Reasons why visiting Basílica de la SAGRADA FAMÍLIA is a MUST

  «The intimacy and depth is that of a wood, which will be the interior of the Temple of the Sagrada Familia.» A. Gaudí

The Temple of the Sagrada Familia is a truly echanting place. It will mesmerize your vision and hypnotize you with its unparalleled beauty. It will take your breath away. You do not have to be religious to be overwhelmed with glory, power and ingenuity of this architectural wonder.  

No words can describe and no pictures can depict the fascinating interior  of the basilica . I was moved to tears by the beauty inside this stunning building and the way the light breaks through and oozes through stained glass. The stained glass creates a gorgeous kaleidoscope of color -  warm,  splendid, opulent, otherwordly. Gaudi had such a special, unique way of looking at things and the Sagrada Familia is his signature style structure and the most famous artistic expression to that way of looking. 

 Gaudi himself declared that he was a geometer. And, working on the premise of this modest statement, the artist proceeded to redefine the entire concept of traditional geometry applied to architecture. He abandoned straight lines and began to experiment with curved forms found in the nature: spirals, cones and parabolas. He incorporated an abundance of natural motifs into the structure: trees, flowers, leaves, even funghi (especially mushrooms). These sinuous, botanical shapes found a perfect ally in natural light, which Gaudi used in an innovative way, making it embrace and envelop his buildings to achieve sculptural effects.

Gaudi׳s structural dendriforms (treelike columns) are one of the earliest and finest examples of making treelike concrete-made branching structures inspired by nature. When in early 20th century the trend of structural minimalism was becoming popular, Gaudi׳s treelike sculpted structural supports, in contrast, were stunningly appealing and uniquely special in the field of architecture.

On my travels, I have been fortunate to see some breathtakingly beautiful structures made by man, from Notre-Dame Cathedral to iconic majestic fortress of Edinburgh Castle, but it's hard to explain why the Sagrada Familia may be the one that will have the most profound and long-lasting effect on me. The branched columns and tree-like ornaments conjure up a picture of a forest sanctuary. For the first few minutes I was so touched by the surreal beauty of this unonventional church that I could not think, photograph or even move! I was spellbound. I had goosebumps contemplating the interior of Sagrada Familia and listening to Ave maria (Shubert). When Ave Maria song filled the temple, the whole experience of being surrounded by Gaudi's fantabulous creation became even more profound and moving. Listening to heavenly voice singing Ave Maria in Sagrada Familia evoked a purely transcendental state in me. Never felt anything like this before. Such a  mysterious feeling,so hard to put into words, a feeling of totally merging with something inexplicably beautiful and of glimpsing other worlds or existences. I was moved to tears. I suppose I would be equally moved watching Northern Lights. The building is tremendously atmospheric, its ambient effects rest on the  ethereal play of light and colour. Some say that the forest-like interior of the church feels alive and indeed it does. The incessant indefinite procession of colours and lights that ooze and glisten, green and powder in stained glass create the remarkable effect of freshness and joyful beauty. There is something extraordinarily fresh and glorious about the basilica - it is as radiant and beautiful as  sunshower (meteorological phenomenon in which rain falls while the sun is shining). It shines with its secrets (Gaudi's secrets). It is glimmering with gorgeous colours that make elongated glints upon the marble floors. It made me sad because I had never seen such a beautiful thing before. It made me sad that those who are close to me could not see it together with me! It made me misearable to think that there are so many people out there in the world who  will never have a chance to see this architectural wonder. When I showed the pictures of Sagrada Familia to my teenage nephew he compared the interior of the building to  the undersea topography - ocean underworld. Interesting comparison, isn't it? I knew where my nephew was coming from. The basilica is simply exraterrestrial. It is such a powerfully vision-stimulating, inspiring and thought-provoking place. Whether it resembles a forest sanctuary or ocean underworld altar one thing is certain -  no one has ever managed to recreate the rich colours of coral reefs, radiance of sunshine, vitality of tree branches and etherealness of jellyfish in a church! Hats off to Gaudi.

