0:00:02 > 0:00:04From towering temples...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06This is a sensory overload.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08..to gorgeous galleries.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11They are just exquisitely painted.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13From traditional tunes...
0:00:13 > 0:00:14LAUGHTER
0:00:14 > 0:00:16..to contemporary creatives.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Have you ever had a book rejected?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Pfft... I don't care.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Every great city offers a dazzling mix
0:00:22 > 0:00:25of world-class artistic treasures.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28And hidden delights that reveal
0:00:28 > 0:00:31its distinctive history and character.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35I've really the territory of the hunchback of Oude Kerk.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Which would you choose to see on a flying visit?
0:00:38 > 0:00:40I'm Alastair Sooke.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42And I'm Janina Ramirez.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43In this series,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47we're selecting our personal must-see sights
0:00:47 > 0:00:49using the magnificent art and
0:00:49 > 0:00:51architecture of three great cities
0:00:51 > 0:00:54to understand the forces that shaped them.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Keep one eye on your wealth,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00but always keep an eye on your spiritual wellbeing.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We're two art lovers with very different tastes.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05From the modern...
0:01:05 > 0:01:06..to the medieval.
0:01:08 > 0:01:09As your guides...
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I've lost all sense of direction on this map.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..we'll be avoiding the crowds by
0:01:14 > 0:01:18hunting for treats way off the beaten track.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20SHE GASPS
0:01:20 > 0:01:22And we'll also be finding new ways
0:01:22 > 0:01:25of appreciating the most famous attractions.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29That's my contribution to the Sagrada Familia.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Between us, we'll show how centuries of political intrigue,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37privilege and the struggles of ordinary citizens
0:01:37 > 0:01:40are all woven through the artworks and buildings
0:01:40 > 0:01:43of these extraordinary cities.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56On this city break, we're exploring the capital of Catalonia,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59the region that struggled across the centuries
0:01:59 > 0:02:02for full independence from Spain.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Barcelona's known as the city that inspired artists like Joan Miro
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and Pablo Picasso.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13And it's home to some of the most enchanting architecture on Earth.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19While we're here, we want to find out how
0:02:19 > 0:02:22the city's thwarted desire for autonomy,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26and its unique blend of religion and radical working-class politics
0:02:26 > 0:02:28have helped Barcelona
0:02:28 > 0:02:31to punch so far above its weight in cultural terms.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35The story of art and culture in this city,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I guess, you can't think about it,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42it's enmeshed with the whole sense of Catalunian identity,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44nationalist politics.
0:02:44 > 0:02:50Yeah, politics. But also very charismatic artists and architects,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52cultural figureheads
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and we're going to start off with one of the best of those - Gaudi.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00Antoni Gaudi designed some of the city's most famous buildings,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04but we're choosing to see one of his projects that's discreetly tucked
0:03:04 > 0:03:06away in the north-west of the city,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08the Torre Bellesguard.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- Gracias.- Gracias. OK, bye-bye.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Right, we're here.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- We are.- I think you should go inside and I'll take outside, OK?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17That sounds good.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24Gaudi worked on this eccentric castle residence for nine years,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28commemorating Catalunya's medieval glory days in his distinctive
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Modernista style.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34It's perched at a strategic spot on the Roman road into the city
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and it's only recently opened to the public.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45This area is steeped in history and it's associated with this important
0:03:45 > 0:03:49historical figure, Martin the Humane.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51He was the last Count of Barcelona,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56he was also King of Aragon, Majorca, Sicily and Valencia.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And actually, the fabric of his building,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03which dated to around the 1400s,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05is built into this folly by Gaudi.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14While Nina explores the history of the grounds, I'm meeting
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Ferran Garces Blazquez, an expert on the house.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Hi. Very nice to meet you.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Shall we go and have a look?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Yes, of course. The house is waiting for you. It's full of surprises.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32The interior is much more what you'd expect from Gaudi.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Stained glass, intricate wrought-iron work,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and a multitude of different types of tiles,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42all transforming everyday features with delightful detail.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43I'm going to show you an example
0:04:43 > 0:04:48of a room so you can appreciate the importance of the plasterwork.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50The plasterwork?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Yeah, the plasterwork - here.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54OK. Right. Well, a very beautiful room.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Very Gaudi, but this is only because of the plaster, without the plaster,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03the room would be just plain, straight and straight.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09OK, so, this isn't what one might expect of Gaudi.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11It's very vertical.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14There's lots of straight lines.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19In fact, it's a little bit like a fairy-tale medieval castle.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26Although it looks like an elongated version of a Gothic castle,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28a closer inspection reveals how
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Gaudi broke up the linear effect by using
0:05:31 > 0:05:33countless fragments of broken slate,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37to add variation in colour and texture.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40There are a lot of touches here to soften
0:05:40 > 0:05:42all these hard, straight lines.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46He's used these undulating mosaics, for example,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49but the mosaics are also an opportunity
0:05:49 > 0:05:52for him to explore the symbolism of this location.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57Here you can see a sun setting on the reign of Martin the Humane.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00The Torre Bellesguard drips with symbolism
0:06:00 > 0:06:02relating to Catalan history.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Unfortunately, the labour-intensive detailing
0:06:05 > 0:06:08nearly bankrupted Gaudi's clients.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10So there is no plaster in here at all?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Why has it not been plastered?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Because the family ran out of money.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18It's unfinished.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21The current owners have left this room as it is,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24to display Gaudi's work in progress.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26So you can see all of this stuff
0:06:26 > 0:06:29which has got this sort of ziggurat, right-angled feel,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31would have been smoothed off and curved around.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34That's right. And also this would be curved
0:06:34 > 0:06:36with plaster and all the details.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41And in here, the marks made with pencil by Gaudi himself.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44He's actually annotated the bricks, has he?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Why has he done that? What's he marking?- It's a sign.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50He's marking, "I want all the bricks to go in this direction.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52"From here to here."
