This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
While planning an itinerary through the colorful and vibrant streets of Sevilla, I took a trip down memory lane to recall the things I saw the first time I visited the gem in the heart of Andalucía.
I was immediately brought back to the faint smell of oranges emanating from the Patio de los Naranjos, the soft chatter under the shade of the imposing Giralda, the refreshing harmony of flavors when sipping tinto de verano, and the sunlight slowly painting Plaza de España with shades of red and orange, a touch of magic.
While the memories were definitely sweet, I couldn’t help but reflect on one thing: what was it about this city that attracted and still attracts me so?
It came to me almost right away.
Moorish, Baroque, Gothic, the typical Azulejos, Flamenco, are just some of the intertwining elements enriching Sevilla’s artistic heritage.
Most importantly, to me it was the way they blend so exquisitely together, creating a diverse tapestry of forms of expression across narrow streets, lively barrios, and historical monuments.
I started thinking in awe about the people who built these masterpieces, from concept to physical testaments of brilliance.
My heart can’t help but sing with delight every time the ornate façade of a Baroque cathedral steals my gaze, or the geometrically mesmerizing Moorish ceilings make me lose myself in their details.
But then, it got deeper.
Comparing the architectural styles of today — Minimalism, Brutalism, Deconstructivism — to the likes of Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, and so on, we can find a stark contrast in mentalities: optimization opposed to beauty.
When this switch occurred, we partly lost touch with the side of ourselves that reveled in creating the complex, the intricate, the astonishing.
Naturally, optimization is not only negative: our evolution across numerous fields has brought us undeniable ease and comfort.
Yet, we must not give in to excess, drifting gradually from our capacity to imagine and create exquisitely complicated art in all its forms.
I believe that while we embrace progress, we should—as modern gentlemen—take inspiration from what came before us: doing so is the only way to help preserve a beauty that so strongly expresses identity through elegance, details, and meaning.
