Pigeons, a photo from Barcelona, Cataluña

Photographer's Note

Park Güell (Catalan: Parc Güell, IPA: [ˈparg ˈɡweʎ]) is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Güell, whom the park was named after. It was inspired by the English garden city movement; hence the original English name Park (in the Catalan language spoken in Catalonia where Barcelona is located, the word for "Park" is "Parc", and the name of the place is "Parc Güell" in its original language). The site was a rocky hill with little vegetation and few trees, called Muntanya Pelada (Bare Mountain). It already included a large country house called Larrard House or Muntaner de Dalt House, and was next to a neighborhood of upper class houses called La Salut (The Health). The intention was to exploit the fresh air (well away from smoky factories) and beautiful views from the site, with sixty triangular lots being provided for luxury houses. Count Eusebi Güell added to the prestige of the development by moving in 1906 to live in Larrard House. Ultimately, only two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudí. One was intended to be a show house, but on being completed in 1904 was put up for sale, and as no buyers came forward, Gaudí, at Güell's suggestion, bought it with his savings and moved in with his family and his father in 1906. This house, where Gaudí lived from 1906 to 1926, was built by Francesc Berenguer in 1904. It contains original works by Gaudí and several of his collaborators. It is now the Gaudi House Museum (Casa Museu Gaudí) since 1963. In 1969 it was declared a historical artistic monument of national interest.
It has since been converted into a municipal garden. It can be reached by underground railway (although the stations are at a distance from the Park and at a much lower level below the hill), by city buses, or by commercial tourist buses. While entrance to the Park is free, Gaudí's house, "la Torre Rosa," — containing furniture that he designed — can be only visited for an entrance fee. There is a reduced rate for those wishing to see both Park Güell and the Sagrada Família Church.
Park Güell is skillfully designed and composed to bring the peace and calm that one would expect from a park. The buildings flanking the entrance, though very original and remarkable with fantastically shaped roofs with unusual pinnacles, fit in well with the use of the park as pleasure gardens and seem relatively inconspicuous in the landscape when one considers the flamboyance of other buildings designed by Gaudí.
The focal point of the park is the main terrace, surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent. To design the curvature of the bench surface Gaudí used the shape of buttocks left by a naked workman sitting in wet clay.[citation needed] The curves of the serpent bench form a number of enclaves, creating a more social atmosphere. Gaudí incorporated many motifs of Catalan nationalism, and elements from religious mysticism and ancient poetry, into the Park. The visitor was originally greeted by two life-size mechanical gazelles (a major euphemistic symbol of 'the young beloved' in the Hebrew strand of the medieval love poetry of the region), but these have since been lost during the turbulence of war.[citation needed]
Roadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures. This minimized the intrusion of the roads, and Gaudí designed them using local stone in a way that integrates them closely into the landscape. His structures echo natural forms, with columns like tree trunks supporting branching vaulting under the roadway, and the curves of vaulting and alignment of sloping columns designed in a similar way to his Church of Colònia Güell so that the inverted catenary arch shapes form perfect compression structures.
The large cross at the Park's high-point offers the most complete view of Barcelona and the bay. It is possible to view the main city in panorama, with the Sagrada Família and the Montjuïc area visible at a distance.
The observant visitor will notice green birds flying around amongst the pigeons and sparrows. These are monk parakeets that have became a common species with a growing population started from some individuals escaped from captivity sometime in the 70s. Like the pigeons they nest in the tall palm trees. Another bird to look out for is the hummingbird that can be seen on some days, if you look hard enough.

PICCIONI.

