F-arty Fridays: Yvonne thinks Gaudi Designs Buildings that Rock!

One of the things I like most about traveling (apart from the “Holiday Calories Don’t Count” rule) is discovering new artists and designers. During a trip to Barcelona, Spain, it was architect and designer, Antoni Gaudi, who wowed me. His work spanned the late 1800s and early 1900s, and left a unique stamp on the entire city.

My visit just happened to coincide with the 100^th anniversary of Gaudi’s death, so many of the private buildings he designed were open to the public. Gorgeous curves, bright mosaic tiles, and artfully tangled ironwork made these buildings irresistible, and I made it a point to see as many as possible.

Both admired and criticized in his own time, Gaudi’s goal was to create structures that integrated with their surroundings. He often achieved this by also designing the elements that adorned them, like stained glass, mosaics, ceramics, and wrought iron. Even chimneys and doors became works of art.

Casa Milà &

Casa Batlló

The philosophy of integrated design was popular with the Art Nouveau movement that sought to make art a part of ordinary life. Art Nouveau rejected traditional, rigid art forms in favor of the

flowing, organic forms of nature.

Gaudi was influenced by Art Nouveau, and is also considered a forefather of the Catalan Modernisme movement, which embraced a bohemian attitude toward society. Its followers either set themselves apart, or attempted to change it.

However, Gaudi remains difficult to categorize as his work was also influenced by gothic art, oriental structures, medieval French architecture and other designers of the time. All of this resulted in a style was as unique as Gaudi himself.

Here are just a few of my favorite Gaudi creations:

Park Güell

The failed housing site ended up as a public space, where broken pieces of ceramics from local factories were used in the mosaics and cutting down trees was strictly forbidden.

Casa Milà (La Pedrera)

Also known as La Pedrera (The Quarry), this amazing apartment building (see chimney's above), does not contain a single straight line. Instead of load-bearing walls, it rests on pillars and arches.

The balconies on the outside resemble undulating waves and in order to allow light into all the rooms, the units are arranged around two central courtyards.

Casa Batlló

Both interior and exterior of this building feature a mix of expressionist and Art

Nouveau styles.

Sagrada Familia

This grand cathedral is probably the most famous of Gaudi's creations. He took over the project from another architect in 1883 and continued to work on it until his death in 1926. When Gaudi was run over by a tram, people mistook him for a vagabond and few stopped to help. Yet when he died from his injuries a few months later, thousands lined up to pay their respects as the procession made its way from the hospital to a crypt in La Sagrada Familia.

Since Gaudi’s death, a variety of different architects have continued his work on the project and the building remains under construction today.