LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 796

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

 TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/320th of a second and an aperture of f2.8.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 795

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

 TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/225th of a second and an aperture of f2.8.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA


BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 794

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

 TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/100th of a second and an aperture of f2.8.  Camera had to be wedged against a column - no tripods allowed. 45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 793

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

 TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/560th of a second and an aperture of f2.8.  To achieve this image, Atticus set the camera on the floor - no tripods allowed! 45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 792

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

 TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and an aperture of f2.8.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 791

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

This image may look like the congregation, but it is not.  It is simply an image of the tourists taking in the scene.  34 million tourists every year in Barcelona.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/160th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 790

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/17th of a second and an aperture of f5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 786

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/20th of a second and an aperture of f5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 785

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/15th of a second and an aperture of f5.  To achieve this, the camera was wedged against one of the columns. (No tripods allowed.)  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 784

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 800. Exposure of 1/35th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back. 

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 783

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/800th of a second and at aperture f8. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 782

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and at aperture f7.1. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGES NUMBER 781

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/160th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGES NUMBER 780, 780a & 780b

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

Image Number 780 (top)

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/135th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

Image Number 780a (middle)

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/180th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

Image Number 780b (below)

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/160th of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

 

 

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 779

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/20th of a second and at aperture f22. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 778a

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/160th of a second and an aperture of f6.3.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 778

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/160th of a second and an aperture of f6.3.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 777

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Sagrada (Church of the Holy Family) is a large church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it.

 Construction commenced in 1882.   Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.   Construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.    Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/135th of a second and an aperture of f6.3.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

 

CASA BATILO

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 776

Casa Batlló is a renowned building in the center of Barcelona and is one of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces. A remodel of a previously built house, it was redesigned in 1904 by Gaudí and has been refurbished several times since.  The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), as it has a visceral, skeletal organic quality. 

It is only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, has unusual tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. There are few straight lines, and much of the façade is decorated with a colorful mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís). The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George, which has been plunged into the back of the dragon. 

This building is very difficult to photograph - not because of its situation, but because of the teeming tourists who peek from every orifice.  Barcelona has a population of 1.6 m residents and over 30 m tourists annually.  This certainly divides opinion.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/6th of a second and at aperture f22. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

CASA BATILO

BARCELONA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 776

Casa Batlló is a renowned building in the center of Barcelona and is one of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces. A remodel of a previously built house, it was redesigned in 1904 by Gaudí and has been refurbished several times since.  The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), as it has a visceral, skeletal organic quality. 

It is only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, has unusual tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. There are few straight lines, and much of the façade is decorated with a colorful mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís). The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George, which has been plunged into the back of the dragon. 

This building is very difficult to photograph - not because of its situation, but because of the teeming tourists who peek from every orifice.  Barcelona has a population of 1.6 m residents and over 30 m tourists annually.  This certainly divides opinion.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/6th of a second and at aperture f22. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.