Spanish Art & Culture
Antoni Gaudí
Art Nouveau architect
Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet was born in the province of Tarragona on the 25th June 1852. His parents, Francesc Gaudí Serra and Antònia Cornet Bertran, both came from families of coppersmiths.
He was a student at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura in Barcelona from 1873 to 1877, where he was awarded the title of architect.
In 1878 Gaudi won his first commission, via a competition, to design lampposts for Barcelona's Plaza Reial. He also undertook a number of commissions for furniture and altarpieces and a showcase for gloves for the Comella firm for the Paris Exhibition of 1878, and it was these works that got him a big break.
Fellow Catalan, Eusebi Guell, was so enchanted by the work which he saw at the Paris fair that he tracked down the artist in Barcelona and became Gaudi's close friend and an important patron of his works - notably commissioning the architect to design the Palau Guell and Park Guell, amongst other projects.
Some of his first works were designed in the style of gothic architecture and traditional Catalan modes but he soon developed his own distinct sculptural style. He went on to contrive highly original, irregular and fantastically intricate designs.
Gaudí was a devout Catholic, to the point that in his later years he abandoned secular work and devoted his life to Catholicism and La Sagrada Família. He designed it to have 18 towers, 12 for the 12 apostles, 4 for the 4 evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus. Soon after, his closest family and friends began to die.
Gaudi's later years were hard on the architect. His father died in 1905, followed by his niece in 1912, two close friends in 1914 and 1916, and finally his patron Eusebi Guell in 1918. Always an ardent Catholic, Antoni became more fervently religious and gave up all secular commissions (after completing the Casa Mila in 1910) to concentrate on his monumental life work, La Sagrada Familia - a project that occupied him for the final 16 years of his time on earth and which he never finished (and still isn't finished now - there is hope that the church will be complete by 2026).
Gaudí became reluctant to talk with reporters or have his picture taken and solely concentrated on his masterpiece, La Sagrada Família . The one-time dandy allowed his appearance and clothes to deteriorate and he became yet more isolated from society.
He died on 10th June 1926, just three days after being hit by a tram. At the time of the accident, no-one recognised him and because of his ragged look and empty pockets, passers by were reluctant to help but he was eventually taken to a pauper’s hospital in Barcelona. He is buried in the midst of La Sagrada Família.
Gaudí's originality was at first ridiculed by his peers. Indeed, he was first only supported by the rich industrialist Eusebi Güell. His fellow citizens referred to the Casa Milà as La Pedrera ("the quarry"), and George Orwell, who stayed in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, admittedly loathed his work. As time passed, though, his work became more famous and he stands as one of history's most original architects.
Throughout his life, Gaudi studied nature's angles and curves and incorporated them into his designs and mosaics. Instead of relying on geometric shapes, he mimicked the way men stand upright. The hyperboloids and paraboloids he borrowed from nature were easily reinforced by steel rods and allowed his designs to resemble elements from the environment.
Because of his rheumatism, the artist observed a strict vegetarian diet, used homeopathic drug therapy, underwent water therapy, and hiked regularly. Long walks, besides suppressing his rheumatism, further allowed him to experience nature.
Gaudí loved for his work to be created by nature as he used concrete leaves and vine windows to create his ideas for him. His work is not just because of him but because of nature as well.
Significant Works
La Sagrada Familia
Gaudi's association with the architect Martorell landed him what was to become his most important commission - designing La Sagrada Familia Cathedral. He began work on it soon after graduating in 1883, and dedicated the last 16 years of his life entirely to the project. The famously unfinished church is now the city's most visited attraction.
Gaudí was constantly changing his mind and recreating the blueprints for La Segrada. Unfortunately, the only existing copy of his last recorded blue prints was destroyed by the anarchists in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War. This has made it very difficult for workers to complete the cathedral in the fashion Gaudí most likely would have wished.
La Sagrada Família is now being completed, but differences between his work and the new additions can be seen.As of 2007, completion of the Sagrada Familía is planned for 2026.
Casa Vicens
Commissioned in 1978 and built between 1883 and 1888, Casa Vicens was Gaudi's first major work to be finished. A private house designed for the industrialist Vicens, this Moorish-influenced marvel can be found in the Gracia district.
Park Guell
Eusebi Guell, Gaudi's principal patron, wanted to build a remarkable park for the Barcelona aristocracy - and no prizes for guessing who he turned to. Characterised by its pavilions and undulating mosaics (made from broken tiles), the Park has become one of Barcelona's must-see destinations. It was built between 1900 and 1914.
Palau Guell
This sumptuous palace was created as the Guell's family residence, on the Nou de la Rambla. Austere white stonework is offset by surreal chimneys of fantastic colours, and a central spire topped off by a bat-winged monster. Look out for the Catalan coat of arms on the entrance. (Built 1886-89).
Casa Batlló
The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality. Built in 1877, it was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona.
The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudí designed, only identifiable as Modernism or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work.
It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the façade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís) that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the sword of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon.(Restored 1905-1907)
Casa Mila - aka 'La Pedrera'
Casa Mila, also known by its nickname La Pedrera (The Quarry), was the last great work Gaudi finished before dedicating himself entirely to La Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Sinuous curves, elaborate metalwork and spiraling mosaic-tiled chimneys represent the architect's most accomplished expression of the unique style he created. (Built 1906-1910).