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- As in for the arch, that's the start of the arch?- Yes, the arches.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Look, these two windows are not two windows.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04They're not? You're now talking riddles.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06They are windows, but they are also not windows.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08There is only one way to know what they are,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10which is going outside and meet
0:07:10 > 0:07:11who is waiting for us on the other side.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19What do you see?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- I see a roof and I see...- Yes.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25There's a creature of some description there.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28This is true. This is the big beast.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30It's the dragon of Velazquez.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31These windows are not windows,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34because they are the nostrils of the dragon.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Sorry, why is there a dragon in the roof of this tower?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Gaudi fell in love with dragons.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43The dragon and Saint George is one of the most popular
0:07:43 > 0:07:44legends in Catalunya.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55The spire of this building really is the pinnacle of its symbolism.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59It's also an indication of the sorts of inspiration
0:07:59 > 0:08:01that Gaudi took from nature.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04He's created that cross shape up there
0:08:04 > 0:08:07from looking at the cones of the cypress tree.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13The top of the spire is wrapped with the Senyera, the flag of Catalunya,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17which had to be covered up from the start of the Civil War
0:08:17 > 0:08:19until the death of General Franco.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Under Spain's military dictatorship,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25outward displays of Catalan national identity were prohibited.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26Oh, I see.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30OK, look at this.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31That's spectacular.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Bellesguard in Catalan means nice view.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Now you understand why.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36I do understand why.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39So hang on, we have... that's the mountain, Montjuic,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41which overlooks the city.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43What else can we see, which are famous landmarks?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- The port, the Barceloneta. - That's the port.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47And the Sagrada Familia over there.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50So the most iconic Gaudi building in the city,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53we can actually see the spires and all the cranes surrounding,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54because they're still building.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Fantastic.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00In contrast to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04which pulls in an average of 12,000 visitors a day,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08the Torre Bellesguard can only take 18 at a time.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12This, in a sense, is a bit like the forgotten Gaudi.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And it's also the more intimate Gaudi, because it was so...
0:09:15 > 0:09:20it's clearly...the politics of the place were so important for him,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23this sense of harking back to the stuff you really know about, Nina,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28the medieval past, the glory years of Catalunya, which means, I assume,
0:09:28 > 0:09:29that you love this place.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34Well, I'm going to surprise you and say, having not been inside,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37the set-up here bothers me slightly.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- The set-up?- Yes, it is medievalism,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44it's not truly looking to the medieval past.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47All of it, to me, is a little bit too Las Vegas.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49OK. Erm, ouch!
0:09:50 > 0:09:52That is maybe fair comment.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I mean, there was a detail on the roof that I wasn't enamoured with,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57where you can see an entire dragon's face,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and that felt possibly slightly kitsch. Can we say that?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03But what's interesting when you go inside the building is that sort of
0:10:03 > 0:10:07gingerbread, slightly artificial medievalism effect
0:10:07 > 0:10:09that he was going for disappears,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and you find a lot of what Gaudi is really well known for.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14But we are going to see the Sagrada Familia later.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16A secret side of it.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19So perhaps we might find some common ground there
0:10:19 > 0:10:22in finding Gaudi later on in the day.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25There's so much to see here with so little time.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29The only way to unpack it all is for us to share the load.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36So, while Alastair concentrates on Barcelona's Modernista boom...
0:10:40 > 0:10:42..I'll focus on its historical roots.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53For centuries, the city was constrained by its ancient walls,
0:10:53 > 0:10:54which were constructed in Roman times.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Barcelona was founded in the third century BC,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04by a Carthaginian general known as Hamilcar Barca,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07and from there it gets its Roman name, Barcino.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Everywhere in the city you can see remains of the Roman past.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Here is the old aqueduct that was carrying water into the city.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23And it's the city's Gothic heart
0:11:23 > 0:11:27that still gives you the best taste of old Barcelona.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30If you can avoid the tourists.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39It's so fantastic being in this part of the old city of Barcelona.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43You can find these little alleyways where the buildings are
0:11:43 > 0:11:45almost reaching over towards each other.
0:11:45 > 0:11:51This is a very authentic experience of what Barcelona was like in its
0:11:51 > 0:11:53heyday in the 14th century.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Unlike other modern cities that were pretty much demolished
0:11:57 > 0:11:59from the 18th and 19th century,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02and rebuilt with grand boulevards and big open spaces,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06that was actually when Barcelona's fortunes were failing,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08and that's why we end up with these
0:12:08 > 0:12:11wonderfully preserved medieval buildings.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Its strategic position on the Mediterranean
0:12:16 > 0:12:20made Barcelona powerful in medieval times.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24But that first golden age ended in the late 15th century,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26after the death of Martin the Humane
0:12:26 > 0:12:31and the unification of the crowns of Aragon and Castille.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Then Madrid became the political power base for all of Spain.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Barcelona's status declined further as the colonisation of the Americas
0:12:39 > 0:12:42dented the importance of trade around the Med.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48By the 19th century, Barcelona was becoming Spain's industrial hub,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50it was crammed full of textile factories,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52and that meant that the medieval centre
0:12:52 > 0:12:54was becoming badly overcrowded.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58The only trouble was that Madrid was continuing to assert its dominance
0:12:58 > 0:13:03over Barcelona, by refusing to allow the city to expand beyond its walls,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06despite all of these outbreaks of cholera and yellow fever
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and violent protests against
0:13:09 > 0:13:11the unsafe working conditions and authoritarian rule.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14But finally Madrid conceded that
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Barcelona needed a new zone beyond the slums of the Gothic Quarter.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24An engineer called Ildefons Cerda
0:13:24 > 0:13:28came up with a radical plan to set up the new district,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30to be known as the Eixample, or Extension.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35His proposal promised to transform the city
0:13:35 > 0:13:39with one of the most dramatic and utopian urban planning projects
0:13:39 > 0:13:40Europe has ever seen.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Today, L'Eixample covers
0:13:44 > 0:13:48nearly seven-and-a-half square kilometres of Barcelona.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55Alastair, nice to meet you.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- Great to see you.- How are you? - Yeah, I'm very well.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00I'm meeting local architect Joan Vitoria i Codina,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02an expert on L'Eixample.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07First impressions of this are that it's absolutely huge.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09If you compare the size of the Gothic Quarter,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12there must be room for seven or eight of them
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- in this big area of the Extension. - Exactly, yeah.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18But also look at how regular everything appears.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Instead of planning different neighbourhoods for the rich people,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24other neighbourhoods for the poor people,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27he imagined that everyone, rich and poor people,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30would live together in the same kind of city.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Cerda's visionary plan
0:14:34 > 0:14:37specified uniformly-sized blocks within an enormous grid.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Buildings should be no higher than four storeys,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43to allow plenty of daylight,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45and blocks should be built on just two or three sides,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48leaving lots of open space for recreation.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53But local property developers were hungry for profits and soon blocks
