The Spanish Baroque.

One of my favorite periods is the Spanish Baroque, because of the excesses the Spanish royal court employed when utilizing the Baroque style. Add to that the convulsive and sensual Catholicism of the culture, and it is all very intriguing.

Originally Posted by imageWUSS

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Yes beautiful indeed, if you ever have the chance to travel throughout Mexico, you'll find plenty of churches with these designs, not as intricate, but none-the-less beautiful.

Juan
Yes, the Mexican cathedrals with their so-called Mexican Churrigueresque style:



Or Peru:

For all the sins of the Catholic church, I really have to give it to them for their architectural feats.

i think they're quite ugly and grand.

Velazquez. For painters, he is THE man..

Originally Posted by designprofessor

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Velazquez. For painters, he is THE man..

Indeed!

I like El Greco's work a lot; his Portrait of a Cardinal is one of my absolute favorites:

Originally Posted by imageWUSS

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would this be more your style, which by the way in my opinion is horrible

I prefer:



I think the Spanish cathedrals have an especial impulse which the French cathedrals--while very lovely on their own--lack. The Spanish churches have a certain gravitas.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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I think the Spanish cathedrals have an especial impulse which the French cathedrals--while very lovely on their own--lack. The Spanish churches have a certain gravitas.

anything can be grand given a certain scale. i don't have much affinity for gothic architecture. The extravagant ornamentations tend to turn me off. I do like some of the French and Italian ones though.

What do you think of Gaudi's Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada FamÃlia?

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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What do you think of Gaudi's Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada FamÃlia?

Been there. Real nice.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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One of my favorite periods is the Spanish Baroque, because of the excesses the Spanish royal court employed when utilizing the Baroque style. Add to that the convulsive and sensual Catholicism of the culture, and it is all very intriguing.

I lack any real familiarity with the interior designs, so in the strict sense of Spanish Baroque, Santiago de Compostela is the easiest on my eyes of all the exterior architectural designs I've had the fortune to see. Your lovely photo (above) only underscores that in my mind. It seems the young and hip "pilgrims" agree. They populate the plaza rain or shine.



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Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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What do you think of Gaudi's Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada FamÃlia?


Although the work of Gaudà doesn't strictly qualify as Spanish Baroque, I somehow think of his work as a natural progression of Spanish Baroque design. Ever since 1971 when I first saw GaudÃ's Sagrada Familia design in person, I marveled at the fluid, curvy organic nature of the whole. Immediately thereafter, I bought a guidebook and found some of his other works while in Barcelona.

I still wonder how far off the current design is from GaudÃ's original visionary plans that were destroyed by the separatists? Even though he was by birthright one of their own, GaudÃ's work received no mercy from the Catalonian soldiers.

With all that said, I cannot help but continue to think of a mud wasp's nest every time I see La Sagrada Familia!



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When it comes to cathedrals, Chartres is king. Always has been and always will be.

Of all the basilica's I have visited, St. Peters is the most impressive.

Originally Posted by Pink22m

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Of all the basilica's I have visited, St. Peters is the most impressive.

I'd have to agree with you there. That and the basilica of St. Francis in Assissi were mindblowing.

St. Peter's: