The Process Of Making My Book. After Illustrating All Of My Pictures And Typewriting The Story, I Stitched

What does the Sagrada Familia’s form tell us about its function?

Antoni Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia, Basilica

The Sagrada Familia is a basilica that has been under construction since 1882, designed by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi dedicated his life to this masterpiece and near the end of his life he even lived in the Basilica. When Gaudi died in 1926, only a quarter of the construction had been completed. Construction is estimated to be finished by 2026. 

Gaudi was always inspired by natural forms and once said ‘originality consists of returning to the origin’. He stayed true to his words and did not include straight lines in his designs as nature has no straight lines. The Sagrada Familia is one of the most well known buildings designed by Gaudi and inspired by the natural world. It’s function is to be a place of worship, however Gaudi uses the idea of nature to uphold religious values and reflect biblical moments. The inside of the Basilica has been designed to look like a canopy of leaves while the pillars, which are 22 metres high, are intended to look like huge tree trunks. So that inside it feels like a forest where the canopy allows a lot of natural light to shine through. Another fascinating feature of the Sagrada Familia are the two main facades. One façade is the Passion façade, and the other, the Nativity façade. These two represent the birth and death of Jesus Christ. On the Passion façade, the stained glass windows are green and blue, which when the sun shines through them, drench the whole Basilica in blue melancholy light, to reflect death. On the other hand, the windows on the Nativity façade are red and yellow which then allow orange light to shine through to represent birth. These aspects of the natural world are used by Gaudi in his architecture to give the impression that we are in a natural space. 

The Sagrada Familia’s appearance reflects the importance of the natural world and brings us closer to the origin which is nature itself. When approaching the Basilica from the outside, you feel overwhelmed by the monumental scale of the construction and the details of the façade. This building gives an instant impression about it’s function, as a place of worship, glorifying something higher and sublime.

~I have used my own photos.

Sources:

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/15-amazing-facts-you-need-to-know-about-la-sagrada-familia/

https://blog.sagradafamilia.org/en/divulgation/stained-glass-windows-how-they-were-created/

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/sagrada-familia.htmlhttps://time.com/sagrada-familia-barcelona/

Joiners for my photography workshop based off of the theme ‘distance forms around our bodies’, inspired by David Hockney’s joiners and the photography of Jingna Zhang. These were done through photoshop, I merged various photos together. I really enjoyed this workshop, I hadn’t done much on photoshop before so this was really new and interesting.

Van Gough and the quality of paint

Van Gough ‘Olive Trees’ -  Oil on canvas, 1889,  51 x 65.2 cm

Van Gogh, born in 1853 in the Netherlands, despite only selling one painting in his lifetime, he is one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists in the entire world today. His particular painting style and unique use of paint have made his work instantly recognisable. His early works, like ‘The Potato Eaters’ are dark and sombre and reflect the paintings of Dutch masters. However, his style began to evolve after he purchased Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, which were delicate and full of colour and extremely popular with impressionists at the time. He also went to Paris in 1886 to join his brother and there met the great impressionist artists, Monet and Gaugin. After this he gradually developed his bold style.

The work of Van Gogh is intense in colour and his strong brush-strokes give his work an emotional quality. The technique that he used for most of his paintings, and which he became well known for, was Impasto, which is the thick application of paint onto a canvas so that the brush and palette knife strokes can be visible. This not only gives the painting a rich texture but also gives the illusion that the paint is coming out of the canvas.

‘Olive Trees’, 1889, by Van Gogh is a painting of huge significance in Van Gogh’s life. Gaugin visited Van Gogh in 1888, they argued and disagreed during this visit. The tensions between them caused Van Gogh to cut off his own ear. He was taken to an asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, and despite the fact his mental health was deteriorating, he produced a range of diverse and stylistic paintings that depicted the hospital and the grounds around it. One of these paintings is ‘Olive Trees’ which is exhibited at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. This painting is oil on canvas and uses the impasto method heavily. The brush strokes are extremely distinct and the trees are twisted and contorted perhaps reflecting Van Gogh’s own state of mind at the time. Furthermore, he was fully aware of the connection of olive trees to the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed before his betrayal and ultimately his crucifixion. It is likely that this painting represents Van Gogh giving up his suffering to God amongst the olive trees as Jesus Christ, making the ancient trees a symbol of surrender and repentance. Van Gogh was religious and even had the position as a missionary in Belgium earlier in his life. He believed that we encounter God in nature, which inspired his En Plein Air paintings.

