This was captured in the atrium of the MACBA modern art museum in Barcelona. In addition to hosting a collection of over 5,000 works, the building itself is piece of art. It is almost devoid of any color with white walls and black floors, but the various pillars, ramps, stairs, shapes and lines make the interior very striking.

After making my way through various exhibitions, I leaned over the edge of the third story balcony and looked down into the atrium. Immediately this splash of color caught my attention. I didn’t notice the red spot on the floor when I entered the building. Apparently, I was too busy looking upwards to admire the lines and curves and shadows inside the space.

Looking up has become somewhat of a habit for me when photographing architecture. We spend so much of our lives looking straight ahead, that we often neglect the view above us (myself included). This time, however, looking down allowed me to see what I had missed…a perfect combination of shapes and tones and color. Simple, clean, pleasing.

This was not part of any exhibit. Nevertheless, it ended up being my favorite part of the entire museum.