0:14:53 > 0:14:56were being built taller, and the public spaces were filled in.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01They weren't making enough money, that's what they thought.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03They wanted to make more money,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06that's why they built higher and all around.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10Cerda's plan also came under fire
0:15:10 > 0:15:12from some of the city's leading architects,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16who were concerned that his socialist principles
0:15:16 > 0:15:20would result in a monotonous city, devoid of any Catalan character.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23By the end of the 19th century,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28these same architects were employed by the city's wealthiest tycoons to
0:15:28 > 0:15:31transform what's now L'Eixample's best-known address
0:15:31 > 0:15:33into an architectural mecca.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34Wonderful. Thanks a lot.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41Three of the most delightful bespoke residences they designed are here,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44on the Manzana de la Discordia, or Block Of Discord.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Vying for attention,
0:15:47 > 0:15:52there's the Casa Lleo Morera, by Domenench i Montaner,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57the Casa Amatller, by Puig i Cadafalch,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01and Gaudi's otherworldly Casa Batllo.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06You have, side by side, this real coup of civic architecture.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08It's an extraordinary place.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11These mansions were built around the turn of the 20th century
0:16:11 > 0:16:13in this style known as Modernisme,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15and they're all reasonably famous,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18particularly this one by our friend Gaudi.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Modernisme was the distinctive Catalan version
0:16:21 > 0:16:23of the Art Nouveau movement.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25It emerged at the height of
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Barcelona's industrial boom from the late 1880s
0:16:28 > 0:16:31to shortly before the First World War.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36The style was eclectic, decorative, full of plant and animal motifs.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Although the structures were often
0:16:41 > 0:16:43asymmetrical and technologically advanced,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46much of the detailing was historical.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50And it really is something else.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52A riot of colour.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54All of these different tiles decorating it,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56all of these flourishes harking back
0:16:56 > 0:16:59to the great glories of the Catalan Middle Ages.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The whole point is that they wanted to use the past to create something
0:17:03 > 0:17:05that felt completely extraordinary and new.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11All three architects were ardent Catalan nationalists,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14with Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch
0:17:14 > 0:17:18pursuing outspoken political careers alongside their architecture.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22But before I leave L'Eixample...
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- Down here?- Yeah, down here.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Into this darkened alleyway?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29..Joan wants to show me a sight most tourists miss.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32In recent years,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36community projects have started to restore Cerda's original vision.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40This is genuinely quite strange, though.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42I mean, outside, a regular Barcelona street.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45We come through this alleyway
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and this is a hidden spot of the city that
0:17:47 > 0:17:50you wouldn't know about unless you lived here.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Yeah, yeah, that's a good thing.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56We've been creating public spaces inside the blocks.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Demolishing what was there before
0:17:58 > 0:18:03and opening public spaces that somehow
0:18:03 > 0:18:06show you the idea that Cerda had.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08The spirit of this place, I guess,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- is in keeping with the plan of the Eixample.- Exactly.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Back in the Barri Gotic,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23the city does a great job of showcasing its medieval roots.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Bespoke shops still line the streets,
0:18:29 > 0:18:34from espadrilles makers, who inspired Salvador Dali,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36to candle-makers for the Sagrada Familia.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43It's very much a romanticised image of old Barcelona.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I love this part of the city.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48This is where all the arts and crafts really come to life
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and you've got a little shop over there
0:18:51 > 0:18:53that's selling handmade wooden pieces,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55an original Miro for sale.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59It was said that a blind man could walk through this section of
0:18:59 > 0:19:01the Barri Gotic and know where he was,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04because each section had a different craft that was taking place.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08If there was the smell of leather or the sound of hammers,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10he would be able to navigate his way through
0:19:10 > 0:19:13this labyrinth of little streets.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14I've come to this shop,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18it's stuffed with Church artefacts, and I can't wait to get inside.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Wow, what age is this?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- 16th century.- 16th century.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Illuminated vellum.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- How much is it? - For the two, 500 euros.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- For two?- For two.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37Oh, my gosh.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40That's a bargain. This is stunning.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43This is religious?
0:19:43 > 0:19:45From a church?
0:19:45 > 0:19:47No, for the convent.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50A convent? Gosh.
0:19:50 > 0:19:5217th century. How much is this?
0:19:52 > 0:19:545,000 euros.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Not that much, really, for an original object like this.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00I mean, you wouldn't get that in England.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06The narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter have inspired many artists
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and they're home to a wonderful museum dedicated
0:20:09 > 0:20:13to the early works of Pablo Picasso, who grew up here.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16It's a must-see for more than a million visitors each year.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22But for me, Barcelona's most significant artist is Joan Miro,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24who was born here in 1893.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26To appreciate his work,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and see how it's wedded to the history of the area,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31I'm above the city on Montjuic,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33at the National Museum Of Catalan Art.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Miro created this ceramic mural in 1978.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41By that time he was one of the grand old men of modern art.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43He was already in his mid-80s.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47And it looks like this mad menagerie full of toucans and puffins,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51but it also is so recognisably Miro.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It contains all of these elements that
0:20:53 > 0:20:55are quintessentially his signature style.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57That use of very bold black outlines,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00these strong intense bright colours.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04And although almost four decades after it was made, it still feels
0:21:04 > 0:21:05exceptionally modern.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08What many people don't realise is that Miro himself
0:21:08 > 0:21:12was heavily influenced by art of a much earlier age,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Romanesque frescoes and sculptures,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16that he'd fallen in love with as a boy.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26This museum occupies a vast pavilion built for the 1929 World Fair,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29when Barcelona seized the chance to present itself as a heavy hitter on
0:21:29 > 0:21:31the international cultural scene.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Today, it contains an outstanding collection
0:21:35 > 0:21:39of Romanesque art that used to be on show in the Gothic Quarter,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41near Miro's childhood home.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Miro's father would often take him to visit and these images had a
0:21:44 > 0:21:46profound effect on him.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49People used to ask Miro how he felt
0:21:49 > 0:21:52about Romanesque art and his response,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54because it was quite a taciturn man,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56was he gestured to his veins.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00He was suggesting that this stuff was the lifeblood
0:22:00 > 0:22:01of his own visual creation.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05And coming to look at it you see instantly why
0:22:05 > 0:22:11because, although this comes from a church that was consecrated in 1123,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14many centuries before Miro was even born,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17there are so many elements which feel similar
0:22:17 > 0:22:19to the things that we find in his own work.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Strange beasts, hybrid creatures flying around.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28The use of black outlines, abstract geometric shapes,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30these reduced colour palettes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32It's really robust, vigorous art,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36that although it feels, perhaps to our eyes now, quite primitive,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41was precisely what Miro needed in order to express the intensity
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and starkness of his own inner visions.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Miro loved the flatness of these Romanesque frescoes,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55as well as their focus on angels, saints, nature and colour.
