Paintings of Barcelona
Articles in ‘Paintings of Barcelona’
March 1st, 2010
A community of Chinese immigrants settled in in Barcelona in the 1870s, fleeing, I think, the Opium Wars and turmoil in the Philippines. They lived in extremely poor conditions in the Camp de la Bota where the Forum is sited today . The area was known for some time as the “Barrio de Pekin”. As the years went by, more immigrants were attracted to the area and the shanty town grew. The Chinese were probably assimilated into the city’s population. Many of the shacks were swept away in sea storms in the 1920s, though with the building boom of the 1929 Universal Exposition, more arrived.
See also Camp de la Bota, Barcelona’s killing fields
The above painting, Platja de Pequín (Pequín beach), was painted by Isidre Nonell in 1901. More from Wikipedia
Art, Barcelona painters, History of Barcelona, Paintings of Barcelona | Tags: Barcelona in the 19th century, Barrio de Pekin, Chinese history of Barcelona, History of immigration in Barcelona, Isidre Nonell, Platja de Pequín|
February 15th, 2010
This painting by Ramón Casas is entitled La Carga (The Charge). and shows the Guardia Civil routing a crowd. It was painted in 1899 and gained fame after the general strike in Barcelona in 1902, where similar tactics were employed. The scene is an idealised view of Barcelona. Santa Maria del Mar is clearly visible as are the chimneys of La Canadenca in Parallel.
The work is currently in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.
Image from Wikipedia
Art, Barcelona painters, History of Barcelona, Paintings of Barcelona | Tags: Ramón Casas, Strikes in Barcelona|
April 29th, 2009
Picasso painted a series of paintings of the roofs of Barcelona in 1902 and 1903. Superficiously, television antennes and satellite dishes aside, the roofs of the old city haven’t changed much. but these bleak and barren views are of another city.
Art, Barcelona painters, Gothic Quarter, Paintings of Barcelona | Tags: paintings of old Barcelona, Picasso in Barcelona|
April 13th, 2009
Barceloneta Beach by Pablo Picasso, 1896 – Oil on canvas. Note the factories of Poble Nou and I think La Maquinista in the background. Picasso lived in the city as a young man between 1895 and 1904. It is also striking how bare the Catalan coast painted in the background was. We forget the massive reforestation in Spain since the 1960s as people no longer had to cut down trees for fuel.
- Picasso in Barcelona (Bcn.net). He said of Barcelona “There is where it all began… There is where I understood how far I could go“
- ” Picasso thrived in the city, regarding it in times of sadness or nostalgia as his true home.” (Wikipedia)
Art, Barcelona painters, Barceloneta, History of Barcelona, Paintings of Barcelona | Tags: Barcelona beach, old images of Barcelona, old images of Barceloneta, Picasso in Barcelona, quotes about Barcelona|