Il Parco Güell (in catalano Parc Güell) è una delle realizzazioni dell'architetto Antoni Gaudí a Barcellona che appaiono nell'elenco dei patrimoni dell'umanità dell'UNESCO. Progettato agli inizi del Novecento, sarebbe dovuto diventare una città-giardino. È oggi un parco pubblico, aperto tutto l'anno, ed uno dei monumenti-simbolo della città catalana, con un'alta frequentazione turistica.
Realizzato tra il 1900 e il 1914, doveva essere all'origine una specie di città-giardino sul modello inglese. Fu commissionato a Gaudí dal suo mecenate, l'industriale Eusebi Güell, che aveva comprato una collina (El Carmel) a nord della città. Il progetto complessivo dell'insediamento prevedeva alloggi, studi, una cappella ed un parco, per un totale di 60 abitazioni, ma fu acquistato solo uno dei lotti e furono completate solo due abitazioni. In una delle due abitazioni già edificate abitò per molti anni lo stesso Gaudí, con il padre e la figlia della sorella, fino al suo trasloco definitivo nel cantiere della Sagrada Família. La città di Barcellona lo acquistò nel 1922, trasformandolo in parco pubblico.
Gaudí cercò di conservare l'andamento naturale del terreno in rilievo, lasciando libero sfogo alla sua immaginazione, generando un’opera originale dal profilo sinuoso. Per la sua costruzione fece impiego di variopinte ceramiche di recupero e pezzi di vetro, utilizzati come tessere di mosaici colorati, assieme alle sue sculture in calcestruzzo, che rappresentano tutto un universo di animali fantastici, rifacendosi in maniera chiara al concetto del pittoresco.
Fedele al suo stile, Gaudí creò un’opera che si integra nella natura e che la riproduce: tra gli esempi la passeggiata coperta con delle colonne che hanno le forme dei tronchi degli alberi o delle stalattiti, le fontane e le arcate artificiali di roccia.
In cima alla scalinata principale con la fontana a forma di salamandra (simbolo dell'alchimia e del fuoco) si trova la sala ipostila, realizzata come un tempio classico greco. Questa sala, chiamata anche sala delle 100 colonne (benché soltanto 85 siano state completate), si situa sotto la piazza centrale del parco. La piazza è delimitata da un sedile sinuoso come un serpente di 150 m di lunghezza. Su questa panchina straordinaria, seduti in curva, si è al riparo e si vedono i propri vicini, in uno spazio intimo, pur avendo la vista sul resto della panchina.
Nelle altre zone del parco Gaudí creò spazi altrettanto fantastici, dove ponti in cemento armato sembrano strutture ottenute dalla scultura della roccia, dissimulando così l'incredibile sforzo architettonico.

jusninasirun, Charo, adores, mcmtanyel ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2012-01-22 1:00

Hi Ciao my dear Luciano

Another great shot! Good poetic mood and atmosphre you described. Perfect framework and splendid well considered composition. Wonderful color allocation and light control via appropriate exposure and shutter speed. Thanks for your sharinig with finest work and have a gorgeus Sunday evening!
Best regrads,

Takero from very cold Tokyo

manudautriche (4348) 2012-01-22 1:02

Belle mosaïque de couleurs et beau jeu d'ombres et lumières...Le cadrage est très bon aussi, bravo...:)

Silvio1953 (220717) 2012-01-22 1:06

Ciao Luciano, graziosa con i piccioni che ci fan compagnia nell'ammirare una bella realizzazione del genio Gaudi, ottima nitidezza, magnifica luce e bei colori, bravo, buona Domenica, ciao Silvio

digbymerry (3998) 2012-01-22 1:06

Hello Luciano

A great capture of these beautiful mosaics and the pigeons add another dimension.

Best wishes

Digby

Nicou (193806) 2012-01-22 1:11

Hello

quel captage de ces oiseau sans ce grphsime ce pierre, quelle forme et vague les accompagnemt superbe compo fantastique.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

JFS (32459) 2012-01-22 1:37

This is the most original picture i've ever seen of Parc Güell, you're presenting us a mosaic carpet Gaudi's Trademark. The visual effect is great. Good work Luciano.

Cheers,
Juan

kordinator (8738) 2012-01-22 2:11

Hello dear Luciano
Lovely pigeon with fanrastic background.
What a lovely colors.
Perfect framework.
Excellent considered composition.
Great job.
Best regards
Saša

snunney (130967) 2012-01-22 2:11

Hello Luciano,
The mosaics make a superb backdrop for the pair if pigeons, creating an interesting and colourful graphical image. I like the light and shadow contrasts and the excellent detail.

krzychu30 (15512) 2012-01-22 2:17

Hello Luciano,
fantastic image!You had a great idea with this photo and your presentation of Parc Guell is refreshing and orginal from that,what we used to see from this place.Excellent framing and details,as well as superb colors.Well done my friend!
Have a good sunday
Krzysztof

mauro61 (53411) 2012-01-22 2:43

ciao Luciano,
i due piccioni sono ben inquadrati con sullo sfondo le morbide forme di questo parco.
Buon gioco di colori e ottima la resa,
buona domenica
maurizio

