According to the generally accepted classification, the style of Antoni Gaudi is modern, but in practice his creations cannot be attributed to any of the known styles. We can talk about the Gaudi style, which will be more precise, the style that developed alongside the modern, had a connection with it, but existed according to its own laws and rules.
Critics saw in Gaudí a lonely genius: eccentric, incomprehensible, a little out of his mind, and the most common myth says that the architect worked and lived for 20 years in the basements of the Sagrada Familia. But in reality he only spent the night there, and it lasted six months. The image of Gaudí was too romanticized.
Although in Catalonia even now there is no unequivocal attitude: the memory of this person is either extolled or desecrated. And while some consider him a false prophet, others demand canonization from the Vatican.
short biography
The full name of the architect is Antonio Placid Guillem Gaudí y Cornet, date of birth is June 25, 1852. Born in the town of Reus, he received his name in honor of his mother, and the second part of the surname, according to Spanish tradition, is also from her.
From early childhood, Gaudi was ill a lot, he began to walk late. He could not play outdoor games in the yard and attend physical education lessons: he was tormented by rheumatic pains in his legs. And these pains did not even allow him to walk, Antonio got out for walks astride a donkey. But closer to adulthood, the pains passed.
Unable to spend time on outdoor games, Gaudi was engaged in mental development, in many ways outstripped his peers, even looked older. If he could not take with strength and agility, he took with his mind. He graduated from school as one of the best students.
However, in the process of study, he did not shine with particular successes, standing out only in one subject - geometry. Gaudi did not like cramming, preferring instead to spend time in Riudoms. From there you can see the Montserrat Monastery, which shook the imagination of young Gaudí, the spiers of churches and mountains. The play of light on the stone fascinated him, seemed mystical, and became the leitmotif of his subsequent work.
In 1868, Gaudi graduated from high school. Then he already knew that architecture would become the work of a lifetime. Having the opportunity to study at a higher educational institution, 17-year-old Gaudi moved to Barcelona, where he got a job in an architectural bureau as an ordinary draftsman. He wanted to learn by doing. But he did not neglect the theory either, enrolling in courses at the University of Barcelona, where he studied architecture. Here Gaudi studied for 5 years, and during his studies he entered the Provincial School of Architecture.
During this period, he was looking for a way to combine Romano-Gothic Catalan art and decorative oriental architecture, geometricism and the form of organic nature. But I haven't worked on my own yet, although I managed a lot:
- in 1878-1879 he designed the lanterns of the Real Square;
- in 1878-1882 he created a water cascade in the Citadel park;
- in the same years he developed a project for a workers' quarter and a factory building.
From 1883 to 1900, 2 important events took place in the life of Gaudí: the beginning of work on the Sagrada Familia and acquaintance with Guell, who was a wealthy industrialist, and later became one of the architect's customers and his friend. For Güell, Gaudí built the eponymous estate and palace, the most striking details of which include:
- original, plastic windows;
- almost sculptural accents;
- a combination of different ornaments and colors;
- connection of ceramics and bricks.
After that, Gaudi worked on the construction of the episcopal palace in Astorga, the school of the monastery of St. Teresa and Casa de Los Botines, which turned out to be no less original and are considered a miracle of architecture. And in 1883, Gaudi received an order to build the Sagrada Familia, and this instantly made him one of the leading architects of Barcelona, as he is known today.
Between 1900 and 1917, the architect's unique style flourished and he took on the design of the colony and Park Guell. Both were visible expressions of the socio-utopian views of Gaudí and Guell. Although it was not possible to complete the colony, Gaudi's dreams of merging the natural world with the human came true. He built Casa Batlo and Casa Mila, restored the cathedral in Palma de Mallorca. In 1926, the Sagrada Familia completed the facade of the Nativity, but in the same year he was killed when hit by a tram. Buried by Antoni Gaudi in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia.
Sagrada Familia
This building is called by different names: Gaudí Cathedral, Sagrada Familia, Sagrada Familia. But the full name is the Atonement Church of the Sagrada Familia. This cathedral was conceived by Gaudí with three facades, each of which was supposed to have 4 high spiers with curvilinear outlines. Thus, at the top of the building would be:
- 12 spiers, symbolizing the apostles of Christ;
- in the middle, the architect thought to place the largest tower - Jesus;
- around it - 4 smaller ones, in honor of the four Evangelists.
The decorations on the towers would reflect traditional symbols: eagle, lion, lamb and calf. And on the tower of Christ there should have been a large cross. And above the apse was supposed to be a bell tower, symbolizing the Virgin Mary.
On each of the facades, Gaudi planned to make reliefs that would depict the 3 most important moments of the life of Christ. One bas-relief - "Birth", the second - "Passion", the third - "Ascension". And the facades were supposed to be united by a cloister, a covered bypass gallery, which would create an inner courtyard of the cathedral.
Gaudi did not complete the Sagrada Familia, died earlier. And now there is only a facade with "Christmas" and 4 of 18 towers. However, this is enough to boggle the imagination of people from all over the world.
Park Guell
Park Guell is theatrical. It has outer walls adorned with ceramic plaques that say the park is separate from the rest of the world. At the gates there are 2 pavilion houses: disproportionate, as if they had arisen from the Wonderland. The roof of one of the houses is even made in the form of a magic mushroom cap. And on the tops of both rooftops are inverted coffee cups.
According to Gaudí's plan, the park was supposed to be like an opera, as if unfolding in 3 unrelated acts. And the performance began from the gate, where 2 metal gazelles hid in cages when the doors opened.
Immediately after the entrance, there is a view of the main staircase that leads to the covered market. At its foot there is a stone pool, water flows into it from the mouths of snakes, whose hoods are in the colors of the Catalan flag. The trading floor is a vast plaza and many Doric columns, each with a reservoir underneath to drain rainwater, purified by layers of cobblestone and sand. Inside the columns there are thin pipes through which water must descend into a cistern hidden below.
From the square you can see the entire Park Guell: paths marked with stone balls, a crucifix at the top, a panorama of the entire city and the bay. Every thing in the park, from benches to columns, is a unique masterpiece of architecture.
House Calvet
This house is the simplest of all the creations of Antoni Gaudi, because the architect restrained himself for practical reasons. This house was commissioned by his widow Pedro Calveta for the office of their textile company, the residence of the family and apartments for rent.
The Kalvet house on the first floors was supposed to be an office space, and on the last - residential. Outwardly, the house looks normal, it is squeezed between two other buildings, but on the roof there are sculptures of holy martyrs looking down. The house was built in the style of Roman insula, and the fact that Gaudi designed it is revealed only by the facade.
House Calvet was recognized as the best building in Barcelona and awarded him an award.
