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HISTORY OF BIG SUR COAST

  A new dawn:              Locals had long called for a road along the coast to aid shipwreck victims and improve access to isolated communities.  Construction started in 1919, and 18 years, 32 tonnes of dynamite and 33 bridges later, the Big Sur stretch of California Highway One was complete.               The implausible route, with its myriad twists and turns and dramatic drop-offs, became an instant classic.  The author and painter Henry Miller fled to Big Sur in 1944 and stayed for nearly two decades.  Photographer Edward Weston and Beat Generation bard Jack Kerouac fell under its spell.  By the late 1960’s San Francisco’s counterculture revolution had swept down to Big Sur, and the likes of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell performed on the cliff tops.              ...
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ALHAMBRA

 

Art of the Master craftsmen:

                    Every surface of the Alhambra is clothed with beautiful and intricate surface decoration; indeed, this is one of the distinguishing features of the Nasrid palaces the Alhambra.  While the structures of the building were made from strong and durable materials, such as marble for the floors and supporting columns, the decorations that covered the walls and ceilings were carved from wood, plaster and local clay.



                  Wood was used for ceiling decoration.  In the Hall of the Ambassadors, for example, the ceiling is made up of more than 8000 seperate carved and painted pieces (perhaps to prevent distortion of the ceiling during the changing seasons).  Extraordinarily visual effects were achieved with plaster, as in the ceiling of the Hall of the Two Sisters in the Palace of the Lions, recognised as the finest muqarnas dome in the world.  More than 5000 individual plaster cells form the muqarnas – shapes resembling stalactites suspended in clusters to form stars, creating an effect like exploding fireworks, or the revolving heavens.

                     Plaster was carved for wall decoration, too, making good use of the raw materials available from gypsum quarries close to Granada.  The plaster allowed craftsmen to achieve a flowing style of carving that suited the arabesque motifs and cursive script in the ornamental inscriptions that are woven throughout the fabric of the building.  The most frequently used motif is the Nasrid emblem from the Koran.  Other Koranic and moral inscriptions also appear, often set within cartouches, their purpose being to communicate the strong faith and power of the rulers.  Finally, there are poetical inscriptions composed for specific parts of the palace, such as fountains, windows and niches.

                      Wood, plaster and clay were the materials of choice because they were readily available and easily coloured.  Traces of paint on the wood and plaster reveal that the surfaces were originally brightly coloured, while glazed and lustre-painted tile panels still shine with vivid hues.  Woven silk textiles would have hung across windows, with rich carpets on the floors and silk cushions to recline on.  Only the wealthiest rulers could afford such lavish and luxurious furnishings, and though the textiles are no longer in place, the overall effect is as impressive today as in the days of the Nasrid sultans.

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