Nard (6972) 2012-01-22 2:56

Bonjour Luciano
C'est vraiment magnifique, très bien cadré avec une excellente netteté ce qui donne un résultat très artistique. J'adore les couleurs et comme la lumière fait briller la mosaiquent, comme des milliers de petits miroir. Les 2 pigeons au premier plan complètent parfaitement la compo et ajoutent une touche vivante.
Cdlt
Bernard

yquem46 (38752) 2012-01-22 2:58

Ciao Luciano
J'aime bien le contraste entre l'avant plan dans l'ombre avec l'arrière plan coloré en pleine lumière
Une façon très originale de nous présenter un détail du parc Güell
Les pigeons bienvenus dans ta compo sont la cerise sur le gâteau
Bon WE et meilleurs voeux pour 2012
patrick

holmertz (102066) 2012-01-22 3:09

Hello Luciano,
An excellent composition. You have used the patterns and colours created by Gaudi very well and turned them into a composition of your own. The pigeons seem like natural parts of this work of art.
Regards,
Gert

siamesa (28231) 2012-01-22 3:15

Bom dia Luciano

Lovely composition with the pigeons and the work of Gaudi.Fantastic capture of the colors. superb point of view.Maybe a couple...
Abraços
maria

jhm (211734) 2012-01-22 3:34

Ciao Luciano,

Thank you very much for your interesting note.
These mosaic with different colors makes these picture attractive.
This couple doves is aa extra at the picture.
Real colors and excellent presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

Royaldevon (85674) 2012-01-22 4:17

Ciao Luciano,

What interesting notes. I feel that I have learned much this morning.

A most unusual shot!
The colour changes are crutial, signifying the changes in elevation. Only the birds bring the sense of reality to this amazing, abstract picture.

Have a good Sunday,
Bev :-)

dta (98848) 2012-01-22 4:59

Ciao Luciano ,
Tu as parfaitement utilisé la présence de ce couple de pigeon , pour nous montrer ce détail de l'étonnante architecture de Gaudi (j'adore !) .
Bien cadré et composé .
Bravo

Yiannis84 (2824) 2012-01-22 5:46

Hi Luciano..

An effective shot who bring your personal mark & idea..original capture..great concept & execution

Well done my friend

Best regards..Yiannis

Sergiom (117241) 2012-01-22 5:56

Bonjour Luciano

Tu trouves le moyen de nous montrer ces bancs célèbres d'une façon nouvelle et intelligente. Un cadrage recherché et une belle gestion des formes.

Amicalement

Serge

Bluejeans (64251) 2012-01-22 9:09

Ola Luciano ,
Beleza esta tua foto original , gostei muito do grafismo conseguido com estes mosaicos coloridos , ficou bem interessante os pombos , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

CLODO (45116) 2012-01-22 10:51

Bonjour Luciano

c'est le printemps!
Le couple de pigeons se repose à l'ombre et ne daignent pas regarder les carreaux de couleur de Gaudi!
Bonne soirée
CLODO

Schnappilic (9692) 2012-01-22 10:55

Ciao Luciano,

Splendid composition from Guell Parc. Lovely pigeons near Gaudi masterpiece. Well done!

All the best,

Ovidiu

Gigidusud (21679) 2012-01-22 11:51

Ciao Luciano,
Bellissima composizione i piccioni con il capolavoro di Gaudi.
Buona sera.
Ghislaine

Budapestman (82620) 2012-01-22 11:54

Hi Luciano,
a beautiful photo with splendid details the pigeons are lovely bonus I like the composition and the colours, superb shot, Tfs! Have a nice Sunday evening! Kellemes Vasárnap estét kívánok!
György

Rafer (0) 2012-01-22 12:07

Excelente foto..muy precioso y preciso encuadre y color!!! muy buena!!! Saludos

Sonata11 (34119) 2012-01-22 12:16

Hello Luciano,
what a wonderful picture of this art work with a diffrent patterns, diffrent shape and colors and great adding the pigeons to this pic. Wonderful composition and beautiful framing. Fantastic management of light, beautiful colors, sharpness, perfect clarity, POV and DOF as well. Perfectly well done. I love it. Thanks for sharing.
All the best and have a nice Sunday,
Barbara

emka (157280) 2012-01-22 12:59

Ciao Luciano,
You usually go to the tropical beaches, and you went now to Barcelona?? beautiful compositiion with pigeons on the gaudi background. Original shot. Wonderful mosaic, fantastic visul effect.

Warm regrads

MAlgo

faletiz (10113) 2012-01-22 13:06

Caspita che meraviglia!!! Una foto davvero fantastica, originale, luminosa e composta alla grande! Bravissimo, la aggiungo alle mie preferite.
Buona serata
Letizia

pajaran (115025) 2012-01-22 13:23

Pozdrav.
Vrlo interesantan i detaljan tekst sa datim podacima o mestu sa istorijom ...
Lep pogled na golubove i mozaik, dobra kompozicija.
Dobra ostrina snimka, kontrast i prikaz, lepe boje.
Sve najbolje.
Paja.

Google.