0:22:58 > 0:23:04Torment, death, the taboo and the innocent are all evident.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07These medieval works are simple, yet profound.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12If you look at a fresco like this,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15which is one of the masterpieces of the collection in this museum,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19it has this palpable intensity of vision,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21which was something that Miro could channel.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23There are particular devices and motifs
0:23:23 > 0:23:25that he could lift almost wholesale.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28For example, the floating disembodied hand,
0:23:28 > 0:23:29quite a surreal note.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Those eyes that seem to float on the sides of the animals
0:23:33 > 0:23:35and on the angel's wings.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39But they all amount to a non-representative visual language
0:23:39 > 0:23:41that's about translating and expressing
0:23:41 > 0:23:43something more fundamental,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45a different reality, a spiritual reality.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57A short walk from the MNAC lies the Fundacio Joan Miro.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It was opened back in 1975, when Miro was in his 80s.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Miro wanted to encourage a new generation of aspiring artists to
0:24:06 > 0:24:09experiment with contemporary art.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Many of the works here were donated by the artist himself.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19The truth is, when you come into this room, which contains lots of
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Miro's pictures from the '20s and '30s,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24you don't immediately think Romanesque frescoes.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29But there are little elements, that dot, that star-like form,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31in fact this pattern of dots here.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Even, do you remember that disembodied hand?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36In this picture, The White Glove, you can see
0:24:36 > 0:24:38a similar floating device.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43All of which suggest that there are remnants of the Romanesque
0:24:43 > 0:24:45haunting his imagination, even in that moment
0:24:45 > 0:24:48when he was becoming obsessed with the orbit of Surrealism.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53But it's not just his work using bold colour
0:24:53 > 0:24:55that's reminiscent of Romanesque art.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58His Barcelona series of lithographs,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01published in 1944, in reaction to the Spanish Civil War
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and the Second World War, is a record of terrible human suffering.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10As a series, this feels like a profound unleashing
0:25:10 > 0:25:14of something quite ferocious within Miro himself.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17The barbarism that he's encountering in the world without
0:25:17 > 0:25:21is matched by the violence of his own vision.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And he's created something here full of distorted, grotesque figures,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28and those visions of hell in Romanesque art,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30in which you see sinners
0:25:30 > 0:25:33with their distorted bodies tormented by demons,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and then surrounded by these strange flitting hybrid creatures,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39all of that...
0:25:39 > 0:25:41I hadn't quite appreciated the closeness of it
0:25:41 > 0:25:43before seeing what I've seen before.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46So understanding that Romanesque art flooded through his veins,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48completely transforms the way
0:25:48 > 0:25:51you then look at the art that he created himself.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Over the years, the unique look of this city,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02born out of the art and architecture of its two golden eras,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03has been eagerly promoted
0:26:03 > 0:26:06by local politicians and the people who live here,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09because of their desire for an independent Catalunya.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15In fact, they've been so successful at creating a visual shorthand for
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Brand Barcelona, that many are complaining it's gone too far.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Since the 1992 Olympics,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29visitor numbers have quadrupled to more than 8 million a year.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Even the Boqueria covered market is firmly on the tourist trail.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42They've had to limit visitor numbers so the locals can shop here.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45It's still quite a crush.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Nina, at last you're here.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53God, it has been...
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- You don't look happy.- I'm not happy.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Have this. This will improve your mood.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Brilliant, thanks for getting this in.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01- I need this.- Not at all.- Cheers.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Well, I've just fought my way through
0:27:04 > 0:27:06a sea of tourists to get to you.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08You're not the only one, coming down the Ramblas,
0:27:08 > 0:27:09it's crazy out there.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12I didn't meet a single Catalan.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- We're tourists.- There are tourists who are coming for the culture,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20for the art, for the architecture, for the history of Barcelona.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21And then there are these
0:27:21 > 0:27:26masses of tourists who are rolling off cruise ships.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31Nina Ramirez, I never knew you were such a snob.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32That's such a... Can we say that?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35I mean, it's fine, it's all right for us because we like art.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37But, you know, everyone has a right to come if they want
0:27:37 > 0:27:39to experience the city, surely?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I'm not saying that other people shouldn't be coming here.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It's... I think it's the destructive aspect of tourism.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47There is a mayor of Barcelona at the moment,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50she's trying to limit the numbers of hotels that are being built.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54There's clearly a balance between preserving an authentic sense of
0:27:54 > 0:27:57what Barcelona is, its spirit, the identity of the city,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00whilst also encouraging a big economy.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I mean, the rest of Spain's in recession,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05you can't just totally limit tourism.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Nevertheless, I think there are some touristy things
0:28:07 > 0:28:08that it is permissible to enjoy,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and one of them is drinking Cava in the Boqueria market.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12Absolutely, cheers.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Let's get stuck into lunch.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Enjoy this bit and then we can go back to the art and the culture.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21With time of the essence,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25next I want to find out about a centuries-old folk tradition.
0:28:26 > 0:28:32As I've heard, it's helped keep Catalan national identity alive.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I'm here outside the cathedral to see
0:28:35 > 0:28:40a celebration of Catalonian culture, the Sardana.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42It's the national dance.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44It was suppressed under Franco,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46it was illegal to do the Sardana,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50but it's experiencing something of a revival now.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55Now, some people hate it, Dali really didn't enjoy it at all,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58but Picasso called it "the communion of souls".
0:28:58 > 0:29:03And in fact, there's a mural by him over on that wall, which shows the
0:29:03 > 0:29:06people of the region dancing the Sardana.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14The Catalan dance will be accompanied
0:29:14 > 0:29:17by a small group of musicians called a cobla.
0:29:20 > 0:29:21One, two...
0:29:22 > 0:29:26It's time to get a crash course from old hand, David.
0:29:26 > 0:29:27One, two...
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Whoa...! That's where I'm going to go!