 

About the Sagrada Familia

 

Sagrada Familia is undoubtedly Europe's most unconventional church. It is an emblem of a city that likes to think of itself as individualistic. Crammed with symbolism inspired by nature and striving for uniqueness, it is the greatest work of Gaudi. It became his life's work as he lived like a recluse on the site for 14 years. During the final years of his life, Gaudi was wholeheartedly devoted to its construction, prayer and fasting and living ascetic life. He wanted to construct a building that would make an impact on the skyline, but also show his respect for the work of God, which in his opinion should never be superseded by man: at 172.5 metres tall, the Sagrada Familia is one of the tallest religious buildings in the world but remains a few metres below the height of Montjuïc – the highest point in the municipality of Barcelona.

 Gaudi is buried in the crypt. When he died only one tower on the Nativity facade had been completed, but work resumed after the Civil War and several more have since been finished to Gaudi's original plans. Work still continues today, financed by public subscription. Most people find it surprising that the basilica is still a work-in-progress, even though its construction of the church had commenced in 1882 (133 years ago!) The starting point for the Sagrada Familia was Gothic architecture, which Gaudí modified and improved on to offer a new architecture which, due to its originality, makes this temple unique. When Gaudi came up with the grand design of this huge structure, he was fully aware that it would not be completed during his lifetime. With advanced construction techniques, the basilica is now expected to be completed by 2030.

Over the years, the controversial structure has been described in many different, often contrastive ways, ranging from "one of the most hideous buildingd in the world" by George Orwell to "terrifying and edible beauty" by Salvador Dali.

About Antoni Gaudi

The son of a coppersmith, Antoni Gaudí was born on June 25, 1852, and took to architecture at a young age. He attended school in Barcelona, the city that would become home to most of his great works. Gaudí was part of the Catalan Modernista movement, eventually transcending it with his nature-based organic style. Gaudí died on June 10, 1926, in Barcelona, Spain.

Early Years

 

Architect Antoni Gaudí was born in Catalonia on the Mediterranean coast of Spain on June 25, 1852. He showed an early interest in architecture, and went to study in Barcelona—Spain's most modern city at the time—circa 1870. After his studies were interrupted by military service, Gaudí graduated from the Provincial School of Architecture in 1878.

 

Development as a Professional Architect

 

Upon graduation, Gaudí initially worked in the artistic vein of his Victorian predecessors, but he soon developed his own style, composing his works with juxtapositions of geometric masses and animating the surfaces with patterned brick or stone, bright ceramic tiles and floral or reptilian metalwork. The salamander in Park Güell, for instance, is representative of Gaudí's work.
During his early period, at the Paris World's Fair of 1878, Gaudí displayed a showcase he had produced, which impressed one patron enough to lead to Gaudí's working on the Güell Estate and Güell Palace, among others. In 1883, Gaudí was charged with the construction of a Barcelona cathedral called Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia (Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family). The plans had been drawn up earlier, and construction had already begun, but Gaudí completely changed the design, stamping it with his own distinctive style.
Gaudí also soon experimented with various permutations of historic styles: the Episcopal Palace (1887–'93) and the Casa de los Botines (1892–'94), both Gothic, and the Casa Calvet (1898–1904), which was done in the Baroque style. Some of these commissions were the result of the 1888 World's Fair, at which Gaudí once again staged an impressive showcase.

 

The Mature Artist

 

After 1902, Antoni Gaudí's designs began to defy conventional stylistic classification, and he created a type of structure known as equilibrated—that is, it could stand on its own without internal bracing, external buttressing, etc. The primary functional elements of this system were columns that tilted to employ diagonal thrusts and lightweight tile vaults. Notably, Gaudí used his equilibrated system to construct two Barcelona apartment buildings: the Casa Batlló (1904–06) and the Casa Milà (1905–10), whose floors were structured like clusters of tile lily pads. Both projects are considered to be characteristic of Gaudí's style.