Ciao.
Molto interessante e testo dettagliato con i dati riportati sulla storia del luogo ...
Bella vista degli uccelli e il mosaico, buona composizione.
Colpo gravità buona, e contrasto del display, bei colori.
Tutti i migliori.
Paja.

dkmurphys (79209) 2012-01-22 13:32

Ciao Luciano,
Charming detail from Parc Guell. An incredible place, a piece of that big impressive puzzle called Barcelona.
Well catch, have a good night.

Daniel

tyro (30513) 2012-01-22 14:23

Ciao Luciano,

Another fine picture of Gaudi's wonderful work!

And this picture has a wonderfully abstract and graphic feel to it: lovely well saturated colours, beautiful lines and curves. And how obliging of the two pigeons to land in just the right place for your photograph!

Lovely composition and excellent lighting and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

bergese (6699) 2012-01-22 14:24

Ciao Luciano
Una composizione molto bella e molto romantica grazie alla presenza di questi due uccelli.
L'arredamento è bello.
Bravo.
Buona settimana
Isabelle

chris04stop (6805) 2012-01-22 15:36

Questi due piccioncini, speriamo innamorati, sono deliziosi. E magnifici i mosaici che fanno da sfondo. Il che, stanne sicuro, non cambierà MAI la mia opinione riguardo a Gaudì. Testarda io? Ma no... un mulo é la più accondiscendete e docile delle creature in confronto a me!
Anna Paola

serp2000 (47063) 2012-01-22 18:43

Hola, Luciano,
Ohh, the same famous Parc Guel!!! Amazing capture, gorgeous composition, spectacular colours.
The note is very useful. TFS!

What can you say about this photo:
www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Israel/Tel_Aviv/Tel_Aviv//photo1000587.htm

Best regards,
Serghei

jjcordier (79299) 2012-01-22 22:41

Luciano
Un très joli cadrage exploitant au mieux la présence de ces deux pigeons roucoulant devant ces très belles mosaïques colorées. Belle photo!
Amicalement
JJ

papagolf21 (152605) 2012-01-23 4:26

Bonjour, cher ami Luciano,
Je vais me joindre aux louanges méritées de mes amis pour complimenter l'auteur de cette très belle composition.
Sujet parfaitement réalisé.
Oeuvre d'art !
Amitiés.
Philippe

timecapturer (49288) 2012-01-23 5:19

Hi Luciano
love this! The two pigeons give us a sense of scale and add a perfect element to this beautiful composition. The light is wonderful as is the exquisite detail. A glorious image and presentation.

Hope you have a good week - regards Brian.

delpeoples (60342) 2012-01-23 5:49

Ciao caro Luciano

Impressionante queste ceramiche. La resa cromatica e texture sono stupendi. Il ciliegino sulla torta sono i piccioni. Che una bella cattura, complimenti.

Passa una bella giornata
Lisa

sacimar (38173) 2012-01-23 7:16

Hello Luciano,

great image with the birds and Gaudi's architecture, the combination is excellent, you captured a good scene, well seen,

Best regards,

Sergio

m (0) 2012-01-23 9:37

Hi Luciano,

Those two pigeons couldn't have found a more beautiful place to cool down:))
Lovely mosaics and a feast of colors. Nice work.

Cheers,
Marina

ybx (251) 2012-01-23 10:25

Ciao Luciano,
sei riuscito a trasformare due anonimi piccioni in una bella foto, pur con la complicità del grande Gaudì, complimenti!
Molto interessante la storia del parco, che non conoscevo.
L'effetto della focale tele si vede tutto ed è uno dei fattori che rendono bella questa foto. Gli altri sono naturalmente i colori, la corretta esposizione e, non ultimi, i due ignari piccioni che si sono piazzati proprio al posto giusto, sopra quella parte più scura e in primo piano che esalta la profondità ed equilibrio nella foto, sia come posizione, che cromaticamente.

Ciao

Corrado

PaulVDV (62810) 2012-01-23 15:09

Ciao Luciano,
Very well observed!
Beautiful detail of the Gaudi masterpiece in Parc Güell with the two pigeons excactly on the right place.
Great composition of shapes and colours.
Best regards, Paul

ikeharel (112521) 2012-01-24 1:09

Buogiorno Luciano,
The marvelous Park-Guel offers many corners with intriguing sceneries. Nice colors as the small stones mingled in variable shapes.
The addition of 2 pigeons gave scale on fine photo.
Ciao
Ike

bayno (18348) 2012-01-24 3:01

Bè che dire...complimenti all'artista e al fotografo, gran bello scatto, e pensare che sono stato a Barcellona più di una volta senza aver visitato questo parco...ma ero troppo poco maturo e pensavo solo a divertirmi, ariciao, Valter