0:29:30 > 0:29:33BAND STARTS TO PLAY
0:29:37 > 0:29:40It's important to understand the sense of pride
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Catalan people feel when dancing the Sardana.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49For centuries, it's been a way of keeping their culture alive
0:29:49 > 0:29:50and has allowed people here to feel
0:29:50 > 0:29:53camaraderie with their fellow Catalans.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56- One...- Oh, it's getting better.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03They are jamming that just now!
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Now, stop jumping. It continues.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21- OK?- Thank you.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Thank you. I'm sorry, I was terrible.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32So what does dancing the Sardana mean to you?
0:30:32 > 0:30:39It means friendship because I have met many people dancing Sardana.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44It means competition because there are some competitions of Sardana.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It means culture, OK,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48it's the traditional dance in Catalunya.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53And, well, it's... it's passion for me.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Under the Franco dictatorship,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13the performance of the Sardana was banned,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16along with Catalan literature and the language itself.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20So dancing a Sardana today is an expression
0:31:20 > 0:31:23of the wider struggle towards Catalan statehood.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28As the capital of Catalunya,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Barcelona has a long history of resistance to Spanish rule.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34And by the late 19th century
0:31:34 > 0:31:37the surge of working-class rebellion coupled
0:31:37 > 0:31:41with Catalan nationalism would prove an explosive mix.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Anarchist bombings, unruly gatherings of radical protesters,
0:31:44 > 0:31:46striking factory workers
0:31:46 > 0:31:49were all met with brutal force and punishment.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50And in 1909, the turmoil peaked
0:31:50 > 0:31:53in a widespread revolt against military conscription.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55It was complete chaos.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Churches and convents were burnt,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59the city was placed under martial law,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02and around 150 protesters as well as
0:32:02 > 0:32:04eight soldiers and policemen were killed,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08in what became known as the Semana Tragica, or Tragic Week.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11In recent years,
0:32:11 > 0:32:15the city's radical spirit has often been expressed in its street art.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Political messages punch through in murals like this one
0:32:20 > 0:32:24condemning the death of a young man while in police custody.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Or this one,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33protesting against a proposed property development
0:32:33 > 0:32:36in a community green space.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Before I catch up with Nina again,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46I've got time to see how street art is helping to revitalise a once
0:32:46 > 0:32:49rundown part of town called El Raval.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53I think this is a really good example of
0:32:53 > 0:32:56the recent boom in street art that you find in Barcelona.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58It's a really successful,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02very joyful exuberant mural by a street artist called Sixe Paredes.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Now, the name of it, you can see the title over there,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07it's called Tribute To Miro.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12And that influence is immediately apparent, as you look at the mural,
0:33:12 > 0:33:16in the use of very bright, some of them primary, colours.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17Simple forms.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20He calls it "primitive futurism".
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Sixe decided that he wanted to go beyond
0:33:32 > 0:33:36traditional graffiti and blend multicoloured abstract imagery,
0:33:36 > 0:33:42ancient creatures and geometric shapes with his love of Barcelona.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45He is currently painting a new mural
0:33:45 > 0:33:47on the walls of a derelict warehouse,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49which will become a pop-up gallery space
0:33:49 > 0:33:52way off the tourist trail in the Sant Andreu neighbourhood.
0:33:56 > 0:33:57Sixe.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- Hi.- Hi. I see this is...
0:33:59 > 0:34:02I've emerged from the mural itself, wow.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04Hey, Alastair.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Hi. Good to meet you.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Nice to meet you.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10I can see you're in the middle of finishing this off,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12so I'll let you get on with it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Can you tell me a little bit about what we're looking at?
0:34:24 > 0:34:29I've just been to see your Tribute To Miro, the mural that you created.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Do you...? I guess you do,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35but do you acknowledge his influence on your own work in quite a big way?
0:34:49 > 0:34:54So I'm dying to ask if there's just a bit that I could add to the mural?
0:34:56 > 0:34:59- OFF CAMERA: With the same colour. - The same colour!
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I wanted to do something a bit more dramatic. OK.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08What you didn't see is I put name there,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10as my tag, but it's invisible.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13- You'll never know what it is. - Oh, oh, problem, problem.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Oh, no! I've destroyed the mural, I'm so sorry.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19No, it's no problem.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Most tourists stick to the well-worn trail of the beach,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Sagrada Familia and La Rambla.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31But if you know where to look, there are still plenty of places to enjoy
0:35:31 > 0:35:34the art of Barcelona away from the crowds.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39I'm assuming, Nina, that you're not going to show me the cathedral,
0:35:39 > 0:35:40that might be a little bit obvious.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41- Yeah, no.- Where are you taking me?
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I've found something very exciting.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Just a little search online
0:35:46 > 0:35:49has revealed a secret treasure because,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52although we are in the heart of the Gothic Quarter,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55we're going to a place that virtually no tourists go to
0:35:55 > 0:35:56right in the heart of Barcelona.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04The Frederic Mares Museum is housed in a medieval palace they used to
0:36:04 > 0:36:06form part of the Royal Courts of Barcelona.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09It was also once the seat of the Spanish Inquisition.
0:36:09 > 0:36:15Mares spent his life and fortune obsessively trying to preserve the
0:36:15 > 0:36:17texture of life in the city,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19at a time of rapid change and expansion.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21He also acquired a huge collection
0:36:21 > 0:36:24of medieval art, sculpture and artefacts.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29These two halves of the museum are like time capsules that take
0:36:29 > 0:36:31you into the Modernista and the medieval.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36There is just the most incredible collection around us.
0:36:36 > 0:36:37This is one of the highlights.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39- So...- So when does this date from?
0:36:39 > 0:36:42This is 12th century and it's by a sculptor
0:36:42 > 0:36:45who is known as the Master Of Cabestany.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49It's so beautiful, the dynamism here in the sea.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Very deeply incised waves.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54But can you see the fish there?
0:36:54 > 0:36:56- Yes!- There's a little fish poking out over the top.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58It's got a lot of movement.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01And the fish here, you can see there's its tail.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04So that's quite a clever device.
0:37:04 > 0:37:05The beauty and the artistry of it
0:37:05 > 0:37:09makes it an incredible piece of medieval sculpture.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11I'm so glad that Mares has saved this.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17I want Alastair to get as inspired as I am by medieval art.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21So I'm hoping 18 rooms of ecclesiastical sculpture and relics
0:37:21 > 0:37:24will give him an insight into the beliefs
0:37:24 > 0:37:27that shaped the city's first golden age.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29And I'm going to step inside the material world
0:37:29 > 0:37:31of Barcelona's second golden age,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35in the late 19th and early 20th century,
0:37:35 > 0:37:36in the other half of the museum.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42With a prescient sense of nostalgia for a way of life that was vanishing
0:37:42 > 0:37:45fast with industrialisation,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Mares collected thousands of everyday items.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Keys were very important.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57The person who held the key really held control of the household.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01You'd have keys for safes, so the money,
0:38:01 > 0:38:05the wealth of a household would be kept safe with a key.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07So a sign of real power.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10And something that we've lost touch with.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12But Mares seems to realise that
0:38:12 > 0:38:15these everyday objects tell a story, they're important.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19I think this is a fabulous collection.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23This museum is open to the public at the moment but I've not passed one
0:38:23 > 0:38:25other person. It's completely empty.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27And I think that's a bit of a shame.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37There are 13th century Romanesque doorways,
0:38:37 > 0:38:42medieval capitals and cloisters, Gothic tabernacles,
0:38:42 > 0:38:45a very moving child's coffin...
0:38:47 > 0:38:50..and a multitude of statues of bishops and the holy family.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57It is fascinating looking at these because
0:38:57 > 0:39:00they all date from the 14th century.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02And they're remarkably consistent,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05even though different sculptors have made and carved all of these
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Marys with the Christ Child,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09they all have a particular look,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12which points to the centrality of the church
0:39:12 > 0:39:14in medieval Spanish culture.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17And you can see many of these are embellished and decorated
0:39:17 > 0:39:20with quite beautiful examples of painting
0:39:20 > 0:39:21on top of the wooden carving.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25And it's quite sobering to reflect that in England at the same time,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27when it was a Catholic country,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31the place would have been awash with imagery just like this.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35All of which got destroyed, or 90% of which, during the Reformation.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Mares made a point of including feminine objects in his collection.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Just in this one cabinet you can see a collection of fans.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50You've got some that are mother-of-pearl with gold thread,
0:39:50 > 0:39:54and then some that are very humble paper fans.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Fans are important, of course,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58because they were objects of display.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01As a woman fanned their face,
0:40:01 > 0:40:06whatever was depicted on the fan was sending out a message.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Sometimes they were used to send out political messages.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11If you were at a diplomatic dinner,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14you could show allegiance to a particular party
0:40:14 > 0:40:16through what you showed on your fan.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26The collection of religious statues and sculptures that Mares assembled
0:40:26 > 0:40:29from churches and monasteries is just as compendious.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33It's becoming quite apparent that
0:40:33 > 0:40:35one of the strengths of the collection
0:40:35 > 0:40:38is the sheer number of crucified Christs.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40And all of them
0:40:40 > 0:40:45are really, in that Spanish way, incredibly gruesome.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48You know, if you think of later artists, someone like Dali,
0:40:48 > 0:40:54he painted an incredibly weird floating famous crucified Christ,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58but generally in his art that sense of pain and violence,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00grisly gruesomeness,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04the hinterland for that, if you like, the broader inspiration,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06is exactly the kind of stuff that you find here.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15There's no doubt
0:41:15 > 0:41:18that Mares amassed an outstanding collection of medieval art,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21but I'm left questioning his methods.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27I believe that religious art in particular, medieval Christian art,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29it's part of a setting.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32You see a crucifix in a church.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35But part of experiencing that is the incense, the atmosphere,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38the wall paintings, the architecture, the environment.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42And these have been pulled out of that environment.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44But not by our man Mares.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45Well, in a way, yes.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48I mean, he began his collection early on,
0:41:48 > 0:41:49and he would go to a church,
0:41:49 > 0:41:52offer, you know, a couple of hundred pesetas,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55and take everything they had so that they can repair, you know,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57a hole in the roof.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00And in a way, he was helping,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04but you could also see it as that age-old problem of the curious
0:42:04 > 0:42:07antiquarian taking things out of their environment,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09for this sort of display purposes.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Bits of this look like walking through galleries
0:42:11 > 0:42:13in the V&A in London,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15and sometimes they've done it quite sympathetically.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19So a Romanesque window is displayed up on the wall.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Admittedly, you don't have a view through it, or into the church,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25but at least it gives you a sense of what the building might have been.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27So I actually think the display here's quite effective.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31We may not be able to agree on
0:42:31 > 0:42:33whether Mares took advantage of churches
0:42:33 > 0:42:36after the destruction of the Civil War years,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39but there's no denying his collection deserves
0:42:39 > 0:42:41a far greater audience.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44As it so brilliantly captures the look and feel
0:42:44 > 0:42:46of the backdrop to life here,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49from one golden age to the next.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59As Barcelona's second boom drew to a close
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and its fortunes began to wane,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05the city became a hotbed of radicalism once again.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07By the 1930s,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09it was a Republican stronghold
0:43:09 > 0:43:11opposed to General Franco's fascists.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16The streets of the city became a scene of terror
0:43:16 > 0:43:18during the Civil War of 1936-39,
0:43:18 > 0:43:22when Barcelona was the target of punishing air strikes.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28Franco drew on the firepower of Mussolini's Italian fighter pilots
0:43:28 > 0:43:30and jets from Germany.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32These deadly bombardments would reinforce sympathy for
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Barcelona's plight, amongst anti-fascists abroad.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41The Spanish Civil War became a really fashionable cause
0:43:41 > 0:43:43for young people on the left.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Lots of idealists were drawn to Spain to fight on the side of
0:43:47 > 0:43:51the Republicans, and one of them was the English writer George Orwell,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55who wrote about his experience in Spain in this brilliant account,
0:43:55 > 0:43:56Homage To Catalonia.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02He was walking down the Ramblas here and he heard several rifle shots
0:44:02 > 0:44:04behind him, around three or four in the afternoon.
0:44:05 > 0:44:10Orwell worked out eventually that this building over here,
0:44:10 > 0:44:12which was the headquarters of the Marxist militia
0:44:12 > 0:44:15that he was fighting for, was under threat.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19And Orwell, who was essentially a grunt fighting for this militia,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22was ordered to take up a position at the top of this building over here
0:44:22 > 0:44:26to try and defend the headquarters.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32I've arranged to meet Aurelia Quinto,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35the daughter of Orwell's lieutenant,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37who's committed to keeping the memory of the war alive.
