James Turrell At The Guggenheim

James Turrell, known for his work with light and space, is on exhibit at the Guggenheim through September 25th. This is his first exhibit in any New York museum since 1980. I visited the exhibit this past week, and entered Turrell's world of light, perception, and color. 

Pieces of Turrell's work are located in galleries around the main rotunda, however, the focal point of the exhibit is Turrell's transformation of this large, famous space that is iconic to the building. The space is now filled with a blend of shifting artificial and natural light. It is best viewed from below while lying on the mats placed on the floor. I snapped a few pictures of the various colors that can be seen:

All the photos above are of the main rotunda, which many of you are used to seeing as the open space which spirals around the entire building to the different levels. Turrell completely transformed this into the focal point of his exhibit. 

If you like more modern, perceptual art you will love the James Turrell exhibit. I did find the rotunda interesting, but I am more of a classic art type so the other works were not as interesting to me. If you find yourself uptown, I recommend a stop by the Guggenheim to visit this exhibit before it leaves!

Gaudi in Barcelona

Barcelona is a city filled with beautiful architecture everywhere you look- from gothic style doors to intricate balconies on residential apartments. Barcelona is most well known for its architecture across the city by Atoni Gaudi. Those familiar with Spanish history know that Barcelona is the Catalan region of Spain- an area that believes strongly in its own culture. Gaudi is credited with being the leader in Catalan Modernism. 

His buildings are very distinguishable as he has created his own unique look. They are characterized by stained glass, ceramics, and wrought iron forgings. His most celebrated works in Barcelona include the Casa Batllo, Casa Mila, Park Guell, and by far the most renowned: Sagrada Familia. The buildings are very interesting, and I found myself looking at them for quite a long time, noticing new details as time passed. My personal favorite was the Casa Batllo on the famous Passeig de Gracia. 

The lines to enter were very long for each of his famous works, so I did not get to enter. However, on my next trip back to Barcelona, I would definitely enter the Sagrada Familia. It is still under construction, so new progress is made by the day.