The good is, like nature, an immense landscape
in which man advances
through centuries of exploration.
-Jose Ortega y Gassett”For Ortega y Gasset, philosophy has a critical duty
to lay siege to beliefs in order to promote new ideas and to explain reality.
In order to accomplish such tasks the philosopher must leave behind prejudices and previously existing beliefs and investigate
the essential reality of the universe." –Wikipedia
I am in Spain/España: an immense landscape where centuries of exploration are ever so visible. It is an overwhelming onslaught of stimulation… visual, cultural, environmental. The amazing genius of the Big Three of Barcelona: Gaudi, Miró and Picasso. Heroes of my childhood, but not of late, and now again.
Genius of such proportions is deeply inspiring.
Gaudi is the most
unknown to me. The aesthetic of CHAOS was never my choice. I've always preferred simple lines. Noguchi, Corbusier, I. M. Pei. Experiencing the work first hand is, as usual, informative, seductive and convincing. And probably weeks immersed snorkeling in the unceasingly fascinating chaos of coral reefs has given me an appreciation for visual cacophony.
The unique
romance and innovation of his undulating forms is mind boggling. The Catalan people allowed him to redefine their aesthetic. He was a prodigy, a genius. And ingenuous enough to convert to catholicism (he had been an atheist) because it gave him the sponsorship of the Church.
(oh please, lightning don't strike me now!)
As a result he became the darling of the city. And gave every iota of his creative energy to the glory of Barcelona.