Monday, January 27, 2014

St. Vitus Cathedral Stained Glass Window (Czech Republic)


While the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague is very beautiful, the stained glass windows are of special note. Alfons Mucha, the Czech Art Nouveau painter, was responsible for the new stained glass windows in the north wall of the cathedral during the 20th century. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Magic Fountain of Montjuic (Barcelona)

Magic Fountain of Montjuic (Barcelona)

Magic of Montjuic Fountain (Font Magica de Montjuic on either Catalan and Spanish) is a fountain located in the head within the Avenida Maria Cristina Montjuic Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The fountain is situated below the Palau Nacional on Montjuic hill, and near Placa d 'Espanya. Water fountains, like most of the surrounding developments, have been built for the International Exhibition of Barcelona 1929.
The Magic Fountain was designed by Carles Buigas, who has designed fountains illuminated in early 1922. What site is the location of the fountain was built before the Four Columns. Columns, representative of Catalanism movement, have been omitted under authority of Prime Minister Migel Primo de Rivera.

Buigas proposed design of a year before the exhibition, with many calling the plan too ambitious, with too little time to resolve. The project used more than 3000 construction workers. The first show took place on May 19, 1929, the day before the commencement of exhibition The fountain was badly damaged in the Spanish Civil War and did not operate until 1955 after Buigas oversee necessary repairs.
In the 1980s, music was established by light and fountain shows, along with the Museu Nacional, completely restored before the 1992 Summer Olympics, held on Montjuic. Performance including movies, classic, and modern music, such as The Godfather, Lord of the Rings motion, Gladiator, a Spanish zarzuela, and "Barcelona" by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé.

Light show and music from October to April took place on Fridays and Saturdays every half hour 7:00 to 8:30, and from May to September, Thursday through Sunday 9:00 to 11:00 every half hour. Espanya Barcelona Metro station nearby, along Lines 1, 3 and 8.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Glass Windows of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision


Neutelings Riedijk Architects (NRA) represent the generation of Dutch Architects that are finally beginning to usurp the dominance of Rem Koolhaas. NRA recently completed Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. The building was conceived as a perfect cube, half of which is buried beneath the ground.

A cultural focus for the city of Hilversum, it houses broadcasting archives, offices and a museum. The exterior is a modernstained glass, conceived in collaboration with artist Jaap Drupsteen. Each panel of the cast glass skin is imprinted with famous images from Dutch Television. Interestingly, each image is only discernible from a certain angle, creating a merged and colourful effect.

The interior of the building is in textural contrast, as it gives way to the exhibits. However, the stained glass casts a colourful glow where it permeates. One wonders if the effect is similar to that of the stained glass that we are more used to — that of the mediaeval church.