 

Final Work and Death

 

Increasingly pious, after 1910, Gaudí abandoned nearly all other work to focus on the Sagrada Familia, which he had begun in 1883, cloistering himself onsite and living in its workshop. While employing Gaudí's equilibrated methods, the church would borrow from the cathedral-Gothic and Art Nouveau styles but present them in a form beyond recognition.
Gaudí died while still working on the Sagrada Familia on June 10, 1926, in Barcelona, Spain. He died after getting hit by a trolley car in Barcelona, only a few weeks shy of his 75th birthday. While the structure remained unfinished at his death in 1926—only one transept with one of four towers was built—the extraordinary structure has a final completion target date of 2026, to mark the 100th anniversary of his passing.

Citation Information

Article Title

Antoni Gaudí Biography

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Biography.com Editors

 

 

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Ten Reasons Barcelona Should Be Your Next Trip Destination

Dora in Barcelona: my second solo trip abroad

Dora in Gaudi Museum

Since I can remember I have always wanted to visit Barcelona. I have always liked the very sound of the word B-a-r-c-e-l-o-n-a. It sounded so grand to me and conjured up the picture of an elegant lady (doesn't the word sound a bit feminine and whimsical?)or a majestic and glamorous place. Barcelona is a very old city in which you can feel the weight of history; it is actually haunted by history. You cannot walk around it without perceiving and feeling it. It is full of splendid architecture, incredible stories and stunning landscapes. Barcelona is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a dream destination for art and culture lovers. It has got all you need for perfect holidays: insanely good food, great shops, beautiful sandy beaches, staggering cathedrals, palm and orange trees, gorgeous hills, cable cars, fairy tale architecture, fabulous parks and glorious weather. It is full of music, first-rate tapas bars, great flavours, flowers and glistening fruit. It is incredibly vibrant, charming and colourful.  It is spirited and irrepressible. It is a city with a character and charisma! A very stimulating place to visit. I had a wonderful time in Barcelona. I needed a break from reality and rainy, gloomy English weather and sunny Barcelona instantly awakened me from my winter hibernation/somnabulism.

Panoramic view over Barcelona from the outside of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (Barcelona National Art Museum of Catalonia). The museum is situated on the top of Montjuïc Hill. 



I decided to visit Barcelona in January to avoid heat. I arrived at El Prat airport on the 11th of January and the moment I came out of the terminal I had to shield my dazzled eyes against the Spanish sun's brilliance. I spent 4 full days in Barcelona and the sun was shining almost every day. The sky was cloudless most of the time, the air was fresh and breezy, the temperature just about right for me: +15/16° C. It was sunny, bright, and pleasantly cool. Very refreshening and rejuvenating. Ideal weather for intensive walking, parks & hills touring and relentless exploring of the city. My hotel was located in central Barcelona -  on one of the most popular shopping streets in the Gothic Quarter, a 5-minute walk from the Rambla and the cathedral, 15-minte walk from Placa de Catalunya (Catalonia Square). Placa de Catalunya is a strategic place in Barcelona. It is the central place where the old city  (Barri Gótic and La Rambla) meet.  It is the starting point for all Barcelona hop-on hop-off City Tour Buses. Aerobus service has its stops at Catalonia Square too. Thanks to the fact that my hotel was conveniently located in close proximity to Placa de Catalunya (right at the heart of the city) I could see Gothic catedral, Picasso museum and famous La Boqueria market on the first day of my trip. I was able to stroll lively La Rambla and El Raval as often as I pleased and could immerse myself in the enchanting architecture of Barri Gótic quarter every day. 

    

Panoramic view over Placa d'Espanya Barcelona from Montjuïc. Placa d'Espanya is one of Barcelona's most important and biggest squares.



If you are visiting Barcelona for the first time, here are some tips to make you trip easy, convenient, smooth and most of all enjoyable.

1). Take a good guide book with you. I strongly recommend Barcelona City Guide (Insight Guides series). It has got full-colour, easy-to-follow detailed maps of all Barcelona quarters.The Best Of section at the front of the book contains all the top sights. The Places section details all the attractions worth seeing. I found Insight Guides Barcelona Guidebook the most indispensible item during my travel. I am a great walker and enjoy active sightseeing. In my humble opinion, walking is one of the best ways of getting around Barcelona, which is not really physically that huge as I had previously thought. Despite being one of the largest cities on the Mediterranean (population 1.6 milion), Barcelona is a pretty easy place to find your way around. In effect, it is a series of self-contained quarters or neighbourhoods (known as barris) stretching out from the harbour, flanked by parks and hills.  The guide book with great, detailed maps in it was a great resource to help me plan every day in Barcelona and to explore the city on foot. 


