorations show art and religion working harmoniously, and there is a sense of holiness in this area because this is the chapel in which the Holy Relics were kept. Although both of these chapels are very beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful thing of all in this cathedral are the stained glass windows. Appearing in dominant colors of blue and red, there are about 600 square meters of these stained glass windows. The art dates back to a long time ago - the twelfth century craftsmanship is ancient, yet so perfect to the cathedral. What is even more stunning about these window panes is that they can be read in arches that go from left to right. In fact, they tell…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    unit 3 quiz

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    10. This building is the Academy of San Carlos, the buildings architectural style is the neoclassical style this building is important because it was the first government sponsored art academy in New Spain.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walking through the ancient streets you see buildings such as the cathedral which have an amazingly baroque style and there are also churrigueresque…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Patrick’s old Cathedral I immediately noticed how beautiful the building looked from the outside. The building is in great condition and it looks like it was just built a few years ago and when I did research on it I was very surprised when I found out that it is over 200 years old. When I went inside the church, I was amazed by the beauty of the church from the inside too. I first saw the huge altar in the front of the church and the amazing bright colors on the stained glass window above the altar. My eyes were also drawn right to the tall statues that are sitting around the back of the altar. The tall pillars inside the church running from the entrance towards the altar were also beautiful and makes the church look great. I was amazed that the church looks so beautiful even though it is so old and I am also very surprised that the architects who built were able to build it even though they didn’t have the technology that we have…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Musée du Louvre and its Pyramid, and St Paul’s Cathedral with the nearby 30 St Mary Axe were the chosen topics by both members of our group. All of these buildings are iconic building within their cities, and all were designed and built with vastly different contexts and purposes in mind. In this essay we will compare and contrast the different buildings in a manner that will help us understand the juxtaposition of old and new buildings. We will also investigate what made the contemporary buildings in question switch status from controversial to widely accepted as unique and brilliant pieces of architecture. After considering the different context(s) and style(s) of the building we will present our informed personal opinions based upon our research, to reach a conclusion in accordance with the research question. Before we undertake an analysis we will quickly summarise what has been aforementioned in Patchworks 1 & 2.…

    • 1882 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brunelleschi's Dome

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Page

    Brunelleschi’s Dome, the Santa Maria del Fiore Cupola, was an achievement inspired by cultural change. The task was to construct a dome atop the Florence Cathedral, the problem being that the patrons of the project wanted a design that was different from the Gothic architecture of cities such as Milan. A dome design of this size had never been accomplished before, but while many people asked, “can it be done?” Brunelleschi asked, “how can it be done?”. In order to overcome obstacles such as large expensive scaffolding, Brunelleschi invented cranes and hoists to accomplish the task of moving the heavy materials used to build the dome. His design actually was of one dome within another, with bands of stone that held it together like the bands…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore has managed to raise several questions and curiosity amongst scholars. In the early 14th century a feud between Florence and other emerging cities began, each trying to beat the other with building bigger cathedrals. Florentines didn’t like the look of gothic cathedrals, for inspiration for their dome, they looked at ancient Rome’s famous building that payed tribute to all of the gods, the Pantheon. A mural, years…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most impressive part of the design is in its dome, where the complex corners and curves of the plan are pulled upwards like a tent. Standing at the center of the church and looking upwards, it’s beautiful shape is revealed, and the pronounced entablature makes the visitor want to flow around the space, following its shape. The dome is filled with natural light, which elevates the space into a spiritual…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    History had a lot of amazing points in time where beautiful and remarkable things were created. One example of this was the amazing Gothic cathedrals that were created by architects during medieval times. Quite a few Gothic cathedrals were built all over Europe and other areas that took years to complete and a lot of tax money. Tourists still travel to these cathedrals that were built over 500 years ago. It is truly remarkable how these structures were built without today’s modern technology.…

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Civilizations have evolved and prospered throughout history, producing unique buildings and architectural styles along the way. The buildings are expressed as society’s values and unique characteristics that are simply astonishing. Medieval cathedrals were the product of more than a 1000 years of both religion and architectural evolution. Medieval cathedrals played a major role in Christian heritage, the gothic and architecture. The medieval period, with its boundless faith and energetic spirit, found an ultimate expression in the cathedral…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Layers of inscriptions, phallic symbols and graffiti drawings have been discovered from of one of the walk-in alleys and traces of red, black and green frescoes that have been obtained from recent restorations point out that the environment was far more colorful than what is perceived today. Currently It provides insight into architectural technologies that were used centuries…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ancient Greek Culture

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages

    There are so many ways in which history has been documented over time all serving as a permanent record of a culture and its people for future generations to have access to and learn from. The study of the visual arts and architecture in a given time period showcase the basic ideas about a group of human beings giving insight into their beliefs and cultural message. These insights are presented with a specific point of view intended by its creator, influenced by its historical experiences. And so, it is the responsibility of the observer to examine pieces of art and architectural structures taking into account the context in which they were produced. By doing so, we can more accurately understand the ideas that are trying to be conveyed. Political,…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Luis Barragan states, “Architecture is an art when one consciously or unconsciously creates aesthetic emotion in the atmosphere and when this environment produces well-being.” This statement is more vividly conveyed through a cross-cultural analysis of two of the most well-known architectural structures of their era, Old Saint Peter’s Basilica, located in Rome, Italy, ca. 319, and Hagia Sophia, located in Constantinople, Turkey (Istanbul), 532-537. The architectural style of Old St. Peter’s and Hagia Sophia is characterized by Rome’s rich building traditions, philosophy of design, and form and function. For centuries, Old Saint Peter’s Basilica and Hagia Sophia have remained a genuine expression of Christianity and have both captured the essence…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays