GR8 2CU BCN: Having an art attack in the MNAC

While the narrow medieval lanes of Barcelona's Barri Gotic and the broad avenues of the Eixample with its modernista masterpieces are both easily sampled when strolling along the Ramblas, it is worth venturing a bit further away from these neighbourhoods to explore the slopes of Montjuic. The 'hill of the Jews' has been crowned by battlements for centuries, but in more recent years it has become one of the city's green lungs. 

Thanks to the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Summer Olympics, the slopes of Montjuic have been enlivened with galleries, museums and gardens which warrant a full day or two to explore fully. A series of escalators from Placa d'Espanya, a funicular from the Paral-lel metro stop and a cable car from the harbour all provide easy access. However you reach its summit, be sure to stop now and again to admire the wonderful views. The benches in front of the National Museum of Catalonian Art (MNAC) are a particularly nice spot to sit for a breather.

It's hard to believe from looking at the sheer scale of the building, but MNAC was only intended to be a temporary exhibition space when finished in 1929. Lucky for us, it was built of sturdier materials than say London's Millennium Dome.

MNAC is a splendid showcase for over 1000 years' worth of the finest Catalan art, starting with its famous Romanesque collection, through extravagant Gothic set-pieces to modern masterworks. Set aside at least an entire morning or afternoon for a good look around.

The region of Catalonia was among the first in Spain to evict the Moors. After rejecting Islam, the resurgent Christians set about building many fine churches; even the most remote villages high in the Pyrenees mountains invested in highly decorated places of worship. Many of the frescoes in these Romanesque chapels were painted over or ruined by overly keen conservation efforts (we all know about botched restoration jobs in Spain)....

while plenty of other churches were abandoned and even left open to the elements, vandals and thieves.

So it was that after the end of World War I efforts were made to rescue many of these artworks, which today are housed inside MNAC. Visitors can enjoy an immersive experience, as the spaces have been designed to mimic the dimensions of the original chapels. As you move along dimly-lit corridors amid columns that reach up and disappear into darkness, dramatic spotlights allow you to admire the frescoes as they would have been viewed by worshippers centuries ago.

For religious artworks of this great age (some a full thousand years old), it's remarkable both how much of the iconography remains recognisable to Christians...

and how much seems utterly alien or just plain bizarre.

For all the apparent beauty thanks to their vibrant colours and bold patterns, on closer inspection much of what is depicted in the frescoes is bloody, violent and raw. Multiple martyrdoms, a myriad of demons and eternal damnation all feature aplenty.

It is a bit of a relief then to emerge from these darkened rooms and enter the well-lit Gothic galleries, where the colours are brighter, faces more natural and the demons boiling the damned are at least cracking a smile.

Yes, the subject matter remains the same, but the expertise of the artists improves dramatically. For instance, notice the use of perspective in this martyrdom scene, plus how each person's face displays individuality.

It still won't end well for our saint, I'm afraid.

Some of the altarpieces here are huge and quite impressive, taking up entire walls.

Moving on to the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the artwork became far more familiar to me and less garish to boot: Zurbaran, Ribera, Velazquez and Greco all can be found here.

Heading up a floor, the collection suddenly shifts gears and leaps ahead a few centuries, displaying classical modern work by the likes of Dali and Picasso.

Plenty of other local artists who aren't as well known outside Catalonia have their paintings, sculptures and photographs on display here.

There is also quite a lot of applied art and design to appreciate, like some chairs built by Gaudi especially for his fanciful apartment blocks and his organic designs for Barcelona's pavements.

There are also murals from the cellars of the Galeries Laietanes, a gathering place for the city's avant garde.

These jolly chaps are almost as creepy as those frescoes from the first few rooms!

As you can see, photography without flash is permitted throughout MNAC, an added bonus for the likes of me who don't go anywhere without their cameras, so it was well worth the admission fee (€12 per person at the moment). The ticket is good for two days if you don't have the time or energy to tackle everything all in one go. 

It is a vast place inside and we had certainly worked up an appetite after a full morning of exploring the museum. Click back next time as we grab a spot of lunch and look inside a former bull ring nearby.