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Sculpture

Sculpture

Submarine in Barcelona

15th September 2015

One of the many wonderful things about exploring Barcelona is happening across curious sculptures in unexpected places.

Here’s a sculpture of a submarine by Josep Maria Subirachs in Dreta de l’Eixample at the junction of Avinguda Diagonal/Carrer Provença and Carrer de Girona.

The sculpture commemorates Narcís Monturiol’s invention of the first submarine, Ictineo II, powered by an engine.

Here’s a detail of the underside:

The Inventor

Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (b. 1819 — d. 1895) was a curious character, in all senses of the term. He was a Utopian communist and a friend of Ildefons Cerdà, the engineer who designed the Eixample.

The Artist

Josep Subirachs, who died in 2014, is the same artist responsible for the Passion Facade on the Sagrada Familia, and the large sculpture of inverted steps (Monument to President Macià) installed in Plaça Catalunya.

The nearby bar-restaurant, Morryssom, has a few prints by Subirachs in the downstairs bar.

Here’s a detail from the base of the sculpture:

 

LINKS:

Here’s a Wikipedia page in English about Ictineo II, the submarine featured above: HERE.

Here’s a Wikipedia page in English about Narcís Monturiol: HERE.

Here’s a Wikipedia page in English about Josep Maria Subirachs: HERE.

Here’s my Spotted by Locals write-up about Morryssom: HERE.

And, here’s a link to an interesting feature about submarines in Barcelona: HERE.

Enjoy discovering sculpture in Barcelona.

Sculpture

The Pigeon Girl, Plaça del Diamant in Barcelona

8th September 2015

One of the many wonderful things about exploring Barcelona is happening across curious sculptures in unexpected places.

Here is a sculpture by Xavier Medina Campeny, a representation of La Colometa (the Pigeon Girl), or Natalia, the main protagonist of Mercè Rodoreda’s novel, In Diamond Square (previously published as In the Time of the Doves).

This powerful, human-sized sculpture is situated in Plaça del Diamant, Vila de Gràcia.

Here’s a detail of the pigeons:

Here’s a photo showing something of the context taken from the terraza outside Café Diamant:

LINKS:

Here’s my write-up at Spotted by Locals: HERE.

Enjoy discovering sculpture in Barcelona.

 

 

Sculpture

Anne Frank in Barcelona

11th June 2015

One of the many wonderful things about exploring Barcelona is happening across curious sculptures in unexpected places.

Location:

In Vila de Gràcia, on Travessia de Sant Antoni, midway between Carrer d’Astúries and Carrer del Montseny, you’ll find the little square, Plaça d’Anna Frank and a sculpture of Anne Frank. She reclines on a canopy affixed to the Centre Artesà Tradicionarius — a cultural centre dedicated to the production and promotion of Catalan music and dance.

The scuplture is by the Catalan artist, Sara Pons Arnal.

An inscription inside the book reads:

“While even the names of her executioners are gone, she lives on. But may the long shadow, and the river of blood and tears and mud and mourning that snuffed out so much beauty, never return, the symbol of which was a young girl in bloom.”

Enjoy discovering sculpture in Barcelona