 

2) Book your accomodation in the city centre. Staying in a centrally located hotel or hostel will save you lots of time whilst finding your way around the most important sights. You can find really inexpensive accommodation in the heart of the city. Barcelona has an excellent range of accomodation, with high-end luxury hotels and a varied spread of midrange and budget selections. Depending on the season you can pay as little as €15 to €25 for a dorm bed in a youth hostel. If dorm living is not your thing (it is not mine) but you are still looking for a budget deal, check around the many pensiones (small private hotels) and hostales (budget hotels). These are often family-run, small-scale hotels. Whilst looking for an inexpensive accommodation in Barcelona the word hostale was putting me off. I couldn't help associating it with a loud, squalid youth hostel. The word hostale   couldn't be more misleading though. Some hostales (small hotels) can be actually immaculately maintained gems. An example of such a gem is Hostel Fina. I based myself in Hostel Fina for 5 nights - and paid only €92.50 for enitre stay (€18.50 per 1 night). I booked single room with its own shower and toilet. The room was small but cosy and most importantly - spotless. The hotel is conveniently located on Carrer Portaferrissa street - a stone throw away from famous La Rambla and Barri Gótic. A better location could scarcely be imagined - close to major sights and the old city; perfect area for exploring on foot; good nightlife and dining options. 

  


 3)Buy AeroBus ticket online and print it at home. AEROBÚS is the official shuttle bus service that connects El Prat Barcelona Airport (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) with the city center ( Pl. Espanya & Pl. Catalunya) in 35 minutes. You pay €5.90 for single ticket and €10.20 for return ticket. The return ticket is valid for 15 days after validating the outward journey. Your printed return ticket will be replaced with a paper ticket by the driver once you get on the board of the AeroBus. 

4) Get Art Ticket (Barcelona Museum Pass). If you read my blog you must be into art & museums and Barcelona is to modern art what Greece is to ruined temples. Barcelona is exceptional for the quantity and quality of exhibition venues and is a sheer delight for any visitor interested in art. Art Ticket is a must when visiting Barcelona. It saves your money and time as it allows you to skip the line and cuts out the need to queue and wait. For convenience and speed the best way to buy your museum pass is online purchase. You pay 30€ online then print your Art Ticket and exchange the printed voucher for your Barcelona Art Passport at the ticket desk of any Art Ticket museum. As simple as that. 

 
With Art Passport you save 45% on the normal admission price. The Art Passport is valid for 12 months. It allows you to visit the 6 most popular museums in Barcelona, including Picasso Museum, Fundacio Joan Miro, Fundacio Antoni Tapies, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, CCCB and MACBA. 

Six great museums in greater detail:

1) MACBA: The Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona. 

MACBA is gigantic and impressive. It is a great, rotund, white bastion of contemporary art. Located in the bohemian Raval area, two minutes walk from PLaca de Catalunya, its iconic main building designed by Richard Meier, features captivating exhibitions for art lovers and a permanent collection of more than 5,800 works.

2) CCCB: Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona. 

CCCB is is situated right next to MACBA. CCCB is housed in a labyrinthine building and was set up as a force for social, urban, environmental and cultural development, and has a full programme of striking, thought-provoking and frequently futuristic exhibitions, talks, music and videos. 
 

3) Fundació Antoni Tapies. 

The museum was created by Antoni Tapies, leading 20th-century Catalan artist to promote knowledge of modern art. The Fundació houses one of the most complete public collections of Antoni Tapies' work, and organizes activities and temporary exhibitions on contemporary art. The Fundació Tapies is housed in a pioneering Modernista building (completed in 1885). The building, designed by Domenech i Montaner for the publishing house Editorial Montaner i Simón, combines a brick-covered iron frame with Islamic-inspired decoration. Tapies crowned it with the meanderings of his own imagination, a work called Nuvol i Cadira (Cloud and Chair) that spirals above the building like a stormy cloud or wreath of wind. There is something sinister about the wilderness of wires suspended above the building. The creation is quirky yet thought-provoking. 

