Tag: catholicism

Postcard from London, England: Art restores power to the station

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 Above: “Life in His Mouth, Death Cradles Her Arm,” Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, 2016. Photo grab from video.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Architectural Challenge Number One, 1940s: Design an industrial complex on a site directly across the Thames from one of London’s most cherished landmarks – Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) was an accomplished architect by the time he was tapped to tackle the Bankside Power Station. Unlike his earlier two-chimneyed Battersea Power Station, Bankside featured a single soaring chimney front and center, prompting some to refer to it as the cathedral of industry.

Architectural Challenge Number 2, 1990s: Convert a massive decommissioned power station into a frame for modern art. An international competition attracted 168 submissions, with the Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron selected for the adaptive reuse project. The firm’s respect for and desire to preserve the external features of the brick power station impressed the selection committee of the Tate Modern.

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Postcard from Morelia, Mexico: A wedding cake turned inside out

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Above: Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe

Desiring to appeal to the indigenous population, the Catholic Church hired native craftsmen to complete the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the outskirts of Morelia more than three centuries ago. Dedicating it to the Virgin of Guadalupe indicates the desire to appeal to the indigenous population.

The 18th-century Baroque façade might be plain vanilla, but it’s like a wedding cake turned inside out. The interior serves up a bountiful bouquet of colorful icing doodads, an indigenous translation of Rococo. Stunning polychromed clay flowers cover the walls and ceilings. The spectacular glamming up of the sanctuary was not carried out until 1915.

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Postcard from Oviedo, Spain: A few pieces from Museo de Bellas Artes

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Above: “Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins,” Pieter Claeissens, 1560

Pieter Claeissens’s painting hanging in Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias attracted my attention because of my unfamiliarity with Saint Ursula. According to legend, 11,000 handmaidens of Princess Ursula set sail with her from southern England on a journey to marry the pagan to whom her father had betrothed her. The ship was blown off course, so Ursula and her entourage decided on an extended pilgrimage to Italy first. Huns had taken over Cologne by the time they finally arrived there, and, for some reason, the Huns failed to appreciate having all those virgins in their midst and slaughtered them.

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