Urban Sketching Barcelona. Day 15: Casa Mila



Casa Milá / La Pedrera


October 19, 2016

I had reservations to visit another of Gaudí's masterpieces, the Casa Milá or as it is also called "La Pedrera" (the quarry - because of its rough exterior surface) on the same day that I expected Andrea and Vincent to arrive in Barcelona. We met after my tour and shared warm hugs and kisses all around. It had been around 10 years since we had been together, although we have kept in close contact through the years.

I very much looked forward to seeing this incredible example of Modernisme - also one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It was built between 1906 and 1912. Pere Milà i Camps, an industrialist and his wife, Rosario Segimon i Artells, the widow of a man from Reus who had made a fortune in the colonies, commissioned Antoni Gaudí to create a family home that would also contain apartments to rent. Click here for more information about the family, Gaudi, and this amazing place.

As with Casa Batlló and Park Güell, I could not believe I was actually there observing it with my own eyes and experiencing the beauty for myself, in person, not just in photographs! I did not do any sketching here and I'm sorry I didn't but I did take some snapshots. I hope you will click on the links I've provided to learn more if you are interested in doing so.



The exterior with decorative wrought iron balconies



Looking up in the Interior Courtyard - bits of colors decorate the walls



The Entry Gate 


On the Roof - Decorative chimneys and towers



Chimney tops covered in broken champagne bottles


The "Soldiers" part of the Ventilation System on the Roof


I was fascinated by the types of materials used - here some are ceramics, others made of stone, resulting in a very different look, accentuated the shadow and light across the surface.


Gaudí purposely designed this stairway entrance to face La Sagrada Familia


A scale model in the basement museum

Comments

Popular Posts