 


4) Museu Picasso.

The setting alone, in medieval stone mansions, makes the Museu Picasso unique. The pretty courtyards, galleries and staircases preserved in these old, stone buildings are as delightful as the collection inside. 
The collection concentrates on the artist's formative years, yet there's enough material from subsequent periods to give you a thorough immpression of the man's versality and genius. Above all, you come away feeling that Picasso was a true original, always one step ahead of his time, in his search of new forms of expression. The collection includes more than 3500 artworks, largely pre-1904, which is apt considering the artist spent his formative creative years in Barcelona. It is important, however, not to expect a parade of his most popular works (works representative of his best-known periods. The holdings at them museum reflect Picasso's years in Barcelona and elswehere in Spain, and what makes this collection truly impressive - and unique around many Picasso museums around the world - is the way in which it displays his extraordinary talent at such a young age. Faced with technical vituosity of a painting such as Cilencia i caritat (science and Charity), for example, it is almost inconceivable that such work could have been created at the hands of a 15 year old. 

 

5) Fundació Joan Miró.
  
Joan Miró, the city's best known 20th-century artistic progeny, bequethed this art foundation to his home town in 1971. The museum's buildings, designed by close friend and architect Josep Lluis Sert, are crammed with seminal works, from Miró earliest timid sketches to paintings from his last years.

The foundation rests amid the greenery of the hills and holds the greatest sngle collection of the artist;s work, containing around 220 of his paintings, 180 sculptures, some textiles and more than 8000 drawings spanning his entire life. Only small portion is ever on display.

 

 

6) Museu Nacional D'Art De Catalunya.


From across the city, the flamboyant neobaroque silhouette of the Palau Nacional can be seen on the slopes of Montjuic. Built for the 1929 World Exhibition and restored in 2005, it houses a vast collection of mostly Catalan art spanning the early Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The high point is the collection of extrordinary Romanesque frescoes. 

The Playful Wind.

 

Many creative people do their best work when collaborating within a circle of likeminded friends. Experimenting together and challenging one another, they develop the courage to create things they would not have otherwise created. Out of their discussions they develop a new, shared vision that guides their work even when they work alone. If it were not for my friendship with Bartosz Kowalski - a young, hugely talented Polish composer, I would have never dared to create poems in English. Thanks to his encouragement and a subtle push I did venture to write my first English poems. I used to write lyrics in my native language which is Polish but did not feel confident and competent enough to create poetry in Shakespeare's language! Bartosz suggested that I should give it a try one day, because he would be happy to translate my poem in English to a choir song. He commissioned me to write some poems in English and I took a chance. Listening to "The Playful Wind" sung by a choir made writing the poem all worthwile. When I listened to the choir rendition of my poem for the first time I felt really proud and elated. I thought - It is me who wrote the words - I am a lyricist ;-).

I like surrounding myself with creatives. They help us to unleash our own creativity!

Bartosz Kowalski, a graduate in composition from Chopin University, Warsaw, composes in a variety of genres, including both sacred and secular choral music, instrumental music, film music. The Playful Wind  is a colourfully dynamic setting of Dora Lorenc's poem "To the Playful Wind" - about 6 minutes' duration and was premiered in October 2015 and is eager to be performed again.

The composer is more than happy to make arrangements for other forces on demand.

Composer's website: http://www.bartoszkowalski.com/en/


Composer: Bartosz Kowalski
Lyrics: Dora Lorenc

Warsaw University of Technology Academic Choir
Conductor: Justyna Pakulak
Solo: Katarzyna Piątkowska
15th Anniversary of Choir Concert in Warsaw Philharmonic (28.10.2015)

How my solo travel to Amsterdam changed me: on contemporary art and Stendhal syndrome (2)

Have you ever heard of Stendhal syndrome? I was not even aware that such syndrome had existed until my memorable visit to Van Gogh Museum. I obviously knew that Stendhal was the famous 19th-century French author so the word and the name did ring a bell to me, but getting to know that a syndrome and psychosomatic illness is named after him really surprised me. Well, well I have another reason to never underestimate educational value of traveling!