0:44:42 > 0:44:48- Hi, Aurelia. Alastair. - Muy bien, encantada.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50- Nice to meet you. - Yeah, you too.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52- Bueno, yo he traido una foto... - Oh, you have a picture?
0:44:57 > 0:45:00I can see him. He's towering over the people at the back there.
0:45:00 > 0:45:01Skinny Englishman.
0:45:03 > 0:45:04Ah, OK.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15What did your father make of Orwell?
0:45:37 > 0:45:40Orwell's accounts of the battles taking place on the streets below
0:45:40 > 0:45:42are vividly detailed,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45against a backdrop of disappointment at the monotony of war.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Orwell writes, "When you're taking part in events like these you are,
0:45:50 > 0:45:53"I suppose, in a small way making history.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56"And you ought by rights to feel like a historical character.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00"But you never do because at such times the physical details always
0:46:00 > 0:46:01"outweigh everything else.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04"What I was chiefly thinking about was not the rights and wrongs of
0:46:04 > 0:46:06"this miserable internecine scrap,
0:46:06 > 0:46:10"but simply the discomfort and boredom of sitting day and night
0:46:10 > 0:46:11"on that intolerable roof..."
0:46:11 > 0:46:13This one here.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15"..and the hunger which was growing worse and worse.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18"For none of us had had a proper meal since Monday."
0:46:20 > 0:46:24While war was being waged on the streets and in the skies above,
0:46:24 > 0:46:26local people were left to fend for themselves.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Neighbourhood committees were formed to raise money and construct their
0:46:31 > 0:46:33own air-raid shelters.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37One of which can be visited by prior appointment in the Placa Diamant.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41Wow. This isn't what I was expecting, gosh.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43- Yes.- It's very, very deep, isn't it?
0:46:43 > 0:46:45How many metres down does it go?
0:46:45 > 0:46:48This goes 12 metres down.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51So are there lots of shelters in Barcelona?
0:46:51 > 0:46:55There were lots in the '30s, they built 1,400 shelters.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59But today you can just visit two of them.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02So how many people would have come down into this bunker?
0:47:02 > 0:47:04The entire square up here.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06- Really?- Almost 300 persons.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10Gosh. It's a narrow space for all those people.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14You must understand that down here there were people from different
0:47:14 > 0:47:15political ideologies.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18Because bombs doesn't distinguish.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22So to maintain peace down here was extremely important.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23That's why they had some rules.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25It was completely forbidden down here
0:47:25 > 0:47:27to speak about politics or religion.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34Two of the major subjects that led this country into a civil war.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36So imagine how it was to be in here.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41- What do you speak about?- In Britain we think about the sense of
0:47:41 > 0:47:46camaraderie in war shelters, people going into the Tube in London,
0:47:46 > 0:47:49singing songs and keeping each other's spirits up.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51This is not about that, is it?
0:47:51 > 0:47:54I think the spirit would be different because you are speaking
0:47:54 > 0:47:56about England, that was a united country.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59And what we had here was a split country.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10With our tour nearly over, it's time to visit Barcelona's best-known
0:48:10 > 0:48:13landmark, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Work here was interrupted by the Civil War,
0:48:17 > 0:48:18but it still continues today.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Drawing more than 4 million visitors a year,
0:48:23 > 0:48:24it's hardly off the beaten track,
0:48:24 > 0:48:28but we're going to get a precious look behind the scenes.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Gaudi designed it as an expression of Christian faith,
0:48:32 > 0:48:37reinterpreting Barcelona's Gothic heritage in the most technologically
0:48:37 > 0:48:39daring Modernista design.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43It is amazing always when you come up this exit, the Metro,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47and see that because that's the only bit that Gaudi actually finished in
0:48:47 > 0:48:50- his lifetime. - It's quite...extraordinary.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52There's so much texture there,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54there's so many references to nature,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and it's stuffed with religious figures and symbolism.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59He hated rigid forms, didn't he?
0:48:59 > 0:49:01You get that impression immediately when you see it.
0:49:05 > 0:49:11Work began on the Sagrada Familia in 1882 but progress was slow,
0:49:11 > 0:49:12as it depended on donations.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15After 1910,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Gaudi became more and more pious
0:49:17 > 0:49:20and abandoned almost all other projects,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23often secluding himself in the church's workshop.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27By the time of his death in 1926,
0:49:27 > 0:49:30only one of the 18 towers had been completed.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Oh, my goodness.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39What an assault on the senses.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43I don't know where to look.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45I've never seen anything like this.
0:49:45 > 0:49:50I have to say this space is having quite a profound effect on me.
0:49:50 > 0:49:57It's crowded, it's busy, but on top of that, this is a sensory overload.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00There's so much to look at.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01So much light.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06The colours are changing here minute by minute.
0:50:12 > 0:50:17Right, this is the stonemasons' workshop of the Sagrada Familia.
0:50:17 > 0:50:18You can see here they all are,
0:50:18 > 0:50:23and they're working on decoration for the exterior of the cathedral.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26I mean, down here you've got,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29you can see the whole cathedral's covered with words, language.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31And this is the beginning of the word,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34the Latin word I think for our Lord, "Dominus",
0:50:34 > 0:50:36and then there are some other letters here, "tecum",
0:50:36 > 0:50:39I think that may mean "with you".
0:50:39 > 0:50:40And there's also all of this
0:50:40 > 0:50:43beautiful naturalistic rock formation,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46as though it's been gently eroded away by the wind and the sun
0:50:46 > 0:50:49over many centuries, which is going to go on the side of the cathedral.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53- Yes.- Oh, here, yeah.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56And I can't resist leaving my mark.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00So, all I do, this seems fairly straightforward.
0:51:02 > 0:51:07- Es facil?- Well, it's not facil no, I wouldn't say it's that easy, but...
0:51:09 > 0:51:10There's a chip that came off.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13That's good. That's my contribution to the Sagrada Familia.
0:51:18 > 0:51:23Craftsmen of all varieties are busy working around the clock to fulfil
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Gaudi's artistic vision.
0:51:25 > 0:51:26Hi.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Your family have been responsible for most of this stained glass?
0:51:29 > 0:51:32Yes, for all of the stained glass in the windows.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36I think my grandfather would be very satisfied with it.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Let's see one of the panels go in.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41- A little bit of history. - OK.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43I'm turning to... Turning to liquid.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51This is... This is really quite extraordinary.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54This is a proper workshop where they're working on all of the plans
0:51:54 > 0:51:56for the extension of the Sagrada Familia,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59and I don't know quite what I was expecting to see,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02but it wasn't all of these intricate cutaway models.