‘Olive Trees’ is just one of the many examples of how Van Gogh connected religion with nature in his own style. His use of the Impasto method gives his work a particular sensitivity and striking quality which, without a doubt, influenced the art of the twentieth century and his legacy will surely live on.

Sources 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8IinPk5PqI

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/4971/olive-trees

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Olive_Trees_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

https://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html

Ceramics workshop. We are making tea pots, mine is inspired by a poppy seed head and I’ve really been enjoying making it. Its been great to learn about ceramics and the rules that apply like not leaving air bubbles in the clay and making sure to score and slip. I added texture to the teapot’s surface with my nails to give it a more natural feel like a poppy seed head. My clay was a bit too thick in some areas which I had to smooth down but overall, it has gone well so far and I like how it looks.

Some prints of plants that I have been working on in the textiles workshop. This explores negative space, the space inside and outside of plants. Some are studies painted directly onto the fabric with ink and some are printed in coloured ink.

My own drawing of a traditional Slovakian woman for my project ‘Then and Now’

Lino cut which I am currently working on. Inspired by folk patterns around the world to make one design

The last 2 days of the textiles work shop. We printed with real plants using disperse dyes to achieve more delicate and fine prints. I printed these on cotton and on polyester, which brought the colours out more. The last day of the workshop was experimenting with screen printing, using plant shapes that I had used for the previous two workshops. I experimented with different colours  and layered my prints to create interesting patterns. This was a great experience!

Sculpture and Patination, Giovanni Strazza

Giovanni Strazza, ‘La Vergine Velata’ (The Veiled Virgin’)- Carrara marble, 1850′s

Believed to have been carved in the 1850’s while Giovanni Strazza was in Rome, this sculpture depicts The Virgin Mary with a light veil over her face. It is made from Carrara marble which derives from Tuscany. This type of marble is white with smokey grey veins that run through the stone regularly. Other sculptures made from Carrara marble include ‘David’ By Michelangelo and The ‘ ‘Lacoon and his two sons Antiphnates and Thymbraeus’ in Rome. This type of marble has an elegant and timeless appearance which is why it was popular in ancient Rome and is still used today.

Marble is a hard material to work with and in ‘The Veiled Virgin’, Strazza has made it look very soft and delicate even though marble is resistant to chisel and cutting, which shows Strazza’s skill. The veil falls intricately across some braids at the top of the head and gently drops to the bottom to the bust. The face of Mary indicates that she is either deep in prayer or grieving. The way that the veil has been carved highlights Mary’s feminine face shape and at the same time blurs some of her features giving a sense of mystery to the piece. Using veils in sculpture however was nothing new in the 1800’s as it was inspired by the ‘wet drapery’ that was used in Greco-Hellenistic sculpture.

The bust ‘The Veiled Virgin’ is now exhibited in a convent in Canada and can be viewed by appointment. Not much is knows about Giovanni Strazza so therefore it is unknown what the true meaning behind the sculpture is. The 19th century was a time of nationalism on the rise in Italy. The image of a vailed Virgin Mary was often the symbol of Italia which ultimately could mean that the sculpture could have been a symbol of the newly united Italy. This makes the use of Carrara marble vital as it was native to Italy. On the other hand, the piece could be a symbol of Strazza’s religious devotion to the Virgin Mary. This is further supported by the attention and care which was given to the sculpture to perfect every single fold of the fabric and to give such a gentle expression of the face which highlights his admiration for her. Traditionally, marble is a material used to give a sense of nobility to the subject which highlights the importance of the Virgin Mary in Strazza’s eyes and the Catholic Church.

The overall finish on the bust is neither extremely shiny and polished however nor is it so soft that features can be barely made out. The patina on the marble of ‘The Veiled Virgin’ is precise and smooth which gives the bust a more realistic effect and in that sense brings the statue closer to the viewer and creates a certain ethereal beauty.

Sources:

https://www.marmirossi.com/en/news/focus-materials/the-carrara-marble-a-white-marble-with-history

https://mymodernmet.com/the-veiled-virgin-sculpture/

https://www.franceculture.fr/sculpture/a-fascinating-transparency-strazzas-veiled-virgin

All of my linocuts from my Final Major Project ‘Reconnection’