Carr-Siegel                                            Photography Projects

In 1971, I was teaching economics and statistics at the University of Toronto.  I was invited to give a paper at the European Econometric Society in Barcelona.  I decided to stay for week in Barcelona after the conference ended to take as many photographs of Gaudi's work as possible.  

My main camera in 1971 was an Olympus Pen FT, a half-frame SLR (single lens reflex) with several lenses, especially a zoom (70 to 126mm, f3.5, full-frame equivalent). I also brought a Yashica-mat 124G TLR (twin-lens reflex) camera.

NAVIGATION: Click on the links below to get to a picture gallery. Click on a picture to see a larger image, then click on the right (next) or left (previous) of a picture to move through the gallery. Click on the "x" in the upper right corner to return to the gallery. Click on the link in the upper left corner or the picture at the top of the page to go back. Click on a picture below to go to that subject.

Montserrat

Montserrat, whose name means 'serrated mountain', plays an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Catalonia. It is Catalonia's most important religious retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona and all over Catalonia often make overnight hikes to watch the sunrise from the heights of Montserrat. The Virgin of Montserrat is Catalonia's patron saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain.

During the rule of Francisco Franco, Santa Maria de Montserrat was seen as a sanctuary for scholars, artists, politicians and students. Franco's men were often waiting for wanted people a few miles down the road.

From the 1940s onward, Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey was often seen as a symbol of Catalan nationalism. [Wikipedia] {more pictures}

Sagrada Familia

The Basílica Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, otherwise known as Sagrada Família, is a church still under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.
On 19 March 1882, construction of Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned  Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the church's crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   [Wikipedia] {more pictures}

Park Guell

The park was originally part of a failed housing development by Count Eusebi Güell, inspired by the English garden city movement. The name "Park" reflects this English influence. The location, a rocky hill called Muntanya Pelada (Bare Mountain), contained a large house known as Larrard House. Bordering the upscale La Salut neighborhood, Güell sought to market the area for its clean air and views. The plan included sixty triangular plots for luxury homes. Güell moved into Larrard House in 1906 to promote the project, but only two homes were ever built—neither by Gaudí. One house, built as a show home in 1904, remained unsold. Güell persuaded Gaudí to purchase it with his savings. Gaudí moved in with his father and niece in 1906. [Wikipedia]. {more pictures}

Crypt of Colonia Guell

At the age of 28, the Church of Colònia Güell was one of several commissions Gaudí received from Count Güell in the suburb of Santa Coloma de Cervelló.  To start the designing process of the church, Gaudí used his unique process of gravity and rope, known as a funicular system.[2] As seen in the planning of La Sagrada Família, Gaudí hung hemp ropes attached to lead-filled sacks from the ceiling. By doing this, it allowed him to reproduce the curves of the church at a 1:10 scale. Gaudí also used canvas sheets to imitate the vaults and walls of the structure. By weighing down the ropes with lead-filled sacks, it allowed him to see the loads that would be exerted on the actual structure. To turn this hanging structure into his actual design, Gaudí photographed his model, flipped the image, and traced over it while adding some ornament and design. This method of planning led to the development of a new architectural vocabulary, such as hyperbolic paraboloids and hyperboloids, which are prominent elements in many of Gaudi's designs. [Widipedia] {more pictures}

Casa Mila

The building was commissioned in 1906 by Pere Milà and his wife Roser Segimon.  At the time, it was controversial because of its undulating stone facade, twisting wrought iron balconies, and design by Josep Maria Jujol. Several structural innovations include, a self-supporting stone façade (The internal walls can be added and demolished without affecting the stability of the building. This allows the owners to change their minds at will and to modify, without problems, the interior layout of their apartments.), and a free-plan floor, underground garage and the spectacular terrace on the roof. [Wikipedia] {more pictures}

Casa Batllo

Like everything Gaudí designed, Casa Batlló is only identifiable as Modernism in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, has unusual tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. There are few straight lines, and much of the façade is decorated with a colorful mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís). The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia, Gaudí's home), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon.  [Wikipedia] {more pictures}

Casa Vicens

The work belongs to Gaudí’s orientalist period (1883-1888), an era in which the architect made a series of works with a distinctly oriental flavour, inspired by the art of the Near and Far East (India, Persia, Japan), as well as Hispanic Islamic art, such as Mudéjar and Nasrid. During this period, Gaudí used an abundance of ceramic tiling to decorate his work, as well as Moorish arches, columns of exposed brick and temple-shaped or dome-shaped finishes.  [Wikipedia] {more pictures}

Finca Guell - Dragon Gate

Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí was commissioned to remodel the summer house, gardens, and adjoining farms located on the outskirts of Barcelona that his patron, Eusebio Güell, had inherited from his father. The Catalan genius designed the gatehouse, the stables, and the brick walls in the Mudejar style     But the most remarkable part of this complex is the extraordinary iron gate, where a horrible dragon welcomes visitors. The dragon is actually a symbolic tribute that Güell wanted to dedicate to his father-in-law. The five-meter-tall monster was conceived by Gaudí and forged in 1885 by Juan Oñós. He decided to turn the garden into the mythical Garden of the Hesperides, where the eleventh work of Heracles took place. This episode of Greco-Roman mythology, mixed with elements of Spanish history, appears in the epic poem L'Atlantida that the Catalan Jacinto Verdaguer dedicated to Guell's father-in-law. [Atlas Obscura] {more pictures}

Portal Miralles

What many people do not know (not even barcelonins) is that Gaudí was responsible for some hidden gems around the city. Portal Miralles, in Sarrià, is one of those gems. In 1901, as Gaudí was starting work on Park Güell, he was approached by an industrialist, with whom he collaborated before, called Eugeni Miralles. Miralles commissioned Gaudí to design a private house with a perimeter wall in Sarrià. Gaudí started work but ended up only doing the wall and entrance gate. His assistant, Domingo Sugrañes, built the house, which does not exist anymore. [spottedbylocals.com] {more pictures}

Guell Palace

Following World War II the congregation declined. The members considered selling the building in the 1970s, but a campaign to save it led to its receiving much needed repairs, and the 1982 designation of the building as a site of historical importance by the City of Toronto. An influx of younger, more liberal families, led to the congregation becoming an unaffiliated egalitarian Conservative congregation. [Wikipedia] {more pictures}

Cascada Monumental & Streetlight

The monumental fountain in Parc Ciutadella was one of Gaudi’s small projects while he was still a university student. During that time, he worked as a drafts man for the architect Josep Fontserè who was commissioned to develop Parc Ciutadella. Gaudi was then appointed to design the park’s water plan and fountain. [barcelona-tourist-guide.com] {more pictures}