Your current location:HOME >business >VOX POPULI: The special charm of Gaudi’s unfinished work: Sagrada Familia 正文
TIME:2024-04-30 10:12:54 Source: Internet compilationEdit:business
What is the allure of unfinished works of art?Gifted architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) started buil
What is the allure of unfinished works of art?
Gifted architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) started building the church of the Sagrada Familia in 1883.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, this unique structure is still under construction in Barcelona, the work spanning three centuries.
Asked when the church was scheduled for completion, Gaudi was said to have replied, “God is in no hurry.” And should he fail to finish it before his death, he noted, that’s nothing to be sorry about.
In fact, he added that if others who came after him kept building the church, the edifice would become “even more spectacular.”
Recently, roughly 140 years after the work began, it was announced that the church’s main Tower of Jesus Christ is scheduled for completion in 2026 to coincide with the centenary of Gaudi’s death.
Even though work will continue on other parts of the church, such as the steps leading to the main entrance, that row of iconic soaring spires should be a truly stunning sight.
Two years from now means pretty soon. I was a bit surprised because I’d always just assumed the completion would be achieved in a distant future.
This may sound a bit odd, but it feels as if my favorite TV drama series is ending abruptly, and I felt a stab of disappointment.
In the world of art, there are unfinished masterpieces galore.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) somehow did not finish his Symphony No. 8, which came to be known as the “Unfinished Symphony" and is celebrated as a timeless masterpiece.
And author Franz Kafka (1883-1924) wrote a number of unfinished novels, including “The Castle” and “The Trial.”
Like living things that keep growing quietly, unfinished works captivate us softly.
Author and poet Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) said, “An eternally unfinished work is a finished work in itself.”
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 1
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
200 days into Israel2024-04-30 10:05
Average long2024-04-30 09:47
Mariska Hargitay is mistaken for real2024-04-30 09:46
University of Oregon football player, 19, is arrested for fatal hit and run after 462024-04-30 09:37
Parents of Michigan high school shooter sentenced 102024-04-30 09:12
Trump hush money trial: Jury selection follows familiar pattern with an unpredictable outcome2024-04-30 09:03
District attorney says Memphis police officer may have been killed by friendly fire2024-04-30 08:47
Civilian interrogator defends work at Abu Ghraib, tells jury he was promoted2024-04-30 08:36
FAU's Vladislav Goldin to join Dusty May at Michigan, pulls name out of NBA draft2024-04-30 08:01
Zimbabwe frees prisoners, including those sentenced to death, in an independence day amnesty2024-04-30 07:54
Chinese business group 'shocked, dissatisfied' over EU raids on Chinese company2024-04-30 09:57
Meet TikTok's NEWEST queen bee Leah Halton: Stunning Australian model, 23, is set to become the most2024-04-30 09:55
An earthquake measuring 5.6 hits central Turkey. No immediate reports of casualties or damage2024-04-30 09:50
250,000 Afghan children need education, food and homes after returning from Pakistan, says NGO2024-04-30 09:42
Convicted robber, 45, admits stabbing charity busker, 87, while riding his mobility scooter2024-04-30 09:18
Former Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Peter Barca announces new bid for Congress2024-04-30 08:43
UN OKs shipment of vaccine storage equipment to North Korea — Radio Free Asia2024-04-30 08:34
The iconic American rivers becoming so filthy with pollution they are 'endangered'2024-04-30 08:20
UN human rights chief condemns killings of women and children in Rafah2024-04-30 07:49
Liquor sales in movie theaters, to2024-04-30 07:33