Life in Barcelona

It seems to me that there are many frustrated artists living in Barcelona, if the amount of street art is anything to go by! I’m not referring to scribbled writing or anti-fascist slogans, but actual works-of-art which should be in a gallery - for all to see – in my opinion.

I’ve always found Barcelona to have a Bohemian feel about it (maybe that’s just because I’m from the U.K, which is about as far from Bohemia as you can get!!!!) but, during the evenings, there are often people gathered playing music and dancing in the city’s many boulevards and squares. Part of the sensation, for me, comes from the street art that adorns many of the cities walls. There really are some exceptional ‘paintings’ and ‘portraits’ which make an otherwise derelict, concrete wall come to life completely. It seems that a lot of time and effort has gone into the work and I don’t think it’s harming anyone or anything - it gives you something to look at when you’re wandering around the city, alongside the beautiful buildings and charming ‘plazas’.

Of course, the problem arises when the graffiti artists carry out their work on protected monuments, public buildings or public transport. I agree that this is not the best way of ‘expressing’ oneself, since it mainly shows a lack of respect for public property and it is this type of graffiti that the authorities aren’t fond of – although I imagine that they should have more important things to occupy their minds!?

I don’t want to sound contradictory, I don’t agree with people who graffiti on these important buildings and landmarks, but I do agree that much of the graffiti you see in Barcelona city centre is artwork and it should be seen! As you walk around the old quarters of Barcelona, the ‘Barrio Gotico’ and ‘el Raval’, the really old buildings that are awaiting renovation have been given a new lease of life and, as far as I can see, that´s not bad.
/Janine
 
 

This entry was posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2007 at 2:52 pm and is filed under General Barcelona, Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.