Back in March of 2022, I was fortunate to be able to make a trip to Barcelona with my father – (a retired church conservation architect); our main intention being to visit Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece – La Sagrada Familia.
I had visited the city back in the early 1990’s while at art college and though we did make it to the outside of the Basilica, due to the queues at that time, we didn’t make it inside. I am glad we didn’t as my appreciation of its sheer scale, breathtaking beauty and architectural/engineering audacity was far greater now than it would have been as a student in my early 20’s. Also of course – far more of the building has now been completed since that first visit. On entering my jaw hit the floor and I must admit to inadvertently swearing, such was the visual impact of the building. Never has an interior had such a visceral effect on me before. There are simply not enough superlatives, none of which (or the highest resolution images) can do the Basilica justice. To fully appreciate it, you have to see it with your own eyes.
Much has been written about La Sagrada Familia and of the man charged with interpreting Gaudí’s vision for its stained glass; Joan Vila-Grau. As such, this blog post (and its sister post – Pt. 2) are intended as a visual reference. For further reading about Vila-Grau and the stained glass visit: https://blog.sagradafamilia.org/en/divulgation/the-sagrada-familias-stained-glass-windows-captivating-light/
Included with the images of the glass are a shot of a photograph displayed within the Museum (underneath the Basilica) of Joan Vila-Grau at work in his studio and also of one of his original ink and watercolour concept sketches for the scheme.
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