So what exactly Stendhal Syndrome is? It is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art in a single place. 

Although there are many descriptions of people becoming dizzy and fainting while looking at Florentine art, dating from the early 19th century on, the syndrome was only named in 1979, when it was described by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini. Looking at great art, according to Magherini, can be bad for your mental health. But it was Stendhal after whom the illness was named. After visiting the Basilica of Santa Croce  in Florence and seeing Giotto's frescoes for the first time, Stendhal was overwhelmed by emotions and wrote that he "had palpitations of the heart" and "walked with the fear of falling". 

According to Magherini this psychosomatic, aesthetic reaction to the wonders of the world and beauty of art does not affect everyone the same. He claimed that after a few minutes of looking at a masterpiece, the typical tourist can put the wonders of the world in their place and flee towards comfort zones. Others have a mental immunity, "always remaining rational" despite aesthetic delights. He argued that there are those who can succumb to a complex crisis when faced with the beauty of Florence (he observed and described more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence). Magherini identifies these individuals as "sensitive and easily susceptible to emotions".

I am highly sensitive to beauty both in art and in nature. I often embark on quest of beauty: I travel, visit art galleries and museums. I consider myself an aesthete. As far as I can recollect I did experience certain symptoms akin to those described by Magherini on multiple occasions, especially when contemplating works of art in Louvre or The National Gallery in London. I remember feeling a bit dizzy while appreciating Botticelli's frescoes in Louvre (especially Three Graces) and my head felt as if it was not getting enough blood. In addition, I experienced increased heart rate and increased perspiration. I attributed these reactions to prolonged standing and visual stimulation however. I did not realize that I could have been experiencing Stendhal syndrome. Have you ever experienced intense psychosomatic illness while contemplating an artwork? Share your story!

If you happen to experience Stendhal Syndrome in Van Gogh Museum there is a special rescue remedy for you. You can shelter yourself in a wooden pavilion which offers treatment for this intriguing and elusive syndrome. Stendhal Syndrome Pavilion creates a space where visitors can seek retreat and solace, reflect meaningfully on the power of art and the fragility of human perception.

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Being in Amsterdam on my own for five days was a rejuvenating feeling. The trip made me fall in love with myself, and it taught me lessons I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. To grow as individuals, we long to see different places and to experience new things, and solo traveling allows us to do just that. 

My solo trip made me realize that my "weaknesses" are just a part of my imagination. We all have certain things we think we are bad at. I often proclaim that I am worst at directions. I joke that I can get lost anywhere even in a box. But on my first day in Amsterdam, I walked 30 minutes throughout the entire town with only a paper map and no cell phone but with a smile plastered to my face. I took my time figuring out where I wanted to go, and when it was time to head back, I challenged myself to find my lovely, cosy hotel - Hotel Galerij. And guess what? It worked. I walked my way home from pure memory. At times, I questioned myself, but I stuck to my intuition. I arrived without anyone else’s help.

Taking a solo trip can really help you to understand who you are. Solo trip is the answer for self-discovery. And when you discover who you really are you will be free! Sounds liberating, doesn't it? If you want to transform yourself into something better, if you want to optimize your life, if you want to expand your world and stimulate your vision, you should embark on a solo journey. You will never regret it.  No matter the circumstances, you will figure out how you thrive and survive in certain situations. No matter the circumstances, you will figure out what makes you tick and bubble with excitement. The thing is, that we often censor ourselves or hesitate to do certain things because we are with other people. We often restrict ourselves, wear masks and conceal who we really are while being surrounded by people whose opinions we value. But when we are on our own, we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Who is there to judge us? 

