My Favorite: Casa Batlló

By Caribb, Flickr

By MorBCN, Flickr

By guercio, Flickr

By (Erik), Flickr

Casa Batlló, one of Antoni Gaudí's most beautiful masterpieces, is located at Passeig de Gràcia of the Eixample District in Barcelona. The Eixample literally means "extension" in Catalan, and the district was constructed accordingly between the 19th and 20th century.

Locally also known as Casa dels ossos (House of... Bones), Casa Batlló was actually already built in 1877 in a conventional style; Antoni Gaudí only "remodeled" the building during the years 1905 to 1907. At the time, Barcelona was expanding rapidly and emerged as the largest city of Spain, and its economic prosperity brought the cultural movement known as the Catalan Renaissance or Renaixença.

The building's stunning architectural details show Gaudí's creative and deeply individualistic style, and some parts of the building (like the corridor shown) are very modern in design. It seems to me that Santiago Calatrava (another Spanish but contemporary architect) is inspired by Casa Batlló.

Gaudí certainly was aware of Art Nouveau and was deeply influenced by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's writings and by his architectural visions regarding Gothic architecture. The building features organic motifs, including a colorful roof that resembles dragon's spine and skin and windows flanked by skeleton-like columns.

It is one of my favorite buildings by Gaudí. I am always stunned at how he used so many colors to decorate this building while not making it look kitsch.

The Finished Café Corner

Today I finally opened the box and spent a whole day assembling this set. It took almost eight hours to assemble, but I could not take my hands off until I finished.

I was quite impressed by sheer creativity permeating through its overall design. The treatment of corner walls and decorations of the building is utterly brilliant, and its dormer windows, its "Hotel" sign, and its entrance are also beautifully designed. Although I have played with Legos since childhood, there were some parts and colors that I was not familiar with.

Overall, I am glad that I bought this gorgeous set. It looks like a doll house. :)

Hmm... I now wish I had the Green Grocer...

I Had to Buy the Café Corner...

I brought home this precious thing from a Lego store yesterday, after years of longing.

The Café Corner is probably one of the most beautiful set that Lego has ever produced. It was expensive for my small student budget, but I was awed so much that I could not help myself but to buy it.

(Simply in Korean-> 어쩔 수 없이 질러버렸음;;; ㅠㅠ;;)

I still can't bring myself to open the box, for then I can't get a refund for the item.

At least I had a courage to pay... :)

Gustave Doré and His Engravings

Paul Gustave Doré (1832~1883) was a prolific French artist and famed book illustrator who produced numerous wood and steel engravings during his lifetime.

His illustrations are utterly wonderful.

Orreries

Engraving from The Universal Magazine (1749)
Showing John Rowley's Orrery

Grand Orrery (Picture by Marcin Wichary)

Thomas Heath's Grand Orrery, c. 1740 (Adler Planetarium)

Engraving Showing the Heliocentric Universe from Harmonia Macrocosmica (1661)

The orrery is a mechanical machine designed to precisely imitate the movements of planets, and is usually driven by a clock. The origin of its unusal name is a British nobleman named Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, who supported a clockmaker named George Graham to build such machine in the 18th century.

Such mechanical devices must have symbolized revolutionary ideas that captivated Europeans during the Enlightenment. There is an irresistible charm behind an idea that the universe follows certain logical and mathematical laws, and orreries, or cosmic clockworks, are rather well-suited to beautifully convey such an idea. Orreries, moreover, were designed to describe the heliocentric system, an idea that was revolutionary and controversial in its own right at the time.

The heliocentric system forever removed the Earth from the center of the universe. Perhaps it was the first step that stripped the humanity of its sense of self sanctity...


I have a weak spot for orreries. I want one.