Gaudi+Architecture

Morgan Plew
Antoni Gaudí is known as one of the most influential architects and patron of Catalonia. Gaudí was born on June 25, 1852 in Reus within the province of Tarragona. However, most of his life and his career was spent in the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona. He moved to Barcelona with his brother when he was 17 years old and shortly after enrolled at the Higher School of Architecture of Barcelona. To pay for these studies he worked with two other architects; some of his earliest works were produced with them. In 1878, Gaudí finished his studies at the School of Architecture. Through out his life, Gaudí designed private residences, schools, apartment blocks, a park a cathedral.

The style of Antoní Gaudi’s architecture was not only influential but also has much symbolism to the important aspects of his life. His influence is considered neo-Gothic art with Oriental techniques. However, most of his influence was not from previous artists but from the life and world surrounding him. The most important aspects of his art are nature, religion, architecture and his love for Catalonia. Through his studies, Gaudí became familiar with Catalan medieval architecture which caused him to feel a strong connection for his native region. Gaudí was also baptized as a Roman Catholic and that influence of his upbringing plus the magnitude of the religion in that country caused his to use those ethics as a source of inspiration. He also used trees, flowers and animals as decoration for his works. His work became part of the Catalán modernista movement. Today, seven of his works have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO because “The work of Antoni Gaudí represents an exceptional and outstanding creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.” //“//Gaudí’s work exhibits an important interchange of values closely associated with the cultural and artistic currents of his time, as represented in el Modernisme of Catalonia. It anticipated and influenced many of the forms and techniques that were relevant to the development of modern construction in the 20th century.” “Gaudí’s work represents a series of outstanding examples of the building typology in the architecture of the early 20th century, residential as well as public, to the development of which he made a significant and creative contribution.” Gaudí’s style and influence has been cherished by those of Catalonia and worldwide. His inspirations are magnificent enough to inspire all those who visit his work. Park Güell is the largest and most important piece of Antoni Gaudí’s work. It is the largest work in terms of physical extension and is the most important in that it is the most complete. The park is like a garden city, very similar to the English Gardens of the 19th century. The inspiration of this work was “to link [the] symbolism of Hellenic culture with the Christian and nationalist feeling of Catalonia. The park includes a main entrance with a large staircase, a hypostyle chamber, a public square, building around the ent rance and many bridges and viaducts. The influence of Christianity s present in the chapel of the Güell house, the Rosary whose beads are balls of stone on the sides of paths and the crosses in the entrance pavilion. There is a ceramic mosaic with the four masts of Aragon in the middle of the entrance stairway that shows the relationship of Christian Catalonia with classical Greek culture. His most famous work however is the Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Famalia. The cathedral is based on the form of a Latin cross. It has three facades, facing east, south and west: the Nativity, Glory and Passion facades. The north facing side is made up of seven chapels and an ambulatory. In the center of the transept is a huge dome, 170 meters high. Each façade has four bell towers each that are 100 meters high. Gaudí was most enthusiastic about this project because it was a chance for him to use his art in the service of religion. Unfortunately, this immense project is yet to be completed because of Gaudí’s death in 1926.





During the start of Gaudí’s career, Barcelona was experiencing rapid development. The population had rose much higher and the city itself had expanded due to the demolition of an old military foritification. With the combination of these two factors, Catalonia began to develop its own intellectual and cultural life. The identity of Catalonia was beginning to strengthen as the language and traditions began to be revived. An important part of Catalonia’s new identity was Modernism. Modernism is described as “polychromy and ornamentation, eclecticism, a more or less strong engagement with Gothic style and a sculptural, sometimes organic handling of surfaces. Antoni Gaudí is considered one of the founding fathers of Modernism and with his various works of art throughout Barcelona is definitely a large contributor to Catalonia’s identity. He preserved the most important apects of his native region. He upheld Christian ethics and incorporated them into his landmarks; he found inspiration from the nature sounding the area and even incorporated Moorish art into his own because of their history in the region. His devotion to Catalonia and Catholicism were recognized by the archbishop of Barcelona who proposed his beatification in 1998 and was approved by the Vatican two years after. Gaudí’s service to culture and art world will clearly never be forgotten.

//** Works Cited: **//

Thiébaut, Philippe. //Gaudí: Visionary Architect//. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002. Print. Bassegoda, Joan, Pere Vivas, and Ricard Pla. //Gaudí: The Entire Works//. Triangle Postals, Print. Güell, Xavier. //Gaudí Guide//. Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili, 1991. Print. "Works of Antoni Gaudí." //UNESCO//. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Web. 6 Dec. 2011. . "Architecture of Antoni Gaudi." Bluffton College. Mary Anne Sullivan, 2002. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. .