I am pretty certain that if I hadn't gone to Amsterdam on my own, Van Gogh's unfinished painting would not have elicited such an unexpected emotional reaction from me (I would have to censor my emotions and reactions in company of my friends), I would have never visited Stedelijk Museum (I am pretty sure that none of my friends would be happy to pay 15€ in order to gaze at upturned chairs or Matisse's monumental, wall-filling cutouts). I am no art expert myself but I am highly attracted to different forms of artistic expression. I might say that Stedelijk was a bit of a novelty for me. It did open my eyes to a new world of art. When I first encountered the largest-ever retrospective of work by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) in Stedelijk I hadn't really seen much of modern art up close. My initiation into the world of abstract art took place some time ago in Tate Modern in London. But I went there with a friend whose bubbly predisposition and extroverted nature impeded severely my reception of and engagement with  contemporary artistic creations. 

So what happened in Stedelijk? Well, lots of things. Stedelijk redefined or even revolutionised my relationship with modern art. I can honestly admit that it was my first genuine interaction with abstract art in my life. I saw modern art UP CLOSE for the first time and it left a lasting impression on me. People say "Do not judge a book by its cover" and I will add: "Never judge abstract art if you haven't let it confront you yet". Understanding abstract art does not come naturally for everyone. It is the kind of art that leaves some people puzzled and makes them say: "Even I could could do that. Even my kid could do that too!". This is a kind of remark people say when they see prints or illustrations presenting examples of abstract art in books or magazines. I was equally puzzled when I browsed through a history of art coursebook many, many years ago and reached the final chapter devoted to abstract art. I remember thinking that contemporary artists sadly lacked drawing skills and a sense of beauty of the Old Masters (forgive me my ignorance my dear readers but I was an inexperienced teenager at that time). 

What I am trying to say now, is that you should not denigrate abstract art and dismiss it as some silly, meaningless scribbles and doodles unless you have experienced it and saw it UP CLOSE. I know that abstract art does not contain familiar objects, so there is not much to grasp or hold onto. This can be very confusing and even threatening.

 

   € 15

I am going to describe my experience of the artwork above now. Six huge canvases. White paint spread out and rubbed all over their surface. You may look at it and say that it is boring, monothematic, static, it bears no meaning. It does not have any beginning or any end. But you are looking at the tiny picture at the moment.  You can't experience the size, texture and real colour of these gigantic whitish creations. They will not speak to you through your computer screen. I stood in front of them for a while. It was very quiet in the gallery, very intimate. I gazed and gazed and after some time I started to experience all sorts of strange feelings: whiteness started to ooze and engulf me, I felt a sense of alienation combined with a feeling of emptiness and hollowness in depths of my being, then increasing fear and anxiety. Fear of what?  Was it fear of whiteness and sterility? These paintings made me think of the future world. They conjured images of futuristic sterile white laboratory in my head. Perfectly clean, with no bacteria. Hermetic and sound proofed like a capsule. Futuristic world. The unknown world. Uber-Civilized World. Uber-Technologized World. World of Science and Experimentation. And what the condition of humanity is going to be in such kind of world? Humans? Humanoids? Artificial Intelligence? How are they going to communicate? Will they feel isolated?

This seemingly nonsensical piece of art created a room for a silent dialogue with its viewer. It encouraged deep process of thinking and envisaging. And that's what abstract art is all about. It allows the spectator to decide what the artwork is about, on a very personal level. A large part of the beauty of abstract art is that we, viewers, can bring our own meaning and assign our own context to an artwork based on our associations, memories and unique emotional response. Abstract art is open to interpretation and speculation. It requires you to have an open, enquiring mind, you must confront and enter the painting and see where it takes you. This intensely personal process enriches a viewer's perspective and stimulates their imagination.

When you stand close to a painting so that you become spiritually immersed in the experience of colour different ideas and associations might suddenly and unexpectedly spring to your mind. Different colours radiate different frequencies and energies. In abstract paintings colours play vital role and invite the spectator to open their emotions to an intellectual and emotional kinship with art.  

Oscar Wilde wrote that "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all". I just thought I would borrow and change his aphorism to sum up my entry about abstract art: "There is no such thing as a well painted, or badly painted painting. Paintings either speak to your soul or not. They either stir your emotions or not. That is all".