Angel or Devil, A Popular Living Statue in Las Ramblas

Angel or Devil? The Golden Enigma of Las Ramblas

If you walk down Las Ramblas often enough, you start to recognize the regulars. And this one is by far one of the most attractive—and popular—living statues on the entire street. It is a golden angel, showing off a set of impressive wings that you can spot from quite a distance away.

From afar, the figure seems purely majestic. But standing right in front of him (or her?), the vibe gets a little more complicated. All in all, the angel seems sweet and gentle, offering a frozen welcome to the tourists passing by.

A Closer Look at the Texture

However, if you take a close look at this portrait, you might not be so sure about which master this angel works for: God or the Devil. There is something about that texture—the way the gold paint cracks like dry earth or ancient bark—that gives the statue a wild, almost pagan look. The heavy "dreadlocks" framing the face add to that primal feeling.

And then there is the smile. It’s bright, sure, but look at the eyes. There is a spark there that could be benevolence, or it could be mischief. Click on the image to view the big format and tell me: what do you see? Is this a guardian of good or something a little more sinister? Maybe it represents some mythological being I am not aware of, but it definitely leaves you wondering.

Bead Necklace On Wood

This is a bead necklace my wife bought while we were visiting Mirador del Alcalde today, that beautiful place from where you can enjoy a wonderful sight of Barcelona. I took some pictures that I will post later this week. It is funny but from all the snaps I prefer the macro instead of the landscapes. It was sunny and we laid the necklace on the upper part of a bench. I used a 70-300 mm lens.

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Al Detall - Retail Commerce - 3rd Collective Exhibition by Barcelona Photobloggers in Maremagnum Center, Barcelona

Last night I had the pleasure to attend the inauguration of an exhibition organized by our group of Barcelona Photobloggers in the main hall of Maremagnum Shopping Center in Barcelona. This is our third group exhibition and it is called Al Detall (Retail). I translate part of the post at our group's site: "Commerce is part of our daily existence. The exchange of goods has adopted many forms since the beginnings of time. For long, two models of retail commerce coexist in our lives: the local neighborhood shop and the shopping center. The relationship between them both is the theme of this exhibition". I took this picture so you could take a glimpse but it is better to visit Maremagnum, have some coffee and take some time to enjoy the exhibition in detail.