0:52:02 > 0:52:03They're on every single side.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06Some of them you can see the famous spires, but it looks like they're
0:52:06 > 0:52:10working on tiny details or larger towers.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11There are staircases.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16And the first impression is just you realise the great scope of this
0:52:16 > 0:52:20hugely epic, ambitious project that still isn't finished.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24During the Spanish Civil War, the Republicans,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26who viewed the religious establishment
0:52:26 > 0:52:28and the pious Gaudi as enemies,
0:52:28 > 0:52:33broke in and destroyed Gaudi's plans and models for the building.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36So today, architects are turning to the latest 3D printing technology
0:52:36 > 0:52:38to help get the job finished.
0:52:39 > 0:52:45We have this 3D printer that helps us to define easy and faster these
0:52:45 > 0:52:46- kind of models.- Can I touch it?
0:52:46 > 0:52:49- Yes, of course.- So how many of these things are you producing, then,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52a week, say?
0:52:52 > 0:52:53- It looks like a lot. - Yeah, a lot of them.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58These machines can make this with more accurate elements
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and it's easy and faster for us to do it now.
0:53:01 > 0:53:02So you design it on computer,
0:53:02 > 0:53:04and then it's basically kind of
0:53:04 > 0:53:07- cooked in this machine and then... - Yeah, exactly.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Once the 3D models of each new section are printed,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14the resident architects and engineers have debates
0:53:14 > 0:53:18over how true they are to Gaudi's vision.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21It's not exactly conducive to speedy progress.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26I know that the aim is to finish the cathedral by 2026.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28100 years after Gaudi's death.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32- Yes.- Not that much of it has been built.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33We are working very hard.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Gaudi rarely left his beloved Catalunya,
0:53:38 > 0:53:42and made a point of only ever speaking Catalan, even, famously,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45when once interrogated by a Spanish policeman.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49If and when the Sagrada Familia is finished,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53it will be a fitting tribute to Gaudi and the Catalan capital.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56- Oh, my goodness.- This is rather special, isn't it, genuinely?
0:53:56 > 0:53:59This is a proper construction site. Listen to those bells!
0:53:59 > 0:54:01They've gone a bit Gaudi, haven't they?
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Originally they were very regular and then suddenly...
0:54:04 > 0:54:05It's all gone very florid, hasn't it?
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I can't believe we're up here. Please.
0:54:08 > 0:54:09Also getting in the way.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11We're holding up the construction of the cathedral.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13It's a proper construction site.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16It might be another ten years if we keep standing here in the way.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17Shall we call the lift?
0:54:18 > 0:54:19Quite rickety.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Like most great cathedrals,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27this church has taken many decades to construct.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34Today, there are more than 200 craftsmen and contractors
0:54:34 > 0:54:37endeavouring to get it finished on time,
0:54:37 > 0:54:39at the cost of over £20 million a year.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Look at the fruits! Look at these!
0:54:42 > 0:54:44And there's still a long way to go.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46This is an incredible view.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48- This is pretty good. - This is amazing.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51I think we've found the most spectacular view of the city.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53I came today quite... slightly sceptical, actually,
0:54:53 > 0:54:57because I sort of thought to myself that the way that they'd gone about
0:54:57 > 0:55:00creating it feels almost like a slight folly.
0:55:00 > 0:55:01You have this great genius,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04and because all of his models were destroyed
0:55:04 > 0:55:06we really don't know
0:55:06 > 0:55:09how he wanted the cathedral to look in many aspects.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11But seeing the way they're going about it,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15it's incredibly complex and they're really devoted to this project,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18and they believe in actually the fundamental aspect of a cathedral,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20which is it's a religious place of worship.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22And that seems to be what's motivating
0:55:22 > 0:55:24creating this extraordinary building.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Yeah, they're writing their own history in stone.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32They're creating an image that is iconic and recognisable worldwide,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35for Catalonians pulling together.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37It looks like nothing else anywhere.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44Whilst Catalunya may not be independent,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47it's helped to keep its identity alive
0:55:47 > 0:55:49through a vibrant cultural scene.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Throughout the summer, there are saints' day fiestas,
0:55:54 > 0:55:56block parties and parades.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00- Salud!- And up in the hills, the famous Grec theatre festival,
0:56:00 > 0:56:04which continues the city's tradition of taking inspiration from around
0:56:04 > 0:56:08the world, but always giving it a uniquely local flavour.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12Which makes this the perfect place to finish our tour.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16Bona nit, benvinguda a una nova edicio
0:56:16 > 0:56:18de la Festa Major de nostra carrer!
0:56:19 > 0:56:24Tonight's concert features show tunes, Catalan style.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28SINGS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:56:35 > 0:56:39I just love this idea that you have the layered local nationalism,
0:56:39 > 0:56:42and a real sense of an international city,
0:56:42 > 0:56:47that can hold its own against other great world capitals of culture.
0:56:47 > 0:56:48I mean, this isn't a capital,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51but it feels like it's always had pretensions to be one.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55If you ask people a city in Spain,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57possibly it's Madrid that gets overlooked
0:56:57 > 0:56:59in favour of Barcelona now.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01Its reputation is so great.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04And actually Barcelona has almost defined itself
0:57:04 > 0:57:05in contrast to Madrid.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Yet as Madrid is monarchical and traditional,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Barcelona is international.
0:57:11 > 0:57:12It looks over the borders.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16And there's this tremendous pride in that Catalan identity.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Elsewhere in the world that would be something really quite distasteful,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21almost, disagreeable, but somehow here
0:57:21 > 0:57:23they've managed to sell it to the world
0:57:23 > 0:57:25as something really attractive.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27It's something that you want a part of.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30I think when you hear about groups,
0:57:30 > 0:57:33regions being suppressed, pushed out,
0:57:33 > 0:57:37the idea that it can bubble away and be kept alive through song,
0:57:37 > 0:57:43through theatre, through dance, that has come shooting to the surface.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45There's this wonderful line by a famous poet
0:57:45 > 0:57:48about Barcelona being a great enchantress.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51And I think we have very much fallen under her spell.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53I think a cheers is in order.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56- Cheers. We have seen so much. - Yeah!