Gaudi Wall at Park Guell
photo by Sue Gridley
Wall with people on steps art
photo by Sue Gridley
Whether on a grand scale or almost hidden, art has been a source of pleasure that is shared by everyone, whether rich or poor, old or young, from the city or the country.
The photograph of people sitting on steps is from a restaurant in Spain. It is a combination of painting and bas relief that gives the human figures a little depth. As you sit in the restaurant, which is on the site of an ancient Roman city, you not only are exposed to the history of the area, but you can imagine yourself as companion to the people who once lived there as they casually relax with you. Often you see themes painted on walls in restaurants—Italian or Mexican come to mind. But how often do you see a theme that evokes the history of the very place it sits? With such a rich history in Trenton and Rising Fawn and Lookout Mountain, wouldn’t it be interesting to incorporate our history into public spaces with something like this?
The second photograph is of a wall in Park Guell in Barcelona. Antoni Gaudi, the amazing architect and artist had this wall along a descending sidewalk on a hill at his house. He made this stone wall sing by incorporating colorful ceramic hexagonal designs along it. In the sun they sparkle and dance.
Gaudi is probably best known for the church called La Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family), also in Barcelona. It has been under construction since 1882!! Gaudi was killed in 1926, at age 73, by a street car, but private donations have kept this massive cathedral under construction since then using his design. It is planned to be completed on the 100th anniversary of his death in 2026. He is an example of how art can enliven simple home spaces and the most sacred and awe inspiring sites. The church is moving almost beyond belief.
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Sue Gridley, Ph.D., EEMCP is a resident of Rising Fawn. She is a member of the Trenton Arts Council and has an interest in art that she has captured in photographs during her travels.
The Trenton Arts Council has invited people who are active in the arts to submit articles for this column. Discussion, reviews, or idea will be content of the articles. The column is about the arts, including writing, visual arts, music, dance, and photography. Different writers will convey differing perspectives and differing specialties.