josepmarin (59385) 2012-01-24 4:39

Ciao Luciano,
veo que has estado en Barcelona, hubiera sido bonito encontrarnos un momento. Y también veo que aprovechaste el tiempo visitando lugares emblemáticos como el Park Güell, donde tomaste esta buena foto.
Mediante un buen encuadre inclinado, captaste el espíritu creativo de Gaudí, con el original "trencadís" de cerámica, que siempre resulta muy fotogénico.
Buena inclusión de las palomas, y un elegante juego de luz y sombras, que aumentan la belleza de tu composición.
Un espléndido trabajo.
Un abbraccio,
Josep

kennyblack (4207) 2012-01-25 7:36

Ciao caro Luciano, molto intrigane ed interessante questa immagine dai mosaici colorati con un fantastico POV. I due colombi sembra si siano messi in posa per farsi fotografare, dare vita e movimento a tutta l' immagine. Molto bella la gestione delle luci ed ombre ... sei un artista :)
Un saluto ed augurio di buona serata ... Marino

kiks (12805) 2012-01-25 9:14

you catch perfecly the basis of this Gaudi artwork: tiles, color, chaos that form patterns.
Best regadrs
KIks

jemaflor (146382) 2012-01-25 11:23

Salut Luciano,
Bien capturé ce détail avec ce coulpe de pigeons, cela est intéressant pour une présentation originale de cette architecture et des décorations.

jusninasirun (17529) 2012-01-26 4:50

Hello Luciano,
Impressive artwork you have here. I like the tiles with nice arrangement and colors. The doves add flavor to this nicely framed shot.
Thanks and kind regards,
Jusni

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (4814) 2012-01-29 22:51

Ciao Luciano!

Here's 2 points to make the mage a total of 100 points! The pigeons are a nice focal point, definitely a bonus on the FG you wanted to show us. This tile art is very beautiful, creates a remarkable garphism! Lovely patterns, shapes and lines! Great photograph!

best regards,
Matt

Charo (51290) 2012-02-02 13:49

Ciao Luciano,
Non è facile ottenere una foto originale nel parco, in più è sempre affollato nei luoghi più emblematici, ma hai un grande cattura, molto ben composta e con la luce ottimale. Bravo!
Un caro saluto,
Charo

adores (46979) 2012-02-06 18:23

Hi Luciano!
A very nice composition here! We can clearly identify Gaudi's work and the pigeons are a nice detail. Well framed! I like the sun light showing the details so clearly in background.

sevy (58) 2012-02-14 6:08

Hello,

A nice use of the contrast playing on the lightning of the different ground to give depth and to provide dynamic view. It really put in evidence the details of the ceramic and as bonus the 2 birds.

Yves.

npecanhuk (79329) 2012-02-19 11:14

Ciao Luciano!
Wow!
That's magnificent!
Such a lovely picture, indeed!
You had such a superb idea and did an oustanding photo job here! Everything's perfect, in my humble opinion!
TFS - congrats,
Saluti,
Neyvan

danyy (0) 2012-02-21 3:53

Ciao Luciano,
beau graphisme issu de ces mosaïques bien colorées et surtout bien exposées. Un avant plan un peu en relief, c'es très esthétique.
My best regards.
Daniel.

jmdias (114360) 2012-03-01 6:21

luciano

very nice idea to mix the pigeons and the colors and shapes of gaudi. I liked the visual effect here. nice job.

hugs

jorge

adramad (72592) 2017-03-01 9:39

Hello Luciano
Wonderful composition, with this closed plane, on a small part of the tiles of Gaudi, ideal that design in waves with a brilliant color, the backlight with the two pigeons, is an exquisite complement.
A pretty colorful, powering image.
Magnificent management of brightness and sharpness, to enjoy with the details.
Well seen and fulfilled. I like it.
You have a good day.
Very best regards.
Luis.

mcmtanyel (67757) 2019-09-12 21:11

Hello Luciano,
Interesting close-up. I must confess I am more intrigued by the mosaic patterns than the pigeons. 👍🏻👍🏻
Regards,
MT

COSTANTINO (115605) 2019-09-12 22:28

Hello dear Luciano and have a nice time
perfect framework with impressive artworks
the visual effect is really great
welldone and wellseen
regards
Costantino

mkamionka (73500) 2021-11-16 4:32

Ciao Luciano,
I was just checking your Spanish gallery because I am posting from Spain recently.
Very creative composition with some Gaudi elements and the pigeons bringing in a realistic touch to the scene.
Very well done,
M