Back to Sevilla

Trip Start May 15, 2008
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Trip End Jul 24, 2008


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Flag of Spain and Canary Islands  , Andalusia,
Sunday, May 25, 2008

On Wednesday, May 28, I visited the Alcazar, or the Muslim fortress that was begun in the eighth century.  Seville's Alcazar was taken over by Christian kings in the thirteenth century, who simply built on top of the old Moorish structure.  It is a very architecturally interesting complex, because of the mix of styles and time periods (it was constructed in stages and renovated and added on to over a thousand year period!).  Even in the Christian places, you can definitely see the Mujedar style.  In fact, when King Juan Carlos visits Sevilla (like he did on Corpus Christi), he stays in the Alcazar, which has private chambers for the royal family.  This makes it one of the oldest palaces still in use in the entire world.  My favorite part of the complex was the gardens, which were full of artists painting nature scenes and people sitting down reading.  All in all, a quite idyllic place.
Thursday, May 29, we visited the area where the Sevilla 1992 World Expo was held Sevilla - Alcazar Wall
Sevilla - Alcazar Wall
 .  All of the structures are still there, and some have been turned into city parks and museums and cultural centers.  The area is on the south side of the river (away from the historical center) and a ways up from the city.  Definitely a long haul (it was a 30 minute walk from my apartment, which is a 15-20 minute walk from the cathedral).  Our main stop was at the Casa de las Tres Culturas, which celebrates the fusion, similarities, and differences of the three dominant religions of the Mediterranean, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  The actual Expo building was beautiful, done in a modernist glass style with Arab and Islamic-style ornamentation.  It had a beautiful dome and multi-level fountain as well.  My favorite part was the lobby that had great photography exhibitions from around the world, representing the Foundación de las Tres Culturas' ongoing activity in promoting understanding and convivencia.
That evening, I stopped by the Museo de las Bellas Artes de Sevilla, the fine arts museum that is a block away from my apartment.  The museum itself is small, quite small.  I was able to see the permanent exhibitions in between 30 and 45 minutes, but then again I'm not a huge fan of sixteenth and seventeenth century art; I find it a bit too dark.  The museum did have a lot of Murillos and other Spanish painters, especially from Andalucia, but I didn't think that it lived up to how some people described it: the second best art museum in Spain (meaning only the Prado is better).  I'd recommend it, but with a preface saying don't expect the Prado or even the Guggenheim.
What made the trip to the Museo de las Bellas Artes more than worthwhile was the Sorolla exhibit that was there when I visited.  It was a showcase of the fourteen paintings he did on the "Vision of Spain" for the Spanish Society of America (the paintings are normally kept in New York).  The huge murals, each completed in about a month's time, was amazing, in Sorolla's characteristic style of using light and color to make images and feelings come alive.  I felt that the paintings really did capture the essence of what traditional Spain must have felt